tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85405909020207772072024-03-14T13:13:10.058-05:00Litany LaneAn Artistic Avenue of Catholic Spiritual TranquilityLitany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comBlogger504125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-53016354880872536572018-12-23T11:17:00.000-06:002018-12-23T11:17:07.140-06:00Sunday December 23, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Humility; Reading 1,Micah 5:1-4; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Reading 2, Hebrews 10:5-10; Gospel and Lectio Divina: Luke 1:39-45; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saints of the Week - Saint Peter Canisus; Snippet I - Saint Nicholaus; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Snippet IV - The Jesse Tree; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 3 Chapter 3 The Visitation; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 6 - Man; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday December 23, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
<i>Humility; </i><i>Reading 1,</i><i>Micah 5:1-4</i><i>; Responsorial Psalm, </i><i>Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19</i><i>; Reading 2,</i><i> </i><i><i>Hebrews 10:5-10</i>; Gospel and Lectio Divina: </i><i>Luke 1:39-45</i><i>; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saints of the Week - </i><i>Saint Peter Canisus;<b> </b>Snippet I - Saint Nicholaus; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Snippet IV - The Jesse Tree; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 3 Chapter 3 The Visitation; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 6 - Man; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 4th Sunday in Advent</b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
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this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>St. Andrew Christmas Novena</b></span><br />
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“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”<br />
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Recite the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<b>December 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
When you come to me, as to a mother, with a pure and open heart, know that I am listening to you, encouraging you, consoling you and, above all, interceding for you with my Son. I know that you desire to have a strong faith and to express it in the right way. What my Son asks of you is to have a sincere, strong and deep faith – then every way in which you express it is proper. Faith is a most wonderful mystery <span class="text_exposed_show">which is kept in the heart. It is between the Heavenly Father and all of His children; it is recognized by the fruits and by the love which one has towards all of God's creatures.</span><br />
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Apostles of my love, my children, have trust in my Son. Help all of my children to come to know His love. You are my hope – you who strive to sincerely love my Son. In the name of love, for your salvation, according to the will of the Heavenly Father and through my Son, I am here among you. Apostles of my love, along with prayer and sacrifice, may your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of my Son. May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and bring them back to my Son. I am with you.</span><br />
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In a special way, I am alongside your shepherds. With my motherly love I illuminate and encourage them that, with the hands blessed by my Son, they may bless the entire world. Thank you. ~Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<b>November 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
My motherly heart suffers as I am looking at my children who do not love the truth, those who are hiding it—as I look at my children who do not pray with their feelings and actions. I am sad as I am saying to my Son that many of my children no longer have faith, that they do not know Him—my Son. That is why I call you, apostles of my love: you strive to look to the very depth in human hearts and there you are certa<span class="text_exposed_show">in to find the little hidden treasure. To look in this way is mercy from the Heavenly Father. To seek the good even where there is the greatest evil—to strive to comprehend each other and not to judge—that is what my Son is asking of you. And I, as a mother, am calling you to listen to Him.</span><br />
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My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh, and, carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory.<br />
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Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and, above all, in humility. Witness the truth to all those who have not come to know my Son. I will be alongside you. I will encourage you. Witness the love which never ends because it comes from the Heavenly Father who is eternal and who offers eternity to all of my children. The spirit of my Son will be alongside you.<br />
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Anew I am calling you, my children: pray for your shepherds, pray that the love of my Son may lead them. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>August 30, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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“In time, events rise and fall. When you come to Heaven and study your life, you will see that graces were always available to you. My desire for each of my followers is that they accept the grace that I send, in each moment, for peace. For those who accept my grace, peace is easily restored after periods of distress. For those who study my graces as they accept them, peace remains with them in each day and in each moment in each day. My friend, do you feel peaceful? Are you prepared to advance into the period to come? Have I done everything possible to equip my apostles to remain clear-sighted during confusing times? I believe that I have given you everything necessary. Here is another question. Do you <b>wish</b> to retain your peace? Do you <b>wish</b> to remain faithful to me and to the Church that I suffered to establish? If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’, then I am certain that you have all that you need to proceed with your time serving quietly and happily, despite sufferings that you endure. If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’ then I know that you will grow in holiness, day by day, because of your closeness to me and your decision to allow me to direct your time on Earth. I want you to be happy and full of joy. Joy is for you, my beloved apostles. Let others do what they will. Let us proceed into the world with apostolic joy and gladness. There is enormous joy available right now, in this day, because Heaven sends extraordinary graces for our Church. The most important part of your service to me is that you receive these extraordinary graces for joy in this time. If you receive them, you can offer them to others. Talk about me, please. I am so pleased that the leader I have chosen points constantly to me. He loves me and brings my love to others. Do you love me? Do you bring my love to others? Do you trust me to care for my Church tenderly and constantly? I will never abandon my Church. I am with you in the Eucharist. Do you visit me there and ask for peace? For guidance? Please. I am asking you to remain close to me and talk about me. Let others endlessly discuss the challenges of the times. I want you to talk about me. My love for my children, all of my children, means that I have hopes in you. There are little assignments today that only you can fill. Will you fill these opportunities for me? Will you listen to my gentle movements in your heart? I feel so close to you. Do you feel close to me? My beloved apostle, we walk together. We walk in fidelity to our Church and to the man I have chosen to lead it during this period. Be confident that you will understand exactly what Heaven needs from you in each day if you remain in peace with me.”</div>
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
<br />
<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<br />
<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> </span><div align="center" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<br />
(Vatican Radio)<br />
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<h2 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope at Angelus: Mary, model of faith and charity</h2>
<div class="article__subTitle" itemprop="description">
Pope
Francis has invited Christians to avoid being self-referenced –
especially at Christmas – and to put Jesus and our brothers and sisters
in need at the heart of festivities.</div>
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<b>By Vatican News</b><br />
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Addressing the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the <b>Angelus</b> on the 4<sup>th</sup> Sunday of Advent, <b>Pope Francis</b> reflected the figure of Mary whom he described as a model of faith and charity.<br />
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Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day that tells of Mary’s
visit to her cousin Elizabeth, he said that the Holy Spirit gave the
Virgin the strength and energy “to go to the service of her elderly
relative”.<br />
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<h2>
‘Blessed are you who believed’</h2>
The Pope described the meeting between the two expectant mothers
during which Elizabeth praised Mary's faith saying “Blessed are you who
believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”.<br />
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He mentioned the contrast between Mary, who had faith, and Zechariah,
Elizabeth’s husband who did not believe the angel’s promise and for
this reason remained deaf, dumb and silent until John’s birth.<br />
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<h2>
Our encounter with God is the fruit of faith</h2>
This episode, Pope Francis said, shines a “very special light the
mystery of man's encounter with God” and shows us that our encounter
with God is the fruit of faith.<br />
<br />
He explained that it is an encounter that is not marked by
astonishing wonders, but rather by faith and charity. Mary, in fact, is
blessed, he added, because she believed, while Zechariah who doubted and
did not believe, remained deaf and dumb, and then grew in faith during a
long silence. <br />
Without faith, he said, there is a lack of strength to speak to those who suffer.<br />
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<h2>
Faith is nourished by charity</h2>
Faith, the Pope continued, “is nourished by charity” and he commented
on the fact that the evangelist says that Mary went quickly to visit
Elizabeth with a gesture that was full of care.<br />
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“She could have stayed at home to prepare for the birth of her son,
instead she cared more about others than about herself, a fact that
shows she was already a disciple of the Lord she carried in her womb” he
said.<br />
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Thus, the event of Jesus’ birth began with a simple gesture of
charity, the Pope said, pointing out that charity is always the fruit of
God's love.<br />
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Not “I” at the center, but our brothers and sisters in need</h2>
This Sunday's Gospel, Francis concluded, “prepares us to live Christmas well, communicating the dynamism of faith and charity”.<br />
<br />
“It is a dynamic and positive attitude that is full of joy, as can be
seen in the encounter between the two mothers-to-be" Pope Francis said,
inviting all Christians to put the needs of others at the heart of
Christmas festivities and to make space for Love “which even today wants
to become flesh and come and live amongst us”.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 12/23/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Word</span></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - humility</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2">hyoo-<span class="bold">mil</span>-i-tee</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1275–1325;</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="middle">
Middle
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="english">
English
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="humilite">
humilite
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="<">
<
</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="latin">
Latin
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="humilitās">
humilitās.
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="see">
See
</span> humble</span></h4>
<div class="one-click-content css-1jci32p e1iz2gwk0">
<br /></div>
<div class="lr_dct_sf_h">
<i>adjective</i></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="xpdxpnd vk_gy" data-mh="-1">
noun: <b>humble</b><br />
<br />
<span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="the">1. the
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="quality">
quality
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="condition">
condition
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="being">
being
</span> humble; <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="modest">
modest
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="opinion">
opinion
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="estimate">
estimate
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="ones">
one's
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="own">
own
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="importance">
importance,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="rank">
rank,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="etc">
etc.
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Micah 5:1-4</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past, to the days of old.<br />
<sup>2</sup> Hence Yahweh will abandon them only until she who is in labour gives birth, and then those who survive of his race will be reunited to the Israelites.<br />
<sup>3</sup> He will take his stand and he will shepherd them with the power of Yahweh, with the majesty of the name of his God, and they will be secure, for his greatness will extend henceforth to the most distant parts of the country.<br />
<sup>4</sup> He himself will
be peace! Should the Assyrian invade our country, should he set foot in
our land, we shall raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of
men;<br />
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<div class="dndata">
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19</i></h2>
<sup>2</sup> over Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh; rouse your valour and come to our help.<br />
<sup>3</sup> God, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.<br />
<sup>15</sup> protect what your own hand has planted.<br />
<sup>16</sup> They have thrown it on the fire like dung, the frown of your rebuke will destroy them.<br />
<sup>18</sup> Never again will we turn away from you, give us life and we will call upon your name.<br />
<sup>19</sup> God Sabaoth, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>Hebrews 10:5-10</i></h2>
<sup>5</sup> and that is why he said, on coming into the world: You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering, but you gave me a body.<br />
<sup>6</sup> You took no pleasure in burnt offering or sacrifice for sin;<br />
<sup>7</sup> then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,' in the scroll of the book it is written of me, to do your will, God.<br />
<sup>8</sup> He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them;<br />
<sup>9</sup> and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second.<br />
<sup>10</sup> And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><i>Luke 1:39-45</i></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Mary’s visit to Elisabeth<br />God reveals himself in the simplest things</i></div>
</div>
<i> </i> <br />
<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
<br />
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the
same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover
the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
<br />
Create silence within
us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the
Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and
suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples
on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and
witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of
fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary,
who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
2. The Gospel</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) A key to the reading: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today’s Gospel describes Mary’s visit to
her cousin Elizabeth. They knew each other. They were related. But
during the meeting, they discover in each other a mystery that they did
not yet know and that fills them with great joy. How often does it
happen that we meet people whom we know, but who surprise us by their
wisdom and by their witness of the faith! It is thus that God reveals
Himself and allows us to know the mystery of His presence in our lives. <br />
<br />
The
text of this Gospel of the fourth Sunday of Advent does not include
Mary’s canticle (Lk 1:46-56) and barely describes Mary’s visit with
Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45). In this brief commentary we take the liberty of
including Mary’s canticle, because it helps us better understand the
meaning of the two women’s experience at the moment of this visit. The
canticle reveals that what Mary experienced when Elizabeth greeted her
helps her perceive the presence of God’s mystery not just in the person
of Elizabeth, but also in her own life and in the history of her people.
<br />
<br />
As you read the text, try to pay attention to the following:
“What gestures, words and comparisons made by Mary and Elizabeth express
the discovery of God’s presence in their lives?”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) A division of the text to help with the reading: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1:39-40: Mary leaves home to visit her cousin Elisabeth <br />
Luke 1:41: When Elisabeth hears Mary’s greeting, she experiences God’s presence <br />
Luke 1:42-44: Elisabeth greets Mary<br />
Luke 1:45: Elisabeth praises Mary<br />
Luke 1:46-56: The Magnificat (Mary’s canticle)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>c) The Gospel - Luke 1:39-45</b>:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mary set out and traveled to the hill
country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy
Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come
to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the
infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that
what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Canticle of Mary - Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56):</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has
looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages
call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy
is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has
shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He
has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away
empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his
descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then
returned to her home.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
3. Mediatio</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
a) What pleased or touched you most in this text? Why? <br />
b) What gestures, words and comparisons express Elizabeth’s discovery of the presence of God in her life and in Mary’s? <br />
c)
With what gestures, words and comparisons does Mary express her
discovery of God’s presence in her life, in Elizabeth’s, and in her
people’s history? <br />
d) What is the source of the joy of both women? <br />
e) What symbol from the Old Testament is recalled and realized in the description of this visit? <br />
f) Where and how does the joy of God’s presence occur in my life and in the life of my family and community? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h3>
4. Contemplation</h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) Yesterday’s and today’s contexts: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ childhood is
centered on the figure of Joseph, Jesus’ putative father. It is through
“Joseph the husband of Mary” (Mt 1:16), that Jesus becomes David’s
descendant, able to fulfill the promises made to David. On the other
hand, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus’ childhood is centered on the person of
Mary, “the betrothed of Joseph” (Lk 1:27). Luke does not say much about
Mary, but what he does say is very deep and important. He presents Mary
as model of life for Christian communities. The key to seeing Mary in
this light is what Jesus says to His mother: “More blessed still are
those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28). In the way Mary
relates to the Word of God, Luke sees the best way for the communities
to relate to the Word of God: hear it, incarnate it, deepen it, ponder
it, give birth to it and make it grow, allow oneself to overwhelmed by
it even when one does not understand it or when it brings pain. This is
the background to chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s Gospel when they speak of
Mary, Jesus’ mother. When Luke speaks of Mary, he is thinking of the
Christian communities of his time that lived spread out in the cities of
the Roman Empire. Mary is the model of the faithful community. And,
faithful to this biblical tradition, the last chapter of “Lumen Gentium”
of Vatican II that speaks of the Church presents Mary as model of the
Church. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth shows another aspect typical of
Luke. All the words, actions, and, above all, the canticle of Mary are
one grand celebration of praise. It is like the description of a solemn
liturgy. <br />
In this way, Luke creates a double atmosphere: the
prayerful atmosphere in which Jesus is born and bred in Palestine, and
the liturgical and celebratory atmosphere within which Christian
communities live their faith. He teaches the transformation of a visit
by God into service of the brothers and sisters.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) A commentary on the text: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1:39-40: <i>Mary’s visit with Elizabeth.<br /> </i>Luke
stresses Mary’s haste in responding to the demands of the Word of God.
The angel informs her that Elizabeth is pregnant, and immediately Mary
begins her journey to see what the angel had told her. She leaves home
to help someone who needs help. It is more than 100 kilometers from
Nazareth to the mountains of Judea. There were no coaches, no trains.
Mary hears the Word and puts it into practice in the most efficient way.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1:41-44: <i>Elizabeth’s greeting.<br /> </i>Elizabeth
represents the Old Testament, which is coming to an end; Mary
represents the New, about to begin. The Old Testament greets the New
with gratitude and confidence, recognizing God’s free gift, which is
given to realize and fulfill the expectation of the people. In the
meeting of the two women, the gift of the Spirit manifests itself and
causes the child in Elizabeth’s womb to rejoice. <br />
God’s Good News
reveals His presence in one of nature’s most common events, two women
who visit together to help each other. Visit, joy, pregnancy, sons,
mutual help, house, family: Luke wants the communities (and us) to see
and discover the presence of the Kingdom in these things. <br />
To this day, Elizabeth’s words are part of the best known and most recited Psalm in the whole world, the <b><i>Hail Mary</i></b>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1:45: <i>Elizabeth praises Mary.<br /> </i>"Blessed
is she who has believed in the fulfillment of the word of the Lord".
This is Luke’s message to the communities: belief in the Word of God
that has the power to bring to pass what it says. It is the Word that
creates. It gives birth to new life in the womb of a virgin, in the womb
of the poor and abandoned people who welcome it with faith. Elizabeth’s
praise of Mary is brought to completion when Jesus praises His mother:
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1:46-56: <i>Mary’s canticle.<br /> </i>It
is most probable that this canticle was known and sung by the Christian
communities. It teaches how one must pray and sing. It is also a kind
of measure that reveals the level of the knowledge of the communities in
Greece for whom Luke was writing his Gospel. To this day, it is
possible to evaluate the level of awareness of communities from the
canticles that we hear and sing there.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Luke 1:46-50:</i> <br />
Mary begins
by proclaiming the change that has taken place in her life under the
loving gaze of God who is most merciful. Thus she sings joyfully, "My
soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior, because He has looked upon the lowliness of His servant. Yes,
from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Almighty has
done great things for me. Holy is His name, and His faithful love
extends age after age to those who fear him.” In order to understand the
meaning of these very well known words, we need to remember that this
is a very young girl, perhaps 15 or 16 years old, poor, from a remote
village in Palestine, on the periphery of the world, but one who clearly
knows her situation and mission, both hers and her people’s. Mary
imitates the canticle of Anna, mother of the prophet Samuel (1Sam
2:1-10).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Luke 1:51-53: <br /> </i>Then Mary
sings of Yahweh’s fidelity towards His people and proclaims the change
that the power of God’s arm was accomplishing in favor of the poor and
hungry. The expression “the arm of God” recalls the liberation of the
Exodus. This change takes place by the grace of the saving power of
Yahweh: He has routed the arrogant of heart (1:51), He has pulled down
princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly (1:52), He has
filled the starving with good things and sent the rich away empty
(1:53). Here we see the level of awareness of the poor in Jesus’ time
and in the time of Luke’s communities, who sang this canticle and
probably knew it by heart. It is worthwhile comparing this canticle with
the canticles that today’s communities sing in church. Do we have the
political and social awareness that we find in Mary’s canticle? In the
1970’s, at the time of the military dictatorships in Latin America, for
the military Easter celebrations this canticle was censored because it
was considered subversive. To this day, Mary’s awareness, the mother of
Jesus, is still discomforting!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Luke 1:54-55:</i> <br />
Finally the
canticle reminds us that all this is an expression of God’s mercy
towards His people and of His fidelity to the promises made to Abraham.
The Good News is not a reward for the observance of the Law, but an
expression of the goodness and fidelity of God to His promises. This is
what Paul taught in his letters to the Galatians and to the Romans.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>c) Further information: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 1-2: the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the first two chapters of Luke,
everything revolves around the birth of two persons: John and Jesus.
These two chapters give us a pleasurable taste of Luke’s Gospel. Their
tone is that of praise and gentleness. From beginning to end, the mercy
of God is praised and sung, a mercy that finally breaks out to fulfill
its promises. These promises are fulfilled in favor of the poor, the <i>anawim</i>,
of those who know how to wait for their fulfillment: Elizabeth,
Zachary, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds and the three magi.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
The
first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel are well known but only
superficially. Luke writes in imitation of the Old Testament scriptures.
It is as though the first two chapters of his Gospel were the last of
the Old Testament, thus opening the way for the coming of the New. These
two chapters are the threshold between the Old and New Testaments. Luke
wishes to show to Theophilus that the prophecies are being fulfilled.
Jesus fulfills the Old and begins the New. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
These two chapters of
Luke’s Gospel are not history in our present day understanding of
history. They act much more like a mirror where those for whom the
Gospel is written, the Christians converted from paganism, discover that
Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and to
respond to the deepest aspirations of the human heart. They also
symbolize what was happening in their communities in Luke’s time. The
communities originating from paganism will be born from converted Jews.
But they will be different. The New does not completely correspond to
what the Old imagined and hoped for. It was a "sign of contradiction"
(Lk 2:34), caused tensions and was a source of much pain. In Mary’s
attitude, Luke presents a model of how to react and persevere in the
New.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
5. Psalm 27 (26)</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<i>he Lord is my light, whom shall I fear?</i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yahweh is my light and my salvation, <br />
whom should I fear? <br />
Yahweh is the fortress of my life, <br />
whom should I dread?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the wicked advance against me to eat me up, <br />
they, my opponents, my enemies, <br />
are the ones who stumble and fall.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though an army pitch camp against me, <br />
my heart will not fear; <br />
though war break out against me, <br />
my trust will never be shaken.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek: <br />
to dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, <br />
to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh, <br />
to seek out His temple.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For He hides me under His roof on the day of evil. <br />
He folds me in the recesses of His tent, <br />
sets me high on a rock.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now my head is held high above the enemies who surround me; <br />
in His tent I will offer sacrifices of acclaim. <br />
I will sing, I will make music for Yahweh.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yahweh, <br />
hear my voice as I cry, <br />
pity me, answer me!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of you my heart has said, <br />
“Seek His face!” <br />
Your face, Yahweh, I seek;<br />
do not turn away from me. <br />
Do not thrust aside Your servant in anger; <br />
without You I am helpless. <br />
Never leave me. <br />
Never forsake me, <br />
God, my Savior.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though my father and mother forsake me, <br />
Yahweh will gather me up.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yahweh, teach me Your way, <br />
lead me on the path of integrity because of my enemies;<br />
do not abandon me to the will of my foes <br />
-- false witnesses have risen against me, <br />
and are breathing out violence.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This I believe: <br />
I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, <br />
in the land of the living.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Put your hope in Yahweh, <br />
be strong, <br />
let your heart be bold, <br />
put your hope in Yahweh.</div>
</div>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
6. Final Prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and
grant us the strength to practice that which Your Word has revealed to
us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice
the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the
Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span><span style="font-size: small;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●<b> </b></span><br />
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saints of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b><i>St Peter Canisius</i></b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
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<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: December 21<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: <sup> </sup>Catholic Press, Germany<sup><br /></sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ab-pU_unKgs/UNYeE4wo60I/AAAAAAAAGe0/Kx_M1GKufH0/s1600/374px-Saint_Petrus_Canisius.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ab-pU_unKgs/UNYeE4wo60I/AAAAAAAAGe0/Kx_M1GKufH0/s320/374px-Saint_Petrus_Canisius.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Peter Canisius, S.J.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Peter Canisius, S.J.</b> (Dutch: <span lang="nl"><i>Pieter Kanis</i></span>),
(8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was an important Jesuit Catholic priest
who fought against the spread of Protestantism in Germany, Austria,
Bohemia, Moravia, and Switzerland. The restoration of the Catholic
Church in Germany after the Protestant Reformation is largely attributed
to the work there of the Society of Jesus, which he led. He is
venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the
Church.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Life">Life</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He
was born in 1521 in Nijmegen in the Duchy of Guelders, which, until
1549, was part of the Hapsburg Netherlands within the Holy Roman Empire
and is now the Netherlands. His father was the wealthy burgermeister,
Jacob Kanis; his mother, Ægidia van Houweningen, who died shortly after
Peter's birth. He was sent to study at the University of Cologne, he
earned a Master's degree in 1540, at the age of 19.
While there, he met Peter Faber, one of the founders of the Society of
Jesus. Through him, Canisius became the first Dutchman to join the
newly-founded Society of Jesus in 1543.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Through his preaching
and writings, Peter Canisius became one of the most influential
Catholics of his time. He supervised the founding and maintenance of the
first German-speaking
Jesuit colleges, often with little resources at hand. Because of his
frequent travels between the colleges, a tedious and dangerous
occupation at the time, he became known as the Second Apostle of
Germany.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Canisius
also exerted a strong influence on the Emperor Ferdinand I;
he ceaselessly reminded Ferdinand of the imminent danger to his soul
should he concede more rights to Protestants in return for their
military support. When Canisius perceived a very real danger of
Ferdinand's son and heir, Maximilian, openly declaring himself a
Protestant, Canisius threatened Maximilian with disinheritance should he
desert the Catholic Faith.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Canisius
was an influential teacher and preacher, especially through his "German
Catechism",
a book which defined the basic principles of Catholicism in the German
language and made them more accessible to readers in German-speaking
countries. He was offered the post of Bishop of Vienna in 1554, but
declined in order to continue his traveling and teachings. He did,
however, serve as administrator of the Diocese of Vienna for one year,
until a new bishop was appointed for it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He
moved to Germany, where he was one of the main Catholic theologians at
the Colloquy of Worms in 1557, and later served as the main preacher in
the cathedral of Augsburg
from 1559 to 1568, where he strongly witnessed to his faith on three or
four occasions each week. His preaching was said to have been so
convincing that it attracted hundreds of Protestants back to the old
faith.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By
the time he left Germany, the Society of Jesus in Germany had
evolved from a small band of priests into a powerful tool of the Counter
Reformation. Canisius spent the last 20 years of his life in Fribourg,
Switzerland, where he founded the Jesuit preparatory school, the College
of Saint Michael, which trained generations of young men for careers
and future university studies.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
1591, at the age of 70, Canisius suffered a stroke which left him
partially paralyzed, but he continued to preach and write with the aid
of a secretary until his death in Fribourg.
He was initially buried at the Church of St. Nicholas. His remains were
later transferred to the church of the Jesuit College, which he had
founded and where he spent the last year of his life
They were interred in front of the main altar of the church, and the
room he occupied during those last months is now a chapel which is open
to the veneration of the faithful.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Pastoral_strategy">Pastoral strategy</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Canisius
lived during the height of the Protestant Reformation and dedicated
much of his work to the clarification of the Catholic faith in light of
the emergence of the new Protestant doctrines.
His lasting contribution is his three catechisms, which he published in
Latin and German, which became widespread and popular in Catholic
regions. In his fight with German Protestantism, he requested much more
flexibility from Rome, arguing:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
If you treat them right, the Germans will give you everything. Many
err in matters of faith, but without arrogance. They err the German way,
mostly honest, a bit simple-minded, but very open for everything
Lutheran. An honest explanation of the faith would be much more
effective than a polemical attack against reformers.</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He rejected attacks against John Calvin and Melanchton: <i>With words like these, we don’t cure patients, we make them incurable</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Mariology_of_Canisius">Mariology of Canisius</span></h2>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Canisius
taught that, while there are many roads leading to Jesus Christ, for
him the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the best. His sermons and letters document a clear preoccupation with Marian veneration. Under the heading "prayer" he explains the <i>Ave Maria</i> (Hail Mary), as the basis for Catholic Marian piety.
Less known are his Marian books, in which he published prayers and
contemplative texts. He is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the
sentence</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><i>Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.</i> </dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eleven
years later it was included in the Catechism of the Council of Trent of
1566. Theologically, Canisius defended Roman Catholic Mariology in his
1577 book, <i>De Maria Virgine Incomparabili et Dei Genitrice Sacrosancta Libri Quinque.</i>
From today's perspective, Canisius clearly erred in some of his
sources, but, because of his factual analysis of original sources, it is
considered as representing one of the best theological achievements in
the 16th century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Canisius
was beatified by the Blessed Pope Pius IX in the year 1864, and later
canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church on 21 May 1925 by Pope
Pius XI. His feast day was included in the General Roman Calendar in 1926, for celebration on 27 April. In the liturgical
reform of 1969, it was moved to 21 December, the anniversary of his
death, the normal day for celebrating a saint's entry into heaven
(although it is still kept by the Society of Jesus on Apr. 27).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 202px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Relieken_canisius.jpg/200px-Relieken_canisius.jpg" height="150" width="200" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<i>Relics associated with St Peter Canisius</i></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
recognition of Canisius' early work in the establishment of Jesuit
education, there are multiple educational institutions named for him.
Among them is the Canisius College for seminarians in Vienna, Austria,
the first institution named for him, as well as Canisius College, a
Jesuit secondary school in his hometown of Nijmegen and the alma mater
of Peter Hans Kolvenbach, a recent Superior General of the Society of
Jesus. Another Canisius College, a university, and Canisius High School,
a secondary school, are located in Buffalo, New York.
Furthermore, a Jesuit-run Canisius Kolleg can be found in Berlin,
Germany. There is also a secondary school named after Canisius, Kolese
Kanisius (<i>Collegium Canisianum</i> or <i>Canisius College</i>), in Jakarta, Indonesia.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In addition, there is a primary school: Basisschool Petrus Canisius in Puth in Limburg,
Netherlands. In 1850 the Canisius Hospital was established on the
corner of the Houtmarkt and the Pauwelstraat in Nijmegen. In 1974 it
merged with Wilhelmina Hospital located at the Weg door Jonkerbos in
Nijmegen, to become "Canisius-Wilhemina Hospital.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Apologetische Vereniging St. Petrus Canisius</i>
(St. Peter Canisius Association for Apologetics)
was founded in the Netherlands in 1904. The purpose of this association
was the defense of the Roman Catholic Church against new values of
socialism and liberalism and the restoration of the society with a more
Catholic way of life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Works">Works</span></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>(1555) <i>Summa doctrinae christianae</i> (<i>A Summary of Christian Teachings</i>)</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The longer version (with quotes from authority):</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>Vol. 1: Faith, Hope, Charity, the Precepts of the Church</dd><dd>Vol. 2: The Sacraments</dd><dd>Vol.
3: Christian Justification, good works, Cardinal Virtues, Gifts and
Fruits of the Holy Ghost, Eight Beatitudes, Evangelical Counsels, etc.</dd></dl>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>(1556) <i>Catechismus minor</i> (<i>A Smaller Catechism</i>)</li>
<li>(1558) <i>Parvus catechismus catholicorum</i> (<i>A Little Catechism for Catholics</i>)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Blessed Peter Canisius". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
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<div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> <span dir="auto"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span></span></span> <b>Saint Nicholaus</b>
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Feast Day:</b> December 6<br />
<b>Patron Saint : </b>Children, coopers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlkp3MYn9m9YB8k-p_Y71KJRBkGteCIYjMr6dZuCEQYBqEymcokc-M1raePr8w5abQnKy3RI_e-DbV2Hnk45pPjHDlA8wEcywU-6OOzPQkC3N0BXc4hP7-iq-SnkKkDkkDjTV15JsyJOe/s1600/real-saint-nicholas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlkp3MYn9m9YB8k-p_Y71KJRBkGteCIYjMr6dZuCEQYBqEymcokc-M1raePr8w5abQnKy3RI_e-DbV2Hnk45pPjHDlA8wEcywU-6OOzPQkC3N0BXc4hP7-iq-SnkKkDkkDjTV15JsyJOe/s1600/real-saint-nicholas.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Saint Nicholaus</b> (Greek: <span lang="el">Ἅγιος Νικόλαος</span>, <span class="Unicode" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;" title="Greek transliteration"><i>Hagios Nikólaos</i></span>, Latin: <span lang="la"><i>Sanctus Nicolaus</i></span>); (15 March 270 – 6 December 343),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-center_3-0">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> also called <b>Nikolaos of Myra</b>, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as <b>Nikolaos the Wonderworker</b> (<span lang="el">Νικόλαος ὁ Θαυματουργός</span>, <span class="Unicode" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;" title="Greek transliteration"><i>Nikolaos ho Thaumaturgos</i></span>).
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in
the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model
for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas,
itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration
of "Saint Nikolaos". His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was
common for early Christian saints.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
1087, part of the relics (about half of the bones) were furtively
translated to Bari, in Apulia, Italy; for this reason, he is also known
as <b>Nikolaos of Bari</b>. The remaining bones were taken to Venice in 1100. His feast day is the 6th of December.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The historical Saint Nicholas is commemorated and revered among Anglican,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup> Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. In addition, some Baptist,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup> Methodist,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup> Presbyterian,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> and Reformed churches have been named in honor of Saint Nicholas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup>
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers,
thieves, children, pawnbrokers and students in various cities and
countries around Europe. He was also a patron of the Varangian Guard of
the Byzantine emperors, who protected his relics in Bari.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Nicholas was born a Greek<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24_14-0">[14]</sup> in Asia Minor during the third century in the city of Patara (Lycia et Pamphylia),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-0">[16]</sup> which was a port on the Mediterranean Sea,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-1">[16]</sup> and lived in Myra, Lycia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> (part of modern-day Demre, Turkey), at a time when the region was Greek in its heritage,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-2">[16]</sup> culture, and outlook and politically part of the Roman diocese of Asia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-3">[16]</sup> He was the only son of wealthy Christian parents named Epiphanius (<span lang="el">Ἐπιφάνιος</span>) and Johanna (<span lang="el">Ἰωάννα</span>) according to some accounts<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> and Theophanes (<span lang="el">Θεοφάνης</span>) and Nonna (<span lang="el">Νόννα</span>) according to others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-4">[16]</sup> He was very religious from an early age<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24_14-1">[14]</sup>
and according to legend, Nicholas was said to have rigorously observed
the canonical fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays. His wealthy parents died
in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young and he was raised by his
uncle—also named Nicholas—who was the bishop of Patara. He tonsured the
young Nicholas as a reader and later ordained him a presbyter (priest).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
325, he was one of many bishops to answer the request of Constantine
and appear at the First Council of Nicaea. There, Nicolas was a staunch
anti-Arian and defender of the Orthodox Christian position,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup> and one of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Davis.2C_Leo_Donald.3B_1990_58_20-0">[20]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Translation_of_the_relics">Translation of the relics</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d5/St._Nicholas_Bari.jpg/220px-St._Nicholas_Bari.jpg" height="165" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy where most of the relics of St. Nicholas are kept today.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On
26 August 1071 Romanus IV, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (reigned
1068–1071), faced Sultan Alp Arslan of the Seljuk Turks (reigned
1059–1072) in the Battle of Manzikert. The battle ended in humiliating
defeat and capture for Romanus. As a result the Empire temporarily lost
control over most of Asia Minor to the invading Seljuk Turks. The
Byzantines would regain its control over Asia Minor during the reign of
Alexius I Comnenus
(reigned 1081–1118). But early in his reign Myra was overtaken by the
Turks. Nicholas' tomb in Myra had become a popular place of pilgrimage.
Because of the many wars and attacks in the region, some Christians were
concerned that access to the tomb might become difficult. For both the
religious and commercial advantages of a major pilgrimage site, the
Italian cities of Venice and Bari vied to get the Nicholas relics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-center_3-1">[3]</sup>
Taking advantage of the confusion, in the spring of 1087, sailors from
Bari in Apulia seized part of the remains of the saint from his burial
church in Myra, over the objections of the Orthodox monks.
Returning to Bari, they brought the remains with them and cared for
them. The remains arrived on 9 May 1087. There are numerous variations
of this account. In some versions those taking the relics are
characterized as thieves or pirates, in others they are said to have
taken them in response to a vision wherein Saint Nicholas himself
appeared and commanded that his relics be moved in order to preserve
them from the impending Muslim conquest. Currently at Bari, there are
two churches at his shrine, one Roman Catholic and one Orthodox.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sailors
from Bari collected just half of Nicholas' skeleton, leaving
all the minor fragments in the grave. These were collected by Venetian
sailors during the first crusade and brought to Venice, where a church
to St. Nicholas, the patron of sailors, was built on the Lido.
This tradition was confirmed in two scientific investigations of the
relics in Bari and Venice, which revealed that the relics in the two
cities belong to the same skeleton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It
is said that in Myra the relics of Saint Nicholas each year exuded a
clear watery liquid which smells like rose water, called manna (or
myrrh), which is believed by the faithful to possess miraculous powers.
After the relics were brought to Bari,
they continued to do so, much to the joy of the new owners. Vials of
myrrh from his relics have been taken all over the world for centuries,
and can still be obtained from his church in Bari. Even up to the
present day, a flask of manna is extracted from the tomb of Saint
Nicholas every year on 6 December (the Saint's feast day) by the clergy
of the basilica. The myrrh
is collected from a sarcophagus which is located in the basilica vault
and could be obtained in the shop nearby. The liquid gradually seeps out
of the tomb, but it is unclear whether it originates from the body
within the tomb, or from the marble itself; since the town of Bari is a
harbor, and the tomb is below sea level, there are several natural
explanations for the manna fluid, including the transfer of seawater to
the tomb by capillary action.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
1993, a grave was found on the small Turkish island of Gemile, east of
Rhodes, which historians believe is the original tomb of Saint Nicholas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup>
On 28 December 2009, the Turkish Government announced that it would be
formally requesting the return of St. Nicholas's skeletal remains to
Turkey from the Italian government.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup>
Turkish authorities have asserted that St. Nicholas himself desired to
be buried at his episcopal town, and that his remains were illegally
removed from his homeland.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legends_and_folklore">Legends and folklore</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Gentile_da_Fabriano_063.jpg/220px-Gentile_da_Fabriano_063.jpg" height="221" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
The dowry for the three virgins (Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome).</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One legend<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup>
tells how during a terrible famine, a malicious butcher lured three
little children into his house, where he killed them, placing their
remains in a barrel to cure, planning to sell them off as ham. Saint
Nicholas, visiting the region to care for the hungry, not only saw
through the butcher's horrific crime but also resurrected the three boys
from the barrel by his prayers. Another version of this story, possibly
formed around the eleventh century, claims that the butcher's victims
were instead three clerks who wished to stay the night. The man murdered
them, and was advised by his wife to dispose of them by turning them
into meat pies. The Saint saw through this and brought the men back to
life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In his most famous exploit,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[28]</sup> a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry
for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in
absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes.
Hearing of the girls' plight, Nicholas decided to help them, but being
too modest to help the family in public (or to save them the humiliation
of accepting charity), he went to the house under the cover of night
and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the house.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights.
Another has him throwing the purses over a period of three years, each
time the night before one of the daughters comes of age. Invariably, the
third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of
their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to
have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone.
In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the
third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter
had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to
dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The legends with the most likely historical basis are the stories of
Nicholas helping three girls and stories of Nicholas helping sailors.
Others, especially the legend of the three murdered children, are much
later additions to Nicholas lore, historian Dr. Adam English concludes<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup>
in a new biography of Nicholas for Baylor University Press based on a
four-year study of current historical research into Nicholas of Myra.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Miracle_of_wheat_multiplication">Miracle of wheat multiplication</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Nikolaus_von_Myra.jpg/150px-Nikolaus_von_Myra.jpg" height="176" width="150" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A key ring with the image of Nikolaos of Myra as patron of the sailors</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
During a great famine that Myra experienced in 311–312, a ship was in
the port at anchor, which was loaded with wheat for the Emperor in
Constantinople. Nicholas invited the sailors to unload a part of the
wheat to help in time of need. The sailors at first disliked the
request, because the wheat had to be weighed accurately and delivered to
the Emperor.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Only when Nicholas promised them that they would not
suffer any loss for their consideration, the sailors agreed. When they
arrived later in the capital, they made a surprising find: the weight of
the load had not changed, although the wheat removed in Myra was enough
for two full years and could even be used for sowing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Face_of_the_historical_saint">Face of the historical saint</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 172px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Saint_Nicholas.jpg/170px-Saint_Nicholas.jpg" height="439" width="170" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Saint Nicholas, Russian icon from first quarter of the eighteenth century (Kizhi monastery, Karelia).</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whereas the devotional importance of relics and the economics
associated with pilgrimages caused the remains of most saints to be
divided up and spread over numerous churches in several countries, St.
Nicholas is unusual in that most of his bones have been preserved in one
spot: his grave crypt in Bari. Even with the allegedly continuing miracle of the manna, the archdiocese of Bari
has allowed for one scientific survey of the bones. In the late 1950s,
during a restoration of the chapel, it allowed a team of hand-picked
scientists to photograph and measure the contents of the crypt grave.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the summer of 2005, the report of these measurements was sent to a
forensic laboratory in England. The review of the data revealed that
the historical St. Nicholas was barely five feet in height and had a
broken nose. Additional facial reconstruction was performed in 2008 by
Dr. Caroline Wilkinson at the University of Dundee.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[32]</sup></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Among
the Greeks and Italians he is a favorite of sailors, fishermen, ships
and sailing. As such he has become over time the patron saint of several
cities maintaining harbors. In centuries of Greek folklore, Nicholas
was seen as "The Lord of the Sea", often described by modern Greek
scholars as a kind of Christianized version of Poseidon.
In modern Greece, he is still easily among the most recognizable saints
and 6 December finds many cities celebrating their patron saint. He is
also the patron saint of all of Greece and particularly of the Hellenic
Navy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Nicholas' memory is celebrated on
almost every Thursday of the year (together with the Apostles) with
special hymns to him which are found in the liturgical book known as the
Octoechos. Soon after the transfer of Saint Nicholas' relics from Myra
to Bari, a Russian version of his Life and an account of the transfer of
his relics were written by a contemporary to this event.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34]</sup>
Devotional akathists and canons have been composed in his honour, and
are frequently chanted by the faithful as they ask for his intercession.
He is mentioned in the Liturgy of Preparation during the Divine Liturgy
(Eastern Orthodox Eucharist) and during the All-Night Vigil. Many
Orthodox churches will have his icon, even if they are not named after
him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Oriental Orthodoxy, the Coptic Church observes the Departure of St. Nicholas on Kiahk 10, or December 19.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-synaxarium_35-0">[35]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kiahk10_36-0">[36]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In late medieval England, on Saint Nicholas' Day parishes held Yuletide "boy bishop"
celebrations. As part of this celebration, youths performed the
functions of priests and bishops, and exercised rule over their elders.
Today, Saint Nicholas is still celebrated as a great gift-giver in
several Western European countries. According to one source, in medieval
times nuns used the night of 6 December to deposit baskets of food and
clothes anonymously at the doorsteps of the needy. According to another
source, on 6 December every sailor or ex-sailor of the Low Countries
(which at that time was virtually all of the male population) would
descend to the harbour towns to participate in a church celebration for
their patron saint. On the way back they would stop at one of the
various <i>Nicholas fairs</i> to buy some hard-to-come-by goods, gifts
for their loved ones and invariably some little presents for their
children. While the real gifts would only be presented at Christmas, the
little presents for the children were given right away, courtesy of
Saint Nicholas. This and his miracle of him resurrecting the three
butchered children made Saint Nicholas a patron saint of children and
later students as well.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Among
Albanians, Saint Nicholas is known as Shen'Kollë and is
venerated by most Catholic families, even those from villages that are
devoted to other saints. The Feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated on
the evening before 6 December, known as Shen'Kolli i Dimnit (Saint
Nicholas of Winter), as well as on the commemoration of the interring of
his bones in Bari, the evening before 9 May, known as Shen'Kolli i
Majit (Saint Nicholas of May). Albanian Catholics often swear by Saint
Nicholas, saying "Pasha Shejnti Shen'Kollin!" ("May I see Holy Saint
Nicholas!"), indicating the importance of this saint in Albanian
culture, especially among the Albanians of Malësia. On the eve of his
feast day, Albanians will light a candle and abstain from meat,
preparing a feast of roasted lamb and pork, to be served to guests after
midnight. Guests will greet each other, saying, "Nata e Shen'Kollit ju
nihmoftë!" ("May the Night of Saint Nicholas help you!") and other such
blessings. The bones of Albania's greatest hero, George Kastrioti, were
also interred in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Lezha, Albania, upon
his death.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Iconography">Iconography</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Ferapontov.jpg/220px-Ferapontov.jpg" height="147" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Russian merchants. Fresco by Dionisius from the Ferapontov Monastery.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Saint
Nicholas is a popular subject portrayed on countless Eastern Orthodox
icons, particularly Russian ones. He is depicted as an Orthodox bishop,
wearing the omophorion and holding a Gospel Book. Sometimes he is
depicted wearing the Eastern Orthodox mitre,
sometimes he is bareheaded. Iconographically, Nicholas is depicted as
an elderly man with a short, full white fluffy beard and balding head.
In commemoration of the miracle attributed to him by tradition at the
Ecumenical Council of Nicea, he is sometimes depicted with Christ over
his left shoulder holding out a Gospel Book to him and the Theotokos
over his right shoulder holding the omophorion. Because of his patronage
of mariners, occasionally Saint Nicholas will be shown standing in a
boat or rescuing a drowning sailor.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Roman Catholic iconography, Saint Nicholas is depicted as a bishop,
wearing the insignia of this dignity: a bishop's vestments, a mitre and a
crozier.
The episode with the three dowries is commemorated by showing him
holding in his hand either three purses, three coins or three balls of
gold. Depending on whether he is depicted as patron saint of children or
sailors, his images will be completed by a background showing ships,
children or three figures climbing out of a wooden barrel (the three
slaughtered children he resurrected).<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup> In medieval paintings, Saint Nicholas is depicted as a dark-skinned man, as in Pietro di Giovanni d'Ambrogio's <i>Saint Nicholas of Bari</i>, a 1430s painting held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or Francesco di Giorgio e di Lorenzo's 1461 <i>Altarpiece with the Annunciation</i> made for the church of Spedaletta.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[37]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a strange twist, the three gold balls referring to the dowry
affair are sometimes metaphorically interpreted as being oranges or
other fruits. As in the Low Countries in medieval times oranges most
frequently came from Spain, this led to the belief that the Saint lives
in Spain and comes to visit every winter bringing them oranges, other
'wintry' fruits and tales of magical creatures.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="In_music">In music</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span>edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><i>San Nicola di Bari</i>, an oratorio composed by Giovanni Bononcini (1693).</li>
<li><i>St. Nicolas</i>, a choral song for male choir by Edward Purcell (1730).</li>
<li><i>Saint Nicolas</i>, a Christmas cantata by Benjamin Britten (1948).</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Operetta_St._Nicholas_arrives">Operetta <i>St. Nicholas arrives</i></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Salesian priest Jerko Gržinčič wrote a Christmas operetta in three acts entitled <i>Miklavž prihaja</i> (<i>St. Nicholas arrives</i>). The premiere took place before World War II in the Union Hostel in Ljubljana (now in Slovenia) with great success.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[38]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Demre">Demre</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Nikolas_myra.jpg/220px-Nikolas_myra.jpg" height="165" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Russian Orthodox statue of Saint Nicolas, now in a corner near the church in Demre.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the saint's home town of Demre, Turkey, the modern city is built
near the ruins of ancient Myra, and attracts many Russian tourists as
St. Nicholas is a very popular Orthodox saint. Restoration on Saint
Nicholas' original church is currently underway, with the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism in 2007 permitting Divine Liturgy to be celebrated
at the site, and contributing 40,000 Turkish Lira to the project.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A solemn bronze statue of the saint by Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky was donated by the Russian government
in 2000, and was given a prominent place in the square fronting the
medieval Church of St. Nicholas. In 2005, mayor Süleyman Topçu had the
statue replaced by a red-suited plastic Santa Claus statue, because he
wanted an image more recognisable to foreign visitors. Protests from the
Russian government against this were successful, and the bronze statue
was returned (albeit without its original high pedestal) to a corner
nearer the church.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2012)"> </span></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist references-column-width" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><i>Book of Martyrs</i>. Catholic Book Publishing. 1948.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Serbia". Saint Nicholas Center<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 4 April 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-center-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Who is St. Nicholas?". St. Nicholas Center<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 7 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Nicholas". Orthodox America<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 7 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Cunningham, Lawrence (2005). <i>A brief history of saints</i>. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4051-1402-8.
"The fourth-century Saint Nikolaos of Myra (in present-day Turkey)
spread to Europe through the port city of Bari in southern Italy…
Devotion to the saint in the Low countries became blended with Nordic
folktales, transforming this early Greek bishop into that Christmas
icon, Santa Claus’."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Jones, Charles W. (1978). <i>Saint Nikolaos of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend</i>. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-40700-5.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"The Calendar [page ix]". Prayerbook.ca<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Nicholas Bethel Bethel Baptist Church". Stnicholasbethelbaptist.com. 2013-06-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Nicholas United Methodist Church - Church Gazetteer". Stnicholascenter.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St Nicholas' Cardonald Parish Church - Church Gazetteer". Stnicholascenter.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"New York’s Dutch Cathedral: The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, Fifth Avenue". Andrewcusack.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Domenico, Roy Palmer (2002). <i>The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture</i>. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 21. ISBN 0-313-30733-4.
"Saint Nicholas (Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of
the city… A Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth
century."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Burman, Edward (1991). <i>Emperor to emperor: Italy before the Renaissance</i>. Constable. p. 126. ISBN 0-09-469490-7.
"For although he is the patron saint of Russia, and the model for a
northern invention such as Santa Claus, Nicholas of Myra was a Greek."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Ingram, W. Scott; Ingram, Asher, Scott; Robert (2004). <i>Greek Immigrants</i>. Infobase Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 9780816056897.
"The original Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, was a Greek born in Asia
Minor (now modern Turkey) in the fourth century. He was very religious
from an early age and devoted his life to Christianity."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Lanzi, Gioia (2004). <i>Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images</i>.
Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. "Nicholas was born around
270 in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Collins, Ace (2009). <i>Stories Behind Men of Faith</i>. Zondervan. p. 121. ISBN 9780310564560.
"Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son
of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child’s
earliest years were spent in Myra… As a port on the Mediterranean Sea,
in the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra
was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned
by the spirit of both the city’s Greek heritage and the ruling Roman
government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were
mainstays of everyday life."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Faber, Paul (2006). <i>Sinterklaas overseas: the adventures of a globetrotting saint</i>. KIT Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 9789068324372.
"The historical figure that served as model for the Dutch Sinterklaas
was born around 270 CE in the port of Patara in the Greek province of
Lycia in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). His Greek name Nikolaos means
something along the lines of “victor of the people”."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Lanzi, Gioia (2004). <i>Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images</i>.
Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. "Nicholas was born around
270 in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey; his parents
were Epiphanius and Joanna."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Federer, William J. (2002). <i>There Really Is a Santa Claus - History of St. Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions</i>. Amerisearch, Inc. p. 26. ISBN 978-0965355742.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Davis.2C_Leo_Donald.3B_1990_58-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Davis, Leo Donald (1990). <i>The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787) Their History and Theology</i>. Liturgical Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-8146-5616-1.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ci sono ossa di san Nicola anche a Venezia? (in Italian)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Are all the bones in Bari? (in Italian)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Girling, Richard, 2004-12-12, Talking Point: Now do you believe in Santa Claus?, The Times</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Santa's tomb is found off Turkey <i>The Independent</i>, 17 Dec 1993. Retrieved 10 Jun 2012.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news">"Turks want Santa's bones returned". <i>BBC News</i>. 28 December 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 23 May 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"‘Santa Claus’s bones must be brought back to Turkey from Italy’". Todayszaman.com. 2009-12-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=409 <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Dutch)</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Bennett, William J. (2009). <i>The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas</i>. Howard Books. pp. 14–17. ISBN 978-1-4165-6746-2.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">English, Adam, and Crumm, David (2 December 2012). "Adam English digging back into the real St. Nicholas". <i>ReadTheSpirit online magazine</i>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Le Saux, Françoise Hazel Marie (2005). <i>A companion to Wace</i>. D.S.Brewer. ISBN 978-1-84384-043-5.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Anatomical Examination of the Bari Relics". Saint Nicholas Center<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 6 December 2013</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news">"Putting a Face to the Past". BBC News. 1 September 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 6 December 2013</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Greece". St. Nicholas Center<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-12</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Feasts and Saints, Commemorated on May 9". Orthodox Church in America<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 4 April 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-synaxarium-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Nicholas the Wonderworker". <i>Synaxarium (Lives of Saints)</i>. Coptic Orthodox Church Network<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 13 December 2013</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-kiahk10-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Commemorations for Kiahk 10". Coptic Orthodox Church Network<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 13 December 2013</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"People of Color in European Art History"<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">This operetta is translated in Croatian as: "Sveti Nikola dolazi" and partly in Hungarian: "Jön a Mikulás".</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Jones, Charles W. "Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan:
Biography of a Legend" (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1978.</li>
<li>ASANO, Kazuo ed., <i>The Island of St. Nicholas. Excavation and Research of Gemiler Island Area, Lycia, Turkey</i> (Osaka University Press) 2010.</li>
<li>English, Adam C., "The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life
and Trials of Nicholas of Myra" (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press)
2012.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>St. Nicholas Center: Who is Saint Nicholas?</li>
<li>Biography of St. Nicholas</li>
<li>The History of Santa Claus and Father Christmas</li>
<li>Saint Nicholas at the Open Directory Project</li>
<li>Translation of Grimm's Saga No. 134 about St. Nicholas</li>
<li>Comprehensive St. Nicholas-related information and resources.</li>
<li>130 pictures of the church in Myra</li>
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(original tomb at Church of Saint Nicholas, Myra, Turkey)</div>
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Snippet II: <b>History of Advent</b> </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says: </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His being born. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i> Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;"> It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span> </li>
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<b>Today's Snippet II</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
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The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup> It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century.<br />
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Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup> Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.</div>
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In Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
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Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
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In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches. Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010). </span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Advent Traditions - The Jesse Tree</span></b></h2>
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<b>A 24 Day Advent Tradition: The Jesse Tree </b></h3>
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<b> Project: The Jesse Tree - Daily Reverence through Four Weeks of Advent</b></h3>
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The Jesse tree helps us connect the custom of decorating Christmas trees to the historical biblical events leading to Jesus’ birth. The Jesse tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the father of King David. </div>
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We adorn a Jesse tree with illustrated ornaments that represent the people, prophesies, and historical biblical events leading up to the birth of Jesus. </div>
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The ornaments of the Jesse tree tell the story of God in the Old Testament, connecting the Advent season with the faithfulness of God across four thousand years of history.</div>
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<b>Supplies: </b><br />
1. Jesse Tree by creative medium of choice<br />
2. Ready-made or Hand-made ornaments<br />
3. Bible (Old and New Testaments)</div>
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<b>Note:</b> Be creative with your Jesse tree and ornaments.<br />
Here are some suggested creative Ideas: You can add ready-made or do-it-yourself ornaments to your primary Christmas tree; or your can create a small tabletop tree as the Jesse tree; or you can make a poster of a Jesse tree with 24 sections to place hand-crafted cut-out ornaments </div>
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WEEK ONE </h3>
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~~ <b>DAY ONE</b><br />
Sunday, The Jesse Tree</div>
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Create a Jesse Tree</div>
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The Jesse tree was created to help people link the custom of decorating Christmas trees to the events leading up to Jesus birth. The tradition of decorating Christmas trees actually predates the arrival of Christianity in western Europe and was adopted by the early Church. In order to associate the custom more clearly with Christianity, people made Jesse trees—Christmas trees with decorations related to the events of Jesus’ birth and the prophecies about him in the Old Testament. Many parishes and families make Jesse trees during Advent to remind them of these events as they prepare for Christmas.</div>
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Read from the: <br />
1) The story of Jesse, the father of David, is told in Isaiah 11:1-10.<br />
2) David’s story is found in 1 Samuel 16:1-13.</div>
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~~~<b>DAY TWO</b><br />
Monday: Adam and Eve</div>
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Ornament: Any Type of Fruit or Apple </div>
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(Note: The actual fruit from the Garden of Eden story is unknown, The apple has become the symbolic fruit of choice because it is traditionally a universally and easily identifiable fruit)</div>
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Adam and Eve and the First Sin</div>
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Genesis 3 tells how Adam and Eve’s intimacy with God and with each other is disrupted. The serpent enters the scene. The serpent represents anything that can separate a person from God. The woman, with the man as her silent partner, speaks to the serpent. They examine the possibility of disobeying God. Will Adam and Eve accept God’s moral order and trust in his love?</div>
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Read form the Bible:<br />
1)Adam and Eve — Genesis 2:4-24<br />
2)The Fall of Adam and Eve — Genesis 3</div>
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~~~<b>DAY THREE</b><br />
Tuesday: Noah</div>
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Ornament: Rainbow or Ark</div>
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Noah and the Flood</div>
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The story of Noah is told to illustrate how deeply the human family has fallen into sinfulness. Sin is now so universal that a troubled God decides to complete the work of destruction that the human family has begun (Genesis 6:13). However, God sees that Noah is a good man and decides that humanity will survive through Noah’s family. God tells Noah to build an ark, which God will use to save Noah’s family and members of the animal kingdom. God is pained by and disappointed in humankind, but in his mercy he will save the human family through Noah.</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br />
1) Noah and the Flood — Genesis 6-9</div>
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~~~<b>DAY FOUR</b><br />
Wednesday: Abraham</div>
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Ornament: Stars</div>
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Abraham and the Covenant</div>
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Abraham stands before God, facing the future. God had promised that Abraham would be the father of many descendants, but his wife, Sarah, seems unable to have children. So Abraham believes he will die childless and that his steward, Eliezer, will be his heir. God assures Abraham that this will not happen, promising Abraham that he will have a son with Sarah. More than that, the descendants of Abraham will be as numerous as the stars in the sky.</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br />
1)The Call of Abraham — Genesis 12<br />
2) God’s Covenant with Abraham — Genesis 15</div>
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~~~<b>DAY FIVE</b><br />
Thursday: Isaac</div>
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Ornament: Ram</div>
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Abraham and the Offering of Isaac</div>
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Then, unexpectedly, God sends an angel with the message that Abraham must sacrifice his son Isaac. As bitter as the message is, and as hopeless as it makes Abraham feel, he obeys without hesitation. He gathers his servants and Isaac with wood for the sacrifice and sets out to the appointed place. The last part of the way he goes alone with Isaac, who is made to carry the wood for his own sacrifice. On the way, Isaac asks his father what animal will be sacrificed. Abraham answers that God will provide.</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br />
1) Abraham and Isaac — Genesis 22</div>
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~~~<b>DAY SIX</b><br />
Friday: Jacob</div>
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Ornament: Ladder</div>
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Jacob’s Dream</div>
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While on his journey, Jacob arrives at a certain place and rests there, using a stone for a pillow. In a dream, he receives a divine revelation. He sees a ladder, or perhaps a ramp, going up from earth to heaven. The shape of Jacob’s vision may have been inspired by the shape of the ziggurats of Babylon, which had ramps going up their sides to the place where the deity was said to dwell. On the ramp in Jacob’s dream are angels, roaming up and down, patrolling the earth and reporting back to God. In his vision, Jacob meets God. God confirms the covenant made to Abraham and to Isaac that their ancestors will be as plentiful as the dust on the ground and will spread from east to west. Jacob will also receive God’s protection wherever he goes.</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br />
1) Jacob and Esau — Genesis 25:19-34; 27<br />
2) Jacob’s Vision of God — Genesis 28:10-22<br />
3) Jacob Returns to the Land of His Fathers — Genesis 31-33</div>
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~~~<b>DAY SEVEN</b><br />
Saturday: Joseph</div>
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Ornament: Coat of Many Colors</div>
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Joseph and God’s Providence</div>
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Pharaoh has Joseph brought before him. Joseph hears the dreams and correctly interprets their meaning. The seven fat cows and stalks of grain are seven years in which harvests will be abundant and the cows will be fat. The next seven years will be a period of famine. After interpreting the dreams, Joseph advises that Pharaoh appoint someone to oversee the harvesting and ensure that enough grain is saved in the first seven years to help Egypt survive the seven years of famine. Pharaoh agrees and appoints Joseph vizier, second in authority only to Pharaoh himself, to carry out the plan. Joseph marries an Egyptian woman and has two sons. The first he names Manasseh (“forgotten”), to show that his previous suffering has been forgotten. The second is Ephraim (“God has made me fruitful”).</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br />
1)Joseph and His Brothers — Genesis 37<br />
2)Joseph and Pharaoh — Genesis 39-41<br />
3) Joseph and His Brothers Are Reconciled — Genesis 42-45</div>
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~~~~~~<br />
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Week Two</h3>
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~~ <b>DAY SEVEN</b></div>
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Sunday: Moses</div>
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Ornament: Burning Bush</div>
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God Calls Moses</div>
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God answers Moses, “I am who I am” (Yahweh). Other meanings of God’s answer can be “I come to be all that exists” and “I cause to be all that happens.” God seems to be saying that God will come in his own time and will not be controlled by Moses. God will be who he will be. He came to save the people because it is his choice. “And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy’” (Exodus 33:19).</div>
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Readings:<br />
The Birth of Moses — Exodus 1-2<br />
Moses Meets God in the Burning Bush — Exodus 3<br />
Pharaoh’s Contest with God — Exodus 5-6</div>
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~~ <b>DAY EIGHT </b></div>
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Monday: The Israelites</div>
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Ornament: Lamb</div>
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Lamb - Passover and Exodus</div>
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Moses gathers the people. He orders that a lamb be sacrificed and the blood of the lamb be put on the doorframes of the houses. This will be a sign to God to “pass over” the houses of the Hebrews. That night the Hebrews eat roasted lamb and unleavened bread, preparing for the journey. Egyptian houses are filled with mourning, “for there was not a house without someone dead” (Exodus 12:30). Pharaoh, finally convinced that he cannot defeat God, lets the people go.</div>
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Readings:<br />
Passover — Exodus 11-13<br />
Journey to the Sea — Exodus 14:1-15:21<br />
Testing in the Desert — Exodus 15:22-17:16</div>
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~~<b>DAY NINE</b></div>
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Tuesday: Moses and Aaron</div>
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Ornament: Tablets of the Torah</div>
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God Gives the People the Law</div>
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When Moses and Aaron go up on Mount Sinai, God first reminds them of what he has done for them: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). He then tells them what they need to do in order to live in relationship with God and one another. We call these instructions the Ten Commandments.</div>
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Readings:<br />
The Hebrews Meet God at Sinai — Exodus 19<br />
The Ten Commandments — Exodus 20:1-11</div>
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~~<b>DAY TEN</b></div>
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Wednesday: Joshua</div>
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Ornament: Ram’s Horn Trumpet</div>
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Joshua and the Fall of Jericho</div>
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Joshua led the Hebrew people from success to success in conquering the land of Canaan. The biblical writer attributes this to his obedience and faithfulness to God. The Canaanite people were defeated, their cities were destroyed, and the spoils of war were offered to God. Like Moses, Joshua was successful until his death, at the age of 110, the same age of Joseph at his death.</div>
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Readings:<br />
Rahab and the Fall of Jericho — Joshua 2; 6<br />
Joshua Renews the Covenant — Joshua 23-24</div>
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~~<b>DAY ELEVEN</b></div>
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<b> </b>Thursday: Gideon</div>
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Ornament: Clay Water Pitcher</div>
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Gideon’s Unlikely Victory</div>
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Gideon, a farmer, is threshing his wheat in a winepress so that he can hide it from the Midianites. When God tells him that he will lead the Hebrew people against their enemies, Gideon ridicules the idea. He tells God that God abandoned the people and does not seem prepared to keep his promises. God is not put off; he gives the task to Gideon and promises that he will be with him. Gideon does not think much of God’s choice, as his tribe is among the smallest. God, of course, realizes this. God wants to emphasize that when victory comes, it comes from God. The Hebrew people will never win if they depend on themselves.</div>
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Reading:<br />
Gideon’s Small Army — Judges 6-8</div>
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~~ <b>DAY TWELVE</b></div>
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<b> </b>Friday: Ruth</div>
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Ornament: Grain</div>
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grain - Ruth’s Faithfulness</div>
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Naomi is troubled, knowing that she cannot stay in Moab with no one to protect her. She decides to return to Bethlehem and tells her daughters-in-law to return to the protection of their own families. One daughter-in-law, Orpah, returns to her family. The other, Ruth, stays with Naomi and asks not to be separated from her. Ruth remains faithful to Naomi and goes into the fields to glean among the barley. (After the grain was harvested, the poor were permitted to go into the fields to gather any grain that was left behind.) While Ruth is working in the fields, she meets Boaz, the landowner, who is attracted to her and hears her story. Moved in his heart, he tells his workers to make sure that Ruth has plenty of grain to gather. </div>
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Reading:<br />
Naomi and Ruth — Book of Ruth, Chapters 1-4</div>
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~~ <b>DAY THIRTEEN</b> </div>
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Saturday: Samuel</div>
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Ornament: Crown</div>
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Samuel and the Beginning of the Kingdom</div>
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Saul is a member of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes. He is described as handsome and tall, a man of substance. His father, a wealthy man, loses a number of donkeys. Saul goes in search of them but cannot find them. Told of a holy man in a nearby town, Saul goes to see him to ask if he can help Saul find the donkeys. Samuel is in the shrine of the town, conducting the sacrifices. When Samuel sees Saul, he realizes that Saul is the man God has told him about in a dream. God told Samuel that Saul is the man who will help free the people from the Philistines.</div>
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Readings:<br />
God Calls to Samuel — 1 Samuel 3<br />
Samuel and Saul — 1 Samuel 10-12</div>
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WEEK THREE </h3>
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~~~<b>DAY FOURTEEN</b></div>
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Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday: David</div>
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Ornament: Shepherd’s Crook or Harp</div>
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Harp - David, a Shepherd to the People</div>
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David was a great poet and a person of deep, yet flawed, spirituality. He is credited with a heartfelt song of faith in God for his continued protection (2 Samuel 22). In this song, David describes God as a rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn, stronghold, and refuge. God’s actions in David’s life are like the mighty forces of nature aiding him: breakers surge and floods overwhelm; the earth sways and shakes, trembles and quakes. David’s enemies flee and are destroyed, ground into the dust and trampled. God’s commitment to David will not end, though David is unfaithful in many ways. God’s covenant love is steadfast and enduring.</div>
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Readings:</div>
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The Young David — 1 Samuel 16-17<br />
David and Jonathan — 1 Samuel 18<br />
Saul and David — 1 Samuel 24; 28<br />
David the King — 2 Samuel 5-6<br />
David, Bathsheba, and Nathan — 2 Samuel 11-12<br />
David’s Later Years — 2 Samuel 19-24</div>
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~~ <b>DAY FIFTEEN</b></div>
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<b> </b>Monday: Elijah</div>
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Ornament: Stone Altar</div>
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Elijah Fights the False Gods</div>
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God now calls Elijah to confront Ahab and pagan gods. He is going into enemy territory: Jezebel is killing off the prophets of Israel. In spite of the danger, Elijah is not put off. When he meets with the king, Ahab calls Elijah the “troubler of Israel.” Elijah responds by challenging the priests of Baal and Asherah to a contest with the God of Israel.</div>
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Readings:</div>
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Elijah is Fed by God — 1 Kings 17<br />
Elijah Confronts Baal — 1 Kings 18</div>
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~~ <b>DAY SIXTEEN</b></div>
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<b> </b>Tuesday: Hezekiah</div>
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Ornament: An Empty Tent</div>
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The Reign of Hezekiah</div>
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Ahaz was not faithful to God, engaging in such contemptible practices as sacrificing one of his sons in the Canaanite way (2 Kings 16:1-4). When Ahaz died, he was replaced by his surviving son, Hezekiah. Hezekiah tried to make up for his father’s unfaithfulness.</div>
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Readings:<br />
Reign of Hezekiah — 2 Kings 18–19</div>
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~~<b>DAY SEVENTEEN</b> </div>
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Wednesday: Isaiah</div>
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Ornament: Fire Tongs with Hot Coal</div>
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Isaiah and the Call to Holiness</div>
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In response, one of the seraphs flies to Isaiah with a live coal taken from the altar and touches his lips with it, declaring that his guilt has departed. Isaiah then hears the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah replies, “Here am I; send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).</div>
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Readings:<br />
Isaiah’s Vision — Isaiah 6<br />
Isaiah’s Message — Isaiah 1-2<br />
A Savior Will Come — Isaiah 9; 11</div>
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~~<b>DAY EIGHTEEN</b></div>
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<b> </b>Thursday: Jeremiah</div>
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Ornament: Tears</div>
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Jeremiah the Prophet</div>
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Jeremiah teaches that the people cannot pray faithfully if they continue to oppress the immigrants, the orphans, and the widows. They have to stop shedding innocent blood (some practiced human sacrifice), and they must act justly toward one another. “Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are safe!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:8-11).</div>
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Readings:<br />
Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon — Jeremiah 7; 26<br />
Jeremiah Speaks Against Jerusalem — Jeremiah 28<br />
Sorrow for the Fall of Judah — Lamentations 1<br />
Jeremiah’s Message of Hope — Jeremiah 29; 31</div>
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~~~<b>DAY NINETEEN</b> </div>
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Friday: Habakkuk</div>
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Ornament: Stone Watchtower</div>
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Watchtower - Habakkuk: Patient Waiting</div>
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Acknowledging that he does not understand God’s will, Habakkuk stands ready to hear what God has planned. God assures Habakkuk that no matter what seems to be happening on the surface, God’s ultimate plan for the Judeans who live in faithfulness will not be delayed. “For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).</div>
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Readings:<br />
The Sack of Jerusalem and the Fall of Judah — 2 Kings 24-25</div>
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~~<b>DAY TWENTY</b></div>
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<b> </b>Saturday: Nehemiah</div>
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Ornament: City Wall</div>
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city wall - Nehemiah: Reform and Renewal</div>
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After persuading the king to let him return to Judah, Nehemiah was named governor and given permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. When he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah rallied the people and rebuilt or restored the walls in fifty-two days. However, he realized that the people were spiritually lax and must also be rebuilt. Ezra read the Law to the people and helped them understand its demands.</div>
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Readings:<br />
Ezra and Nehemiah — Nehemiah 8-9</div>
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~~~~~~</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
WEEK FOUR</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>NOTE: Included are people and ornaments for each day during a long Advent season of 27 days. When the season is shorter, adjust week four readings to the coordinate with the current advent calendar, by doing two to three stories a day in week four, so the final stories fall on Christmas day.</i></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="shqh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~ </span></span><span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY ONE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="shqh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Sunday: John the Baptist</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Scallop Shell</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0"><span data-text="true">John the Baptist</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0"><span data-text="true">Jesus had immense respect for John the Baptist saying: “Among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). John was called by God to be a prophet and prepared himself to follow this call. Dedication to a goal means some reevaluation of priorities. John apparently wanted to be free of any obligations except getting ready to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. He wanted people to know that the time for the Messiah to come was near. This meant that their priorities in life needed to be reconsidered. When we realize that we are being called to a new life in Christ, we have to consider what sacrifices we are going to be called to make to change our lives. While we will not be called to the extremes that John the Baptist was, we also need to recognize that life has to be different if we are going to be faithful.</span></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9o481-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9o481-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Readings:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0"><span data-text="true">John the Baptist Preaches Repentance — Luke 3:1–6</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Messengers from John the Baptist — Matthew 11:2–11</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY TWO</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Monday: Mary</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: White Lily</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Annunciation</span></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e13dj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="e13dj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="24von-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="24von-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="24von-0-0"><span data-text="true">When we think of heroes in Scripture, Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not usually come to mind. But consider the risks she was taking when she said yes to becoming the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:38). She was a young girl of about sixteen years old living in a small village where every secret is known and every fault is criticized. She lived in an occupied land and could be subject to any command from the occupying army. She faced an unknown future. The experience of speaking to God’s messenger must have been terrifying in itself. It is perhaps fitting that we consider Mary our greatest hero, leader, champion, and saint. Her decision made it possible for us to discover what it means to live in Jesus.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Readings:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Annunciation — Luke 1:26–38</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> DAY TWENTY THREE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Tuesday: Elizabeth</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Mother and Child</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mary Visits Elizabeth</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0"><span data-text="true">After the angel left Mary, she immediately went to see her cousin Elizabeth. Mary had learned from Gabriel that Elizabeth would soon have a son who would grow up to be John the Baptist. As Mary comes into her presence, Elizabeth experiences the Holy Spirit filling her life. She calls out to Mary the words of blessing we repeat with every Hail Mary; “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42). Elizabeth then asks, “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Luke 1:43). These recall the words of King David when the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem, “How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?” (2 Samuel 6:9) Just as the Ark of the Covenant symbolized the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel, Mary’s visit sanctifies Elizabeth’s home with the presence of the Lord.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Reading:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Visitation — Luke 1:39–45</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><b>DAY TWENTY FOUR</b></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Wednesday: Zechariah</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Pencil and Tablet</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6sse9-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7rjen-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7rjen-0-0"><span data-text="true">Pencil and tablet - His Name Is John</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="kapt-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="kapt-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="kapt-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0"><span data-text="true">When the angel revealed to aged Zechariah that he would have a son, Zechariah asked for proof. As a result, he was silenced. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth conceived their first child. Elizabeth was grateful to God, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people” (Luke 1:25). When their son was born, Elizabeth said that he would be called John (“the Lord is gracious”). Elizabeth’s relatives objected, as no other family members had the name. Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote “His name is John.” (Luke 1:63) Then Zechariah immediately spoke, blessing and praising God. The relatives were filled with awesome reverence over God’s wonderful deeds. Zechariah then proclaimed the prayer which we know from its Latin name the Benedictus. Every morning the Church blesses the Lord, the God of Israel, who has visited and set the people free. In this prayer—found in Luke 1:68–79—are the perfect words to prepare us to welcome the celebration of the coming of Jesus.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0"><span data-text="true"> READINGS:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Birth of John — Luke 1:57–66</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Canticle of Zechariah — Luke 1:68–79</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
</div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY FIVE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Thursday: Joseph</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Carpenter’s Square or Hammer</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hammer</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="a3rfn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a3rfn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a3rfn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Joseph, Do Not Be Afraid</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="24amr-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="24amr-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="24amr-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="2uu20-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2uu20-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2uu20-0-0"><span data-text="true">What a wonderful father Joseph was for Jesus. We first meet Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 as he contemplates how to deal with Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph is an honest, caring man who does not want to embarrass Mary, so he intends to quietly divorce her. Imagine his wonderment and joy as he heard from the angel the good news and true identity of Jesus. Joseph continued his caring in times of danger as they escaped to Egypt. Luke speaks of his concern for Jesus when they finally found him in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). Along the way it is Joseph who had primary responsibility for Jesus’ religious education. He would also be the one to teach Jesus the fundamentals of carpentry. In his faithful listening and open heart, Joseph is a model for all to understand and love Jesus whose birth we prepare to celebrate.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="ks7a-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ks7a-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ks7a-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="bo8e2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bo8e2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bo8e2-0-0"><span data-text="true"> An Angel Appears to Joseph — Matthew 1:18–25</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="f73vm-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f73vm-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="f73vm-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Finding of Jesus in the Temple — Luke 2:41–52</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="ebj9a-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ebj9a-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ebj9a-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0">
</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY SIX</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true">Friday: Nativity of Jesus</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="a3kta-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a3kta-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a3kta-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Manger</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="3fplk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3fplk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3fplk-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="fhki3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fhki3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fhki3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Born in Humble Circumstances</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4u6ae-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4u6ae-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4u6ae-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="fnv4t-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fnv4t-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fnv4t-0-0"><span data-text="true">Luke connects Jesus’ birth to the world-wide stage. The Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus (63 B.C.–14 A.D.) was praised as savior and bringer of peace, which he accomplished by defeating his enemies. Luke contrasts Augustus’s accomplishments with Jesus the Savior. While the world looks to the political center for peace, Luke tells us to look at the outskirts of the empire. Jesus is born in humble circumstances. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a sign of his humanity. Jesus is laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals, as a sign that Jesus is to be food for the world. The Gospel of Luke is especially concerned for the poor, the outcast, those on the margins of society. This concern is never more apparent than in the proclamation of the Savior to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14). Shepherds lived on the margins and were not well respected by society, yet they are the first to hear of the Messiah. They were also the first to step out in faith to celebrate his birth. When we celebrate Jesus’ birth this Christmas season, we will be following in the footsteps of the shepherds. Like Mary, we will have much to reflect upon in our hearts.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="44bkp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="44bkp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="44bkp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4kion-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4kion-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4kion-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Reading:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4kion-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4kion-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Birth of Jesus — Luke 2:1–20</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4o3g0-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="4o3g0-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY SEVEN</b></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2mho3-0-0"><span data-text="true">When we celebrate Mass on Christmas, the Gospel readings change depending on the time of the Mass. For the Christmas Vigil Mass on the evening of December 24, the reading is from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:1-25), beginning with the genealogy tracing Jesus’ ancestry in the Old Testament and ending with the revelation to Joseph. For Midnight Mass and the Mass at Dawn, the traditional readings are from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-20). At the Mass for Christmas day, the reading is from John 1:1-34. In the first readings the narrative carries us along into the mystery of Jesus’ birth. The text from John calls us to meditate on the meaning of the stories we have heard. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). When we are reflecting on Jesus Christ, we are reflecting on God, and through him has come all life (John 1:3-4). In Jesus, God has become one of us, made his dwelling among us, pitched his tent in our midst. When we enter into relationship with Jesus Christ, we enter into the heart of God. When we share the love Jesus has won for us, we share the heart of God with one another. The wonder of Christmas reflects this for us and is the gift we bring for one another.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dkkpk-0-0"><span data-text="true"> READINGS:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dkkpk-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Genealogy and Birth of Jesus — Matthew 1:1–25</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f7tb0-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Birth of Jesus and the Visit of the Shepherds — Luke 2:1–20</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ag67h-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In the Beginning Was the Word — John 1:1–18</span></span></div>
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet V: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet VI: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962793"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 3, Chapter 3</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">MOST HOLY MARY VISITS ELISABETH</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-GB">And Mary rising up in those days,” says the sacred text, “went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Jude” (Luke 1, 39). This rising up of our heavenly Queen signified not only her exterior preparations and setting out from Nazareth on her journey, but it referred to the movement of her spirit and to the divine impulse and command which directed Her to arise interiorly from the humble retirement, which She had chosen in her humility. She arose as it were from the feet of the Most High, whose will and pleasure She eagerly sought to fulfill, like the lowliest handmaid, who according to the word of David (Ps. 122, 2) keeps her eyes fixed upon the hands of her Mistress, awaiting her commands. Arising at the bidding of the Lord She lovingly hastened to accomplish his most holy will, In procuring without delay the sanctification of the Precursor of the incarnate Word, who was yet held prisoner in the womb of Elisabeth by the bonds of original sin. This was the purpose and object of this journey. Therefore the Princess of heaven arose and proceeded in diligent haste, as mentioned by the Evangelist saint Luke.</span></div>
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Leaving behind then the house of her father and forgetting her people (Ps. 44, 11), the most chaste spouses, Mary and Joseph, pursued their way to the house of Zacharias in mountainous Judea. It was twenty six leagues distant from Nazareth, and the greater part of the way was very rough and broken, unfit for such a delicate and tender Maiden. All the convenience at their disposal for the arduous undertaking was an humble beast, on which She began and pursued her journey. Although it was intended solely for her comfort and service, yet Mary, the most humble and unpretentious of all creatures, many times dismounted and asked her spouse saint Joseph to share with Her this commodity and to lighten the difficulties of the way by making use of the beast. Her discreet spouse never accepted this offer; and in order to yield somewhat to the solicitations of the heavenly Lady, he permitted her now and then to walk with him part of the way, whenever it seemed to him that her delicate strength could sustain the exertion without too great fatigue. But soon he would again ask Her, with great modesty and reverence, to accept of this slight alleviation and the celestial Queen would they obey and again proceed on her way seated in the saddle.</div>
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Thus alleviating their fatigue by humble and courteous contentions, the most holy Mary and saint Joseph continued on their journey, making good use of each single moment. They proceeded alone, without accompaniment of any human creatures; but all the thousand angels, which were set to guard the couch of Solomon, the most holy Mary, attended upon them (Cant. 3, 7). Although the angels accompanied them in corporeal form, serving their great Queen and her most holy Son in her womb, they were visible only to Mary. In the company of the angels and of saint Joseph, the Mother of grace journeyed along, filling the fields and the mountains with the sweetest fragrance of her presence and with the divine praises, in which She unceasingly occupied herself. Sometimes She conversed with the angels and, alternately with them, sang divine canticles concerning the different mysteries of the Divinity and the works of Creation and of the Incarnation. Thus ever anew the pure heart of the immaculate Lady was inflamed by the ardors of divine love. In all this her spouse saint Joseph contributed his share by maintaining a discreet silence, and by allowing his beloved Spouse to pursue the flights of her spirit; for, lost in highest contemplation, he was favored with some understanding what was passing within her soul.</div>
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At other times the two would converse with each other and speak about the salvation of souls and the mercies of the Lord, of the coming of the Redeemer, of the prophecies given to the ancient Fathers concerning Him, and of other mysteries and sacraments of the Most High. Something happened on the way, which caused great wonder in her holy spouse Joseph: he loved his Spouse most tenderly with a chaste and holy love, such as had been ordained in Him by the special grace and dispensation of the divine love itself (Cant. 2, 4); in addition to this privilege (which was certainly not a small one) the saint was naturally of a most noble and courteous disposition, and his manners were most pleasing and charming; all this produced in him a most discreet and loving solicitude, which was yet increased by the great holiness, which he had seen from the beginning in his Spouse and which was ordained by heaven as the immediate object of all his privileges. Therefore the saint anxiously attended upon most holy Mary and asked her many times, whether She was tired or fatigued, and in what He could serve Her on the journey. But as the Queen of heaven already carried within the virginal chamber the divine fire of the incarnate Word, holy Joseph, without fathoming the real cause, experienced in his soul new reactions, proceeding from the words and conversations of his beloved Spouse. He felt himself so inflamed by divine love and imbued with such exalted knowledge of the mysteries touched upon in their conversations, that he was entirely renewed and spiritualized by this burning interior light. The farther they proceeded and the more they conversed about these heavenly things, so much the stronger these affections grew, and he became aware, that it was the words of his Spouse, which thus filled his heart with love and inflamed his will with divine ardor.</div>
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Having pursued their journey four days, the most holy Mary and her spouse arrived at the town of Juda, where Zachary and Elisabeth then lived. This was the special and proper name of the place, where the parents of saint John lived for a while, and therefore the Evangelist saint Luke specifies it, calling it Juda, although the commentators have commonly believed that this was not the name of the town in which Elisabeth and Zacharias lived, but simply the name of the province, which was called Juda or Judea; just as for the same reason the mountains south of Jerusalem were called the mountains of Judea. But it was expressly revealed to me that the town was called Juda and that the Evangelist calls it by its proper name; although the learned expositors have understood by this name of Juda the province, in which that town was situated. This confusion arose from the fact that some years after the death of Christ the town Juda was destroyed, and, as the commentators found no trace of such a town, they inferred that saint Luke meant the province and not a town; thus the great differences of opinion in regard to the place, where most holy Mary visited Elisabeth, are easily explained.</div>
<div class="western">
It was at this city of Juda and at the house of Zacharias that most holy Mary and Joseph arrived. In order to announce their visit, saint Joseph hastened ahead of Mary and calling out saluted the inmate the house, saying: “The Lord be with you and fill souls with divine grace.” Elisabeth was already forewarned, for the Lord himself had informed her in a vision that Mary of Nazareth had departed to visit her. She had also in this vision been made aware that the heavenly Lady was most pleasing in the eyes of the Most High; while the mystery of her being the Mother God was not revealed to her until the moment, when they both saluted each other in private. But saint Elisabeth immediately issued forth with a few of her family, in order to welcome most holy Mary, who, as the more humble and younger in years, hastened to salute her cousin, saying: “The Lord be with you, my dearest cousin, and Elisabeth answered : “The same Lord reward you for having come in order to afford me this pleasure.’’ With these words they entered the house of Zacharias and what happened I will relate in the following chapter.</div>
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<div class="western">
After the first salutation of Elisabeth by the most holy Mary, the two cousins retired, as I have said at the end of the preceding chapter. And immediately the Mother of grace saluted anew her cousin saying: “May God save thee, my dearest cousin, and may his divine light communicate to thee grace and life’’ (Luke 1, 40). At the sound of most holy Mary’s voice, saint Elisabeth was filled by the Holy Ghost and so enlightened interiorly, that in one instant she perceived most exalted mysteries and sacraments. These emotions, and those that at the same time were felt by the child John in the womb of his mother, were caused by the presence of the Word made flesh in the bridal chamber of Mary’s womb, for, making use of the voice of Mary as his instrument, He, as Redeemer, began from that place to use the power given to Him by the eternal Father for the salvation and justification of the souls. And since He now operated as man, though as yet of the diminutive size of one conceived eight days before, He assumed, in admirable humility, the form and posture of one praying and beseeching the Father. He asked in earnest prayer for the justification of his future Precursor and obtained it at the hands of the blessed Trinity.</div>
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This happened before the most holy Mary had put her salutation into words. At the pronunciation of the words mentioned above, God looked upon the child in the womb of saint Elisabeth, and gave it perfect use of reason, enlightening it with his divine light, in order that he might prepare himself by foreknowledge for the blessings which he was to receive. Together with this preparation he was sanctified from original sin, made an adopted son of God, and filled with the most abundant graces of the Holy Ghost and with the plenitude of all his gifts; his faculties were sanctified, subjected and subordinated to reason, thus verifying in himself what the archangel Gabriel had said to Zacharias; that His son would be filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb of his mother (Luke 1, 17). At the same time the fortunate child, looking through the walls of the maternal womb as through clear glass upon the incarnate Word, and assuming a kneeling posture, adored his Redeemer and Creator, whom he beheld in most holy Mary as if enclosed in a chamber made of the purest crystal. This was the movement of jubilation, which was felt by his mother Elisabeth as coming from the infant in her womb (Luke 1, 44). Many other acts of virtue the child John performed during this interview, exercising faith, hope, charity, worship, gratitude, humility, devotion and all the other virtues possible to him there. From that moment he began to merit and grow in sanctity, without ever losing it and without ever ceasing to exercise it with all the vigor of grace.</div>
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Saint Elisabeth was instructed at the same time in the mystery of the Incarnation, the sanctification of her own son and the sacramental purpose of this new wonder. She also became aware of the virginal purity and of the dignity of the most holy Mary. On this occasion, the heavenly Queen, being absorbed in the vision of the Divinity and of the mysteries operated by it through her most holy Son, became entirely godlike, filled with the clear light of the divine gifts which She participated; and thus filled with majesty saint Elisabeth saw Her.</div>
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Filled with admiration at what She saw and heard in regard to these divine mysteries, saint Elisabeth was wrapt in the joy of the Holy Ghost; and, looking upon the Queen of the world and what was contained in Her, she burst forth in loud voice of praise, pronouncing the words reported to us, by saint Luke: “Blessed are Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy, and blessed art Thou, that has believed, because those things shall be accomplished, that were spoken to Thee by the Lord.” In these prophetic words saint Elisabeth rehearsed the noble privileges of most holy Mary, perceiving by the divine light what the power of the Lord had done in Her, what He now performed, and what He was to accomplish through Her in time to come. All this also the child John perceived and understood, while listening to the words of his mother; for she was enlightened for the purpose of his sanctification, and since he could not from his place in the womb bless and thank her by word of mouth, She, both for herself and for her son, extolled the most holy Mary as being the instrument of their good fortune.</div>
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These words of praise, pronounced by saint Elisabeth were referred by the Mother of wisdom and humility to the Creator; and in the sweetest and softest voice She intoned the Magnificat as recorded by saint Luke (Ch. 1, 46–55)</div>
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46. My soul doth magnify the Lord;</div>
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47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.</div>
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48. Because He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.</div>
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49. Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me and holy is his name.</div>
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50. And his mercy is from generation unto generation to them that fear him.</div>
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51. He hath showed might in his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.</div>
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52. He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble.</div>
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53. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent empty away.</div>
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54. He hath received Israel, his servant, being mindful of his mercy;</div>
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55. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever.”</div>
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Just as saint Elisabeth was the first one who heard this sweet canticle from the mouth of most holy Mary, so she was also the first one who understood it and, by means of her infused knowledge, commented upon it. She penetrated some of the great mysteries. which its Authoress expressed therein in so few sentences. The soul of most holy Mary magnified the Lord for the excellence of his infinite Essence; to Him She referred and yielded all glory and praise (I Tim. 1, 17), both for the beginning and the accomplishment of her works. She knew and confessed that in God alone every creature should glory and rejoice, since He alone is their entire happiness and salvation (11 Cor. 10 17). She confessed also the equity and magnificence of the Most high in attending to the humble and in conferencing upon them his abundant spirit of divine love (Ps. 137, 6). She saw how worthy of mortals it is to perceive, understand and ponder the gifts that were conferred on the humility of Her, whom all nations were to call blessed, and how all the humble ones, each according to his degree, could share the same good fortune. By one word also She expressed all the mercies, benefits and blessings, which the Almighty showered upon Her in his holy and wonderful name; for She calls them altogether “great things” since there was nothing small about anything that referred to this great Queen and Lady.</div>
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And as the mercies of the Most High overflowed from Mary’s plenitude to the whole human race, and as She was the portal of heaven, through which they issued and continue to issue, and through which we are to enter into the participation of the Divinity; therefore She confessed, that the mercy of the Lord in regard Her is spread out over all the generations, communicating itself to them that fear Him. And just as the infinite mercies raise up the humble and seek out those that fear God; so also the powerful arm of divine justice scatters and destroys those who are proud in the mind of their heart, and hurls them from their thrones in order to set in their place the poor and lowly. This justice of the Lord was exercised in wonderful splendor and glory upon the chief of all the proud, Lucifer and his followers, when the almighty arm of God scattered and hurled them (because they themselves precipitated themselves) from their exalted seats which befitted their angelic natures and their graces, and which they occupied according to the original (Isaias 14; Apoc. 12) decree of the divine love. For by it He intended that all should be blessed (I Tim. 2, 4) while they, in trying to ascend in their vain pride to positions, which they neither could attain nor should aspire to, on the contrary cast themselves from those which they occupied (Isaias 14,13).</div>
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<span lang="en-US">When it was time to come forth from their retirement, saint Elisabeth offered herself and her whole family and all her house for the service of the Queen of heaven. She asked Her to accept, as a quiet retreat, the room which she herself was accustomed to use for her prayers, and which was much retired and accommodated to that purpose. The heavenly Princess accepted the chamber with humble thanks, and made use of it for recollecting Herself and sleeping therein, and no one ever entered it, except the two cousins. As for the rest She offered to serve and assist Elisabeth as a handmaid, for She said, that this was the purpose</span> <span lang="en-US">of visiting her and consoling her. O what friendship is so true, so sweet and inseparable, as that which is formed by the great bond of the divine love! How admirable is the Lord in manifesting this great sacrament of the Incarnation to three women before He would make it known to any one else in the human race! For the first was saint Anne, as I have said in its place; the second one was her Daughter and the Mother of the Word, most holy Mary; the third one was saint Elisabeth, and conjointly with Her, her son, for he being yet in the womb of his mother, cannot be considered as distinct from her. Thus “the foolishness of God is wiser than men,” as saint Paul says.</span></div>
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The most holy Mary and Elisabeth came forth from their retirement at nightfall, having passed a long time together; and the Queen saw Zacharias standing before her in his muteness, and She asked him for his blessing as from a priest of the Lord, which the saint also gave to Her. Yet, although She tenderly pitied him for his affliction, She did not exert her power to cure him, because She knew the mysterious occasion of his dumbness; yet She offered a prayer for him. Saint Elisabeth, who already knew the good fortune of the most chaste spouse Joseph, although he himself as yet was not aware of it, entertained and served him with great reverence and highest esteem. After staying three days in the house of Zacharias, however, he asked permission of his heavenly Spouse Mary to return to Nazareth and leave Her in the company of saint Elisabeth in order to assist her in her pregnancy. The holy husband left them with the understanding that he was to return in order to accompany the Queen home as soon as they should give him notice; saint Elisabeth offered him some presents to take home with him; but he would take only a small part of them, yielding only to their earnest solicitations, for this man of God was not only a lover of poverty, but was possessed of a magnanimous and noble heart. Therewith he pursued his way back to Nazareth, taking along with him the little beast of burden, which they had brought with them. At home, in the absence of his Spouse, he was served by a neighboring woman and cousin of his, who, also when most holy Mary was at home, was wont to come and go on necessary errands outside of the house.</div>
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In conformity with this instruction and new mandate of the Most High, the Princess of heaven ordered all her occupations in the house of her cousin Elisabeth. She rose up at midnight in accordance with her former custom, spending the hours in the continued contemplation of the divine mysteries and giving to waking and sleep the time, which most perfectly and exactly agreed with the natural state and conditions of her body. In labor and repose She continued to receive new favors, illuminations, exaltation and caresses of the Lord. During these three months She had many visions of the Divinity, mostly abstractive in kind. More frequent still were the visions of the most holy humanity of the Word in its hypostatic union; for her virginal womb, in which She bore Him, served Her as her continual altar and sanctuary. She beheld the daily growth of that sacred body. By this experience and by the sacraments, which every day were made manifest to Her in the boundless fields of the divine power and essence, the spirit of this exalted Lady expanded to vast proportions. Many times would She have been consumed and have died by the violence of her affections, if She had not been strengthened by the power of the Lord. To these occupations, which were concealed from all, She added those, which the service and consolation of her cousin Elisabeth demanded, although She did not apply one moment more to them, than charity required. These fulfilled, She turned immediately to her solitude and recollection, where she could pour out the more freely her spirit before the Lord.</div>
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Not less solicitous was She to occupy Herself interiorly, while She was engaged for many hours in manual occupations. And in all this the Precursor was so fortunate that the great Queen, with her own hands, sewed and prepared the swaddling clothes and coverlets in which he was to be wrapped and reared; for his mother Elisabeth, in her maternal solicitude and attention, had secured for saint John this good fortune humbly asking this favor of the heavenly Queen. Mary with incredible love and subjection complied with her request in order to exercise Herself in obedience to her cousin, whom She wished to serve as the lowest handmaid; for in humility and obedience most holy Mary always surpassed all men. Although saint Elisabeth sought to anticipate Her in much that belonged to her service, yet, in her rare prudence and wisdom, Mary knew flow to forestall her cousin, always gaining the triumph of humility.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In this way most holy Mary put into practice the doctrine of the eternal Word who humiliated himself so far, that, being the form of the eternal Father, the figure of his substance, true God of the true God, He nevertheless assumed the form and condition of a servant (Heb. 1, 3, Philip 2</span><span lang="en-US"><i>, </i></span><span lang="en-US">6, 7). This Lady was the Mother of God, Queen of all creation, superior in excellence and dignity to all creatures, and yet She remained the humble servant of the least of them; and never would She accept homage and service as if due to Her, nor did She ever exalt Herself, or fail to judge of Herself in the most humble manner. What shall we now say of our most execrable presumption and pride? Since, full of the abomination of sin, we are so senseless as to claim for ourselves with dreadful insanity the homage and veneration of all the world? And if this is denied us, we quickly lose the little sense which our passions have left us. This whole heavenly history bears the stamp of humility, and is a condemnation of our pride. And since it is not my office to teach or correct, but to be taught and to be corrected, I beseech and pray all the faithful children of light to place this example before their eyes for our humiliation.</span></div>
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It would not have been difficult for the Lord to preserve his most holy Mother from such extreme lowliness and from the occasions in which She embraced it He could have exalted Her before creatures, ordaining that She be renowned, honored and respected by all; just as He knew how to procure homage and renown for others as Assuerus did for Mardocheus. Perhaps, if this had been left to the judgment of men, they would have so managed that a Woman more holy than all the hierarchies of heaven, and who bore in her womb the Creator of the angels and of the heavens, should be surrounded by a continual guard of honor, withdrawn from the gaze of men and receiving the homage of all the world; it would have seemed to them unworthy of Her to engage in humble and servile occupations, or not to have all things done only at her command, or to refuse homage, or not to exercise fullest authority. So narrow is human wisdom, if that can be called wisdom, which is so limited. But such fallacy cannot creep into the true science of the saints, which is communicated to them by the infinite wisdom of the Creator, and which esteems at their just weight and price these honors without confounding the values of the creatures. The Most High would have denied his beloved Mother much and benefited Her little, if He had deprived and withdrawn from Her the occasion of exercising the profoundest humility and had instead exposed Her to the exterior applause of men. It would also be a great loss to the world to be without this school of humility and this example for the humiliation and confusion of its pride.</div>
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The hour for the rising of the morning star, which was to precede the clear Sun of justice and announce the wished–for day of the law of grace, had arrived (John 5, 35). The time was suitable to the Most High for the appearance of his Prophet in the world; and greater than a prophet was John, who pointing out with his finger the Lamb (John 1, 29), was to prepare mankind for the salvation and sanctification of the world. Before issuing from the maternal womb the Lord revealed to the blessed child the hour in which he was to commence his mortal career among men. The child had the perfect use of his reason, and of the divine science infused by the presence of the incarnate Word. He therefore knew that he was to arrive at the port of a cursed and dangerous land, and to walk upon a world full of evils and snares, where many are overtaken by ruin and perdition.</div>
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At the request of his mother the Queen received in her arms the newborn child and offered him as a new oblation to the eternal Father, and his Majesty, well pleased, accepted it as the first–fruits of the Incarnation and of the divine decrees. The most blessed child, full of the Holy Ghost, acknowledged his sovereign Queen, showing Her not only interior, but outward reverence by a secret inclination of his head, and again he adored the divine Word, which was manifested to him in her womb by an especial light. And as he also was aware, that he was privileged before all men, the grateful child performed acts of fervent thanksgiving, humility, love and reverence of God and of his Virgin Mother. The heavenly Queen, in offering him to the eternal Father, pronounced this prayer for him: “Highest Lord and Father, all holy and powerful, accept in thy honor this offering and seasonable fruit of thy most holy Son and my Lord. He is sanctified by the Onlybegotten and rescued from the effects of sin and from the power of thy ancient enemies. Receive this morning’s sacrifice, and infuse into this child the blessings of thy holy Spirit, in order that he may be a faithful minister to Thee and to thy Onlybegotten.” This prayer of our Queen was efficacious in all respects, and She perceived how the Lord enriched this child, chosen as his Precursor; and She also felt within Herself the effects of these admirable blessings.</div>
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Then they bespoke the arrangements for the circumcision of the child, for the time appointed by the law was approaching. Complying with the custom observed among the Jews, especially among the more distinguished, many relatives and other acquaintances of the house of Zacharias began to gather, in order to resolve upon the name to be given to the child; for, in addition to the ordinary preparations and consultations concerning the name to be given to a son, the high position of Zacharias and Elisabeth and the news of the miraculous fecundity of the mother naturally suggested the existence of some great mystery to the minds of all their relations. Zacharias was still dumb, and therefore it was necessary that saint Elisabeth should preside at this meeting. Over and above the high esteem which she inspired, she now exhibited such evident signs of the exalted renewal and sanctification of her soul, which resulted from the knowledge of the mysteries and from her interactions with the Queen of heaven, that all her relatives and friends noticed the change. For even in her countenance she exhibited a kind of effulgence which made her mysteriously attractive and was the reflection of the Divinity, in whose presence she lived.</div>
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The relatives then appealed by signs to Zacharias, who, being unable to speak, asked for a pen and declared his will by writing upon the tablet: “Johannes est nomen ejus.” ‘‘John is his name.’’ At the same time most holy Mary, making use of her power over all nature, commanded the dumbness to leave him, his tongue to be loosened, as the moment had arrived when it should bless the Lord. At this heavenly command he found himself freed from his affliction, and, to the astonishment and fear of all present, he began to speak as narrated by the Evangelist. What I say here is not adverse to the Gospel narrative; for, although it is there related, that the angel foretold Zacharias that he should remain mute until his message should be fulfilled, yet God, when He reveals any decree of his will, absolutely unfailing as they are, does not always reveal the means or the manner of their fulfillment, foreseen by Him in his infinite foreknowledge. Thus the archangel announced to Zacharias the punishment of his unbelief, but he did not tell him that he should he freed from it by the intercession of most holy Mary, although this also had been foreseen and decreed.</div>
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Therefore, just as the voice of our Lady Mary was the instrument for the sanctification of the child John and his mother, so her secret mandate and her intercession had the effect of loosening the tongue of Zacharias, filling him with the holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy. Hence he broke forth in the words (Luke 1, 68–79):</div>
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1. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because He hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:</div>
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69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:</div>
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70. And he hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning;</div>
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71. Salvation from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us:</div>
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<span lang="en-US">72.</span> <span lang="en-US">To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,</span></div>
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73. The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,</div>
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74. That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,</div>
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75. In holiness and justice before him, all our days.</div>
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76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:</div>
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77. To give knowledge of salvation to his people: unto the remission of their sins:</div>
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78. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us</div>
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79. To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.</div>
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In the divine canticle of the Benedictus Zacharias embodied all of the highest mysteries, which the ancient prophets had foretold in a more profuse manner concerning the Divinity, Humanity and the Redemption of Christ, and in these few words he embraces many great sacraments. He also understood them by the grace and light, which filled his spirit, and which raised him up in the sight of all that had come to attend the circumcision of his son; for all of them were witnesses to the solving of his tongue and to his divine prophecies. I will hardly be able to give an explanation of the deep meaning of these prophecies, such as they had in the mind of that holy priest.</div>
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At the call of Elisabeth, the most fortunate of husbands, saint Joseph, had come in order to attend most holy Mary on her return to her home in Nazareth. On arriving at the house of Zacharias he had been welcomed with indescribable reverence and devotion by saint Elisabeth and Zacharias; for now also the holy priest knew that he was the guardian of the sacramental treasures of heaven, though this was yet unknown to the great patriarch saint Joseph himself. His heavenly Spouse received him in modest and discreet jubilation. and, kneeling before him, She, as usual, besought his blessing, and also his pardon, for having failed to serve him for nearly three months during her attendance upon her cousin Elisabeth. Though She had been guilty of no fault, nor even of an imperfection in thus devotedly fulfilling the will of God in conformity with the wishes of her spouse, yet, by this courteous and endearing act of humility, She wanted to repay her husband for the want of her consoling companionship. The holy Joseph answered that as he now again saw Her, and again enjoyed her delightful presence, he was relieved of the pain caused by her absence. In the course of a few days they announced the day of their departure. Thereupon the princess Mary took leave of the priest Zacharias. As he had already been enlightened by the Lord concerning the dignity of the Virgin Mother, he addressed Her with the greatest reverence as the living sanctuary of the Divinity and humanity of the eternal Word. “My Mistress,” he said, “praise and bless eternally thy Maker, who in his infinite mercy has chosen Thee among all his creatures as his Mother, as the sole Keeper of all his great blessings and sacraments. Be mindful of me, thy servant, before thy Lord and God, that He may lead me in peace through this exile to the security of the eternal peace which we hope for, and that through thee I may merit the vision of his Divinity, which is the glory of the saints. Remember also, O Lady, my house and family, and especially my Son John, and pray to the Most High for thy people.”</div>
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The whole household of Zacharias had been sanctified by the presence of most holy Mary and of the incarnate Word in her womb; all its inmates had been edified by her example, instructed by her conversations and teachings, and sweetly affected by her intercourse and modest behavior. While She had drawn toward Herself all the hearts of that happy family, She also merited and obtained for them from her most holy Son the plenitude of celestial gifts. Holy Joseph was held in high veneration by Zacharias, Elisabeth and John; for they had come to know his high dignity before he himself was yet aware of it, The blessed Patriarch, happy in his Treasure, the full value of which as yet he did not know, took leave of all and departed for Nazareth: what happened on the way I will narrate in the following chapter. But before they began their journey most holy Mary, on bended knees, besought saint Joseph to bless Her, as She was accustomed to do on such occasions, and after She had received his blessing, they betook themselves on their journey.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962794"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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For two reasons, my daughter, the divine effects wrought through me by my Son in saint John and Elisabeth were concealed, while those in Zacharias were manifest. First, because Elisabeth spoke out clearly in praise of the incarnate Word and of me; yet at the time it was not proper that either this mystery or my dignity should be openly known; the coming of the Messias was to be manifested by other more appropriate means. Secondly, not all hearts were so well prepared as that of Elisabeth for receiving such precious and unprecedented seed of divine knowledge, nor would they have welcomed such sacramental revelation with due reverence. On the other hand it was more becoming that Zacharias in his priestly dignity should proclaim what was then to be made known; for the beginnings of the heavenly light would be accepted more readily from him than from saint Elisabeth, especially while he was present. That which she said, was reserved to bring forth its effects in due time. Although the words of God have their own inherent force; yet the more sweet and acceptable manner of communicating with the ignorant and the unskilled in divine mysteries is by means of the priest.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">Likewise it was proper that the dignity and honor of the priesthood should receive its due; for the Most High holds the priests in such esteem, that if He finds them in the right disposition, He exalts them and fills them with his Spirit in order that the world may venerate them as his chosen and anointed ones. Moreover the wonders of the Lord run less risk in priests. even when they are more openly revealed to them, If they live up to their dignity, their works in comparison with those of the other creatures, are like those of the angels and of the seraphim. Their countenance should be resplendent, like that of Moses, when he came forth from converse with the Lord (Exod. 34, 29).</span> <span lang="en-US">At least they should deal with the rest of men in such a manner that they be honored and revered as next to God. I desire that thou understand, my dearest, that the Most High is greatly incensed against the world in this matter: as well against the priests as against laymen. Against the priests because, forgetting their exalted dignity, they debase themselves by a contemptible, degraded and scandalous life, giving bad example to the world by mixing up with it to the neglect of their sanctification. And against the laymen, because they act with a foolhardy presumption toward the anointed of the Lord, whom, though imperfect and blameless in their lives, they ought to honor and revere as taking the place of Christ, my most holy Son, on earth.</span></div>
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On account of this reverence due to the priesthood my behavior toward saint Zacharias was different from that toward Elisabeth. For, although the Lord wished, that I should be the instrument, by which the gifts of the holy Spirit should be communicated to both; yet I saluted Elisabeth in such a manner, that I at the same time showed a certain authority, exerting my power over the original sin of her son; for at my words this sin was forgiven him, and both mother and son were filled with the Holy Ghost. As I had not contracted original sin and was exempt from it, I possessed dominion over it on this occasion: I commanded as the Mistress, who had triumphed over it by the help of the Lord (Gen. 3, 5), and who was no slave of it, as all the sons of Adam, who sinned in him (Rom. 5, 12). Therefore the Lord desires that, in order to free John from the slavery and chains of sin, I should command over it as one who never was subject to its bondage. I did not salute Zacharias in this authoritative way, but I prayed for him, observing the reverence and decorum due to his dignity and my modesty. I would not have commanded the tongue of the priest to be loosened, not even mentally and secretly, if the Most High had not enjoined it upon me, intimating at the same time, that the defect of speech hardly suited his office, for a priest should stand ready to serve and praise the Almighty with all his powers. In regard to the respect due to priests I will tell thee more on another occasion; let this suffice at present for the solution of thy doubt.</div>
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But from my instruction today learn especially to seek direction in the way of virtue and of eternal life in all thy interactions with men, be they above or below thee in dignity. Imitate therein me and my cousin Elisabeth, with due discretion asking all to direct thee and guide thee; for in return for such humility the Lord will provide thee with secure counsel and divine light for exercising thy discreet and sincere love of virtue. Drive away, or do not allow thyself to be influenced by even the least breath of flattery and avoid the conversations which expose thee to it; for such deceitful pleasure darkens the light and perverts the unsuspecting mind. The Lord is so jealous of the souls especially beloved by Him, that He will immediately turn away from them if they find pleasure in the praises of men and seek to recompense themselves by their flatteries; since by this levity they become unworthy of his favors. It is not possible to unite in a soul the adulations of the world and the caresses of the Most High. For these latter are sincere, holy, pure, and lasting: they humiliate, cleanse, pacify and illumine the heart; while on the other hand the flatteries of creatures are vain, fleeting, deceitful, impure and false, issuing from the mouths of those who are all liars (Ps. 115, 11); and whatever is deceitful is a work of the enemy.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text3"><b> </b></span><br />
</span><span class="text"></span><br />
<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
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<h3>
<span class="text3">
Paragraph 6. Man </span></h3>
<span class="text3"> </span>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="355"></a><b>355</b> "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them."<sup>218</sup>
Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of
God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material
worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him
in his friendship.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
I. "IN THE IMAGE OF GOD"
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="356"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">356</a></b> Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator".<sup>219</sup> He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake",<sup>220</sup>
and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own
life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the
fundamental reason for his dignity:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">What made you establish man in so great a
dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on
your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love
indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of
tasting your eternal Good.<sup>221</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="357"></a><b>357</b>
Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of
a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of
self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and
entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to
a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love
that no other creature can give in his stead.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="358"></a><b>358</b> God created everything for man,<sup>222</sup> but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">What is it that is about to be created,
that enjoys such honor? It is man that great and wonderful living
creature, more precious in the eyes of God than all other creatures! For
him the heavens and the earth, the sea and all the rest of creation
exist. God attached so much importance to his salvation that he did not
spare his own Son for the sake of man. Nor does he ever cease to work,
trying every possible means, until he has raised man up to himself and
made him sit at his right hand.<sup>223</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="359"></a><b>359</b> "In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear."<sup>224</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">St. Paul tells us that the human race
takes its origin from two men: Adam and Christ. . . The first man, Adam,
he says, became a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The
first Adam was made by the last Adam, from whom he also received his
soul, to give him life. . .</span></dd><dd></dd><dd><span class="text1"> The second Adam stamped his image on the
first Adam when he created him. That is why he took on himself the role
and the name of the first Adam, in order that he might not lose what he
had made in his own image. The first Adam, the last Adam: the first had a
beginning, the last knows no end. The last Adam is indeed the first; as
he himself says: "I am the first and the last."<sup>225</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="360"></a><b>360</b> Because of its common origin <i>the human race forms a unity</i>, for "from one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth":<sup>226</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">O wondrous vision, which makes us
contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God. . . in the
unity of its nature, composed equally in all men of a material body and
a spiritual soul; in the unity of its immediate end and its mission in
the world; in the unity of its dwelling, the earth, whose benefits all
men, by right of nature, may use to sustain and develop life; in the
unity of its supernatural end: God himself, to whom all ought to tend;
in the unity of the means for attaining this end;. . . in the unity of
the redemption wrought by Christ for all.<sup>227</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="361"></a><b>361</b> "This law of human solidarity and charity",<sup>228</sup> without excluding the rich variety of persons, cultures and peoples, assures us that all men are truly brethren.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
II. "BODY AND SOUL BUT TRULY ONE"
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="362"></a><b>362</b>
The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once
corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in
symbolic language when it affirms that "then the LORD God formed man of
dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being."<sup>229</sup> Man, whole and entire, is therefore <i>willed </i>by God.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="363"></a><b>363</b> In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human <i>life </i>or the entire human <i>person</i>.<sup>230</sup> But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him,<sup>231</sup> that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the <i>spiritual principle</i> in man.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="364"></a><b>364</b>
The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a
human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it
is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of
Christ, a temple of the Spirit:<sup>232</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Man, though made of body and soul, is a
unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the
elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to
their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely
given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily
life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in
honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. <sup>233</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="365"></a><b>365</b> The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the "form" of the body:<sup>234</sup>
i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter
becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two
natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="366"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">366</a></b>
The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by
God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is
immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death,
and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.<sup>235</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="367"></a><b>367</b>
Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for
instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly", with "spirit
and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord's coming.<sup>236</sup> The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul.<sup>237</sup>
"Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural
end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves
to communion with God.<sup>238</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="368"></a><b>368</b> The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the <i>heart</i>, in the biblical sense of the depths of one's being, where the person decides for or against God.<sup>239</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="III"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">*</a> III. "MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM"</b><br />
<b> </b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">
</a><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">
</a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="369"></a><b>Equality and difference willed by God</b>
<br />
<b>369</b> <span class="text1">Man and woman have been <i>created</i>, which is to say, <i>willed </i>by
God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the
other, in their respective beings as man and woman. "Being man" or
"being woman" is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and
woman possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately
from God their Creator.<sup>240</sup> Man and woman are both with one
and the same dignity "in the image of God". In their "being-man" and
"being-woman", they reflect the Creator's wisdom and goodness.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="370"></a><b>370</b>
In no way is God in man's image. He is neither man nor woman. God is
pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the
sexes. But the respective "perfections" of man and woman reflect
something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother and those
of a father and husband.<sup>241</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="371"></a><b>"Each for the other" - "A unity in two"</b>
<br />
<b>371</b> God
created man and woman together and willed each for the other. The Word
of God gives us to understand this through various features of the
sacred text. "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make
him a helper fit for him."<sup>242</sup> None of the animals can be man's partner.<sup>243</sup>
The woman God "fashions" from the man's rib and brings to him elicits
on the man's part a cry of wonder, an exclamation of love and communion:
"This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."<sup>244</sup> Man discovers woman as another "I", sharing the same humanity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="372"></a><b>372</b>
Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them
half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons,
in which each can be "helpmate" to the other, for they are equal as
persons ("bone of my bones. . .") and complementary as masculine and
feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that, by forming
"one flesh",<sup>245</sup> they can transmit human life: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."<sup>246</sup>
By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as
spouses and parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator's work.<sup>247</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="373"></a><b>373</b> In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth<sup>248</sup>
as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to be an arbitrary and
destructive domination. God calls man and woman, made in the image of
the Creator "who loves everything that exists",<sup>249</sup> to share in his providence toward other creatures; hence their responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="IV"> IV. MAN IN PARADISE</a>
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="374"></a><b>374</b>
The first man was not only created good, but was also established in
friendship with his Creator and in harmony with himself and with the
creation around him, in a state that would be surpassed only by the
glory of the new creation in Christ.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="375"></a><b>375</b>
The Church, interpreting the symbolism of biblical language in an
authentic way, in the light of the New Testament and Tradition, teaches
that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were constituted in an original
"state of holiness and justice".<sup>250</sup> This grace of original holiness was "to share in. . .divine life".<sup>251</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="376"></a><b>376</b>
By the radiance of this grace all dimensions of man's life were
confirmed. As long as he remained in the divine intimacy, man would not
have to suffer or die.<sup>252</sup> The inner harmony of the human person, the harmony between man and woman,<sup>253</sup> and finally the harmony between the first couple and all creation, comprised the state called "original justice".<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="377"></a><b>377</b> The "mastery" over the world that God offered man from the beginning was realized above all within man himself: <i>mastery of self</i>. The first man was unimpaired and ordered in his whole being because he was free from the triple concupiscence<sup>254</sup>
that subjugates him to the pleasures of the senses, covetousness for
earthly goods, and self-assertion, contrary to the dictates of reason.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="378"></a><b>378</b> The sign of man's familiarity with God is that God places him in the garden.<sup>255</sup> There he lives "to till it and keep it". Work is not yet a burden,<sup>256</sup> but rather the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="379"></a><b>379</b> This entire harmony of original justice, foreseen for man in God's plan, will be lost by the sin of our first parents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a>
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="380"></a><b>380</b> "Father,. . . you formed man in your own
likeness and set him over the whole world to serve you, his creator, and
to rule over all creatures" (<i>Roman Missal</i>, EP IV, 118).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="381"></a><b>381</b> Man is predestined to reproduce the image of God's Son made man, the "image of the invisible God" (<i>Col </i>1:15), so that Christ shall be the first-born of a multitude of brothers and sisters (cf. <i>Eph </i>1:3-6; <i>Rom </i>8:29).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="382"></a><b>382</b> "Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity" (<i>GS</i> 14 § 1). The doctrine of the faith affirms that the spiritual and immortal soul is created immediately by God.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="383"></a><b>383</b> "God did not create man a solitary being. From the beginning, "male and female he created them" (<i>Gen </i>1:27). This partnership of man and woman constitutes the first form of communion between persons" (<i>GS</i> 12 § 4).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="384"></a><b>384</b> Revelation makes known to us the state of
original holiness and justice of man and woman before sin: from their
friendship with God flowed the happiness of their existence in paradise.
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text1">
218 <i>Gen</i> 1:27.<br />
219 <i>GS</i> 12 § 3.<br />
220 <i>GS</i> 24 § 3.<br />
221 St. Catherine of Siena, <i>Dialogue</i> 4,13 "On Divine Providence": <i>LH</i>, Sunday, week 19, OR.<br />
222 Cf. <i>GS</i> 12 § 1; 24 § 3; 39 § 1.<br />
223 St. John Chrysostom, <i>In Gen. Sermo</i> 2,1: PG 54,587D-588A.<br />
224 <i>GS</i> 22 § 1.<br />
225 St. Peter Chrysologus, <i>Sermo</i> 117: PL 52,520-521.<br />
226 <i>Acts</i> 17:26; cf. <i>Tob</i> 8:6.<br />
227 Pius XII, <i>Enc. Summi Pontificatus</i> 3; cf. <i>NA</i> 1.<br />
228 Pius XII, <i>Summi Pontificatus</i> 3.<br />
229 <i>Gen</i> 2:7.<br />
230 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 16:25-26; <i>Jn</i> 15:13; <i>Acts</i> 2:41.<br />
231 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 10:28; 26:38; <i>Jn</i> 12:27; <i>2 Macc</i> 6:30.<br />
232 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 6:19-20; 15:44-45.<br />
233 <i>GS</i> 14 § 1; cf. <i>Dan</i> 3:57-80.<br />
234 Cf. Council of Vienne (1312): DS 902. <br />
235 Cf. Pius XII, <i>Humani Generis</i>: DS 3896; Paul VI, <i>CPG</i> § 8; Lateran Council V (1513): DS 1440.<br />
236 <i>1 Thess</i> 5:23. <br />
237 Cf. Council of Constantinople IV (870): DS 657. <br />
238 Cf. Vatican Council I, <i>Dei Filius</i>: DS 3005; <i>GS</i> 22 § 5; <i>Humani Generis</i>: DS 3891.<br />
239 Cf. <i>Jer</i> 31:33; <i>Deut</i> 6:5; 29:3; <i>Isa</i> 29:13; <i>Ezek</i> 36:26; <i>Mt</i> 6:21; <i>Lk</i> 8:15; <i>Rom</i> 5:5.<br />
240 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 2:7,22.<br />
241 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 49:14-15; 66:13; <i>Ps</i> 131:2-3; <i>Hos</i> 11:1-4; <i>Jer</i> 3:4-19.<br />
242 <i>Gen</i> 2:18.<br />
243 <i>Gen</i> 2:19-20.<br />
244 <i>Gen</i> 2:23.<br />
245 <i>Gen</i> 2:24.<br />
246 <i>Gen</i> 1:28.<br />
247 Cf. <i>GS</i> 50 § 1.<br />
248 <i>Gen</i> 1:28.<br />
249 <i>Wis</i> 11:24.<br />
250 Cf. Council of Trent (1546): DS 1511.<br />
251 Cf. <i>LG</i> 2.<br />
252 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 2:17; 3:16,19.<br />
253 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 2:25.<br />
254 Cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 2:16.<br />
255 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 2:8.<br />
256 <i>Gen</i> 2:15; cf. 3:17-19<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Reference</span></h2>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-40887011034793268602018-12-16T16:49:00.000-06:002018-12-16T16:49:02.750-06:00Sunday December 16, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Piety; Reading 1, Zephaniah 3:14-18; Responsorial Psalm, Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; Reading 2, Philippians 4:4-7; Gospel and Lectio Divina: Luke 3:10-18; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saints of the Week - Saint Lucy and Saint John of the Cross; Snippet I - Our Lady of Guadalupe; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Snippet IV - The Jesse Tree; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 3 Chapter 1 though 3 The Novena before the Incarnation, The Incarnation of the Son of God, The Visitation; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 5 - Heaven and Earth; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday December 16, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
<i>Piety; </i><i>Reading 1,</i><i> Zephaniah 3:14-18; Responsorial Psalm, </i><i>Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; Reading 2,</i><i> Philippians 4:4-7; Gospel and Lectio Divina: </i><i>Luke 3</i><i>:10-18</i><i>; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saints of the Week - </i><i>Saint Lucy and Saint John of the Cross;<b> </b>Snippet I - Our Lady of Guadalupe; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Snippet IV - The Jesse Tree; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 3 Chapter 1 though 3 The Novena before the Incarnation, The Incarnation of the Son of God, The Visitation; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 5 - Heaven and Earth; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Gaudete Sunday, 3rd Sunday in Advent</b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>St. Andrew Christmas Novena</b></span><br />
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“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”<br />
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Recite the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<b>December 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
When you come to me, as to a mother, with a pure and open heart, know that I am listening to you, encouraging you, consoling you and, above all, interceding for you with my Son. I know that you desire to have a strong faith and to express it in the right way. What my Son asks of you is to have a sincere, strong and deep faith – then every way in which you express it is proper. Faith is a most wonderful mystery <span class="text_exposed_show">which is kept in the heart. It is between the Heavenly Father and all of His children; it is recognized by the fruits and by the love which one has towards all of God's creatures.</span><br />
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Apostles of my love, my children, have trust in my Son. Help all of my children to come to know His love. You are my hope – you who strive to sincerely love my Son. In the name of love, for your salvation, according to the will of the Heavenly Father and through my Son, I am here among you. Apostles of my love, along with prayer and sacrifice, may your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of my Son. May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and bring them back to my Son. I am with you.</span><br />
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In a special way, I am alongside your shepherds. With my motherly love I illuminate and encourage them that, with the hands blessed by my Son, they may bless the entire world. Thank you. ~Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<b>November 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
My motherly heart suffers as I am looking at my children who do not love the truth, those who are hiding it—as I look at my children who do not pray with their feelings and actions. I am sad as I am saying to my Son that many of my children no longer have faith, that they do not know Him—my Son. That is why I call you, apostles of my love: you strive to look to the very depth in human hearts and there you are certa<span class="text_exposed_show">in to find the little hidden treasure. To look in this way is mercy from the Heavenly Father. To seek the good even where there is the greatest evil—to strive to comprehend each other and not to judge—that is what my Son is asking of you. And I, as a mother, am calling you to listen to Him.</span><br />
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My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh, and, carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory.<br />
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Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and, above all, in humility. Witness the truth to all those who have not come to know my Son. I will be alongside you. I will encourage you. Witness the love which never ends because it comes from the Heavenly Father who is eternal and who offers eternity to all of my children. The spirit of my Son will be alongside you.<br />
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Anew I am calling you, my children: pray for your shepherds, pray that the love of my Son may lead them. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>August 30, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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“In time, events rise and fall. When you come to Heaven and study your life, you will see that graces were always available to you. My desire for each of my followers is that they accept the grace that I send, in each moment, for peace. For those who accept my grace, peace is easily restored after periods of distress. For those who study my graces as they accept them, peace remains with them in each day and in each moment in each day. My friend, do you feel peaceful? Are you prepared to advance into the period to come? Have I done everything possible to equip my apostles to remain clear-sighted during confusing times? I believe that I have given you everything necessary. Here is another question. Do you <b>wish</b> to retain your peace? Do you <b>wish</b> to remain faithful to me and to the Church that I suffered to establish? If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’, then I am certain that you have all that you need to proceed with your time serving quietly and happily, despite sufferings that you endure. If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’ then I know that you will grow in holiness, day by day, because of your closeness to me and your decision to allow me to direct your time on Earth. I want you to be happy and full of joy. Joy is for you, my beloved apostles. Let others do what they will. Let us proceed into the world with apostolic joy and gladness. There is enormous joy available right now, in this day, because Heaven sends extraordinary graces for our Church. The most important part of your service to me is that you receive these extraordinary graces for joy in this time. If you receive them, you can offer them to others. Talk about me, please. I am so pleased that the leader I have chosen points constantly to me. He loves me and brings my love to others. Do you love me? Do you bring my love to others? Do you trust me to care for my Church tenderly and constantly? I will never abandon my Church. I am with you in the Eucharist. Do you visit me there and ask for peace? For guidance? Please. I am asking you to remain close to me and talk about me. Let others endlessly discuss the challenges of the times. I want you to talk about me. My love for my children, all of my children, means that I have hopes in you. There are little assignments today that only you can fill. Will you fill these opportunities for me? Will you listen to my gentle movements in your heart? I feel so close to you. Do you feel close to me? My beloved apostle, we walk together. We walk in fidelity to our Church and to the man I have chosen to lead it during this period. Be confident that you will understand exactly what Heaven needs from you in each day if you remain in peace with me.”</div>
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- A Guide to Comtemplative Prayer </span></div>
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> </span><div align="center" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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</h3>
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<br />
(Vatican Radio)<br />
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<h2 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope Angelus: Invitation to Joy on “Bambinelli Sunday”</h2>
<div class="article__subTitle" itemprop="description">
Pope Francis at the Sunday Angelus blesses the “Bambinelli” and says this third Sunday of Advent invites us to be joyful. </div>
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<b>By Vatican News</b><br />
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The Third Sunday of Advent has for many years been the day when the children of Rome bring the Baby Jesus statues from their Nativity Scenes to St. Peter’s Square to be blessed by the Pope during the Angelus. The day is affectionately known as “Bambinelli Sunday.”<br />
<h2>
<b>Bambinelli Sunday</b></h2>
The theme chosen by the Roman Oratory Centre for this traditional appointment with Pope Francis on Sunday was "All the joy in a manger".<br />
Speaking from the window of his studio in the Apostolic Palace, the Pope told the children wrapped up against the winter chill, that “when you gather in your homes in prayer before the manger, looking at the Child Jesus, you will feel amazement at the great mystery of God made man; and the Holy Spirit will give your heart the humility, tenderness and goodness of Jesus. This is the true Christmas! May this be so for you and for your families.”<br />
<h2>
<b>Invitation to Joy</b></h2>
Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer, Pope Francis said the liturgy on this third Sunday of Advent invites us to be joyful. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are called to rejoice because the Lord has lifted his condemnation. The Pope continued, “consequently, there is no longer any reason for sadness or discouragement for the people, but everything leads to joyful gratitude to God, who always wants to redeem and save those he loves.”<br />
Delving into the readings of the day, the Pope noted that the appeal of the prophet Zephaniah who says, 'He will rejoice for you, he will renew you with his love, he will exult for you with cries of joy', "is particularly appropriate at this time as we prepare for Christmas”, because, the Pontiff added, “it applies to Jesus, the Emmanuel, the God who is with us: his presence is the source of joy.”<br />
Saint Paul, Pope Francis commented, “also exhorts us today not to be anxious for anything, but in every circumstance to present to God our requests, our needs, our concerns with prayers and supplications. The awareness that in difficulties we can always turn to the Lord, and that He never rejects our invocations, is a great reason for joy”, the Pope said. “No worry, no fear will ever be able to take away from us the serenity that comes from knowing that God guides our lives lovingly, always. Even in the midst of problems and suffering, this certainty nourishes hope and courage.”<br />
Pope Francis stressed this season of Advent is one of conversion, and in order to accept the Lord’s invitation to joy, he said, we need to be asking ourselves at this time “what should I do”</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 12/16/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Word</span></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - piety</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">pahy</span>-i-tee</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
<h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span></h4>
<div class="one-click-content css-1jci32p e1iz2gwk0">
<span class="luna-date">1275–1325;</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="middle">
Middle
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="english">
English
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="piete">
piete
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="<">
<
</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="middle">
Middle
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="french">
French
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="<">
<
</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="latin">
Latin
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="pietās">
pietās,
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="equivalent">
equivalent
</span> to <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="pius">
pi(us
</span></span>) + <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="-etās">
-etās,
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="variant">
variant
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="after">
(after
</span> <span class="italic">i</span>) of <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="-itās">
-itās;
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="see">
see
</span> pious, -ity</div>
<div class="one-click-content css-1jci32p e1iz2gwk0">
</div>
<div class="lr_dct_sf_h">
<i>noun</i></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="xpdxpnd vk_gy" data-mh="-1">
noun: <b>pious</b><br />
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<ol class="css-zw8qdz e1hk9ate4">
<li class="css-2oywg7 e1q3nk1v3" value="1"><span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="reverence">
reverence
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="for">
for
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="god">
God
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="devout">
devout
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="fulfillment">
fulfillment
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="religious">
religious
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="obligations">
obligations:
</span> <span class="luna-example italic">a <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="prayer">
prayer
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="full">
full
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="piety">
piety.
</span></span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e1q3nk1v3" value="2"><span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="the">
the
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="quality">
quality
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="state">
state
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="being">
being
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="pious">
pious:
</span> <span class="luna-example italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="saintly">
saintly
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="piety">
piety.
</span></span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e1q3nk1v3" value="3"><span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="dutiful">
dutiful
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="respect">
respect
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="regard">
regard
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="for">
for
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="parents">
parents,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="homeland">
homeland,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="etc">
etc.:
</span> <span class="luna-example italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="filial">
filial
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="piety">
piety.
</span></span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Zephaniah 3:14-18</h2>
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!<br />
15 Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear.<br />
16 When that Day comes, the message for Jerusalem will be: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.<br />
17 Yahweh your God is there with you, the warrior-Saviour. He will rejoice over you with happy song, he will renew you by his love, he will dance with shouts of joy for you,<br />
18 as on a day of festival. I have taken away your misfortune, no longer need you bear the disgrace of it.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6</h2>
2 Look, he is the God of my salvation: I shall have faith and not be afraid, for Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my salvation.'<br />
3 Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of salvation<br />
4 and, that day, you will say, 'Praise Yahweh, invoke his name. Proclaim his deeds to the people, declare his name sublime.<br />
5 Sing of Yahweh, for his works are majestic, make them known throughout the world.<br />
6 Cry and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, For the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.'<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Philippians 4:4-7</h2>
4 Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful.<br />
5 Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near.<br />
6 Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude,<br />
7 and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><i>Luke 3</i><i>:10-18</i></h2>
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<i>John the Baptist’s preaching <br />
in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom</i><i></i></div>
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<i> </i> <br />
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1. Opening prayer</h3>
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Come, Spirit Creator, enlighten our minds and fill the hearts You have created with Your grace. Be light to our intellect, ardent flame in our hearts; heal our wounds with the balsam of Your love. Light of eternal wisdom, reveal to us the mystery of God the Father and of the Son united in one single love. Amen.</div>
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2. The Gospel</h3>
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The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.</div>
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3. Mediatio</h3>
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<b>a) A key to the reading</b></div>
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An integral part of Luke’s Gospel message is the need for conversion: <i>metanoia</i>, that is, a change of mind to a way of thinking and acting that is divine. Very often we meet in Luke’s Gospel scenes where the mercy of God manifests itself in Jesus Christ towards the poor and humble of heart (Lk 1:46-55; 2:1-20; 5:12-31; 6:17-38). These scenes stand in contrast to the severe treatment reserved for the rich and proud whose heart is hard and closed to God and the needy neighbor (Lk 16:19-31; 17:1-3).</div>
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The text of this Sunday’s liturgy presents us with this theme. The passage, 3:10-18, is part of Luke’s presentation of John the Baptist’s preaching in preparation for the mystery of Jesus. John the Baptist proclaims the imminent coming of the day of the Lord: “Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming?” (Lk 3:7). The prophets had proclaimed the coming of this day of wrath and salvation, as also the coming of a messenger known as Elijah (Sir 48:11), who would prepare the way before the Lord (Mal 3:1-5). In Christian tradition, John the Baptist is the messenger who prepares for the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah: “someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am” (Lk 3:16). In fact, John’s ministry takes place at a time of great messianic expectations: “A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people” (Lk 3:15) and asks of the Baptist whether he is the Messiah. Later, this question is put to Jesus too (Lk 9:7-9, 18-21) who then reveals His identity in the implicit confirmation of the profession of faith made by Peter.</div>
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In verses 3:1-18 of Luke’s Gospel, we have everything concerning the ministry and mission of John the Baptist. He was sent to baptize as a sign of repentance and to preach the conversion that brings salvation: “produce the appropriate fruits” (Lk 3:7); “I baptize you with water” (Lk 3:16). Through his preaching, John “announced the good news” (Lk 3:18) that salvation was not only reserved for some of the elect but is offered to all, including publicans and soldiers (Lk 3:10-14), to all those who live and act justly and with charity. Jesus, in His turn, will further clarify this truth by His merciful attitude towards publicans, sinners and those marginalized (Lk 7:1-10, 36-50; 17:11-19; 18:9-14). In fact, the theme of salvation became tied to the coming of the Kingdom of God, which is in our midst (Lk 17:20-21) and implies social justice and equality among all people (Lk 3:10-14). Hence salvation is not just an abstract and personal quality but is real and collective. This salvation is offered to us by God in those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk 3:16b). “His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out” (Lk 3:17). Following the Gospel story, we see that several times Jesus will make similar references concerning the coming of the Kingdom through warnings and parables (Lk 13:1-5; 17:22-37). We can say that in looking at the ministry and mission of Jesus, Luke lets us see the perfecting of the proclamation and preaching of John. Here we may remember what Jesus said in the synagogue in Nazareth, “This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen” (Lk 4:21).</div>
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4. Contemplation</h3>
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<b>A few questions </b></div>
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to direct our meditation and practice.</div>
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a) The need for conversion: <i>metanoia</i>, that is, changing one’s imperfect way of thinking to the divine way of thinking and acting. Do I feel this need?</div>
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b) God’s mercy towards the poor and humble of heart manifests itself in Jesus Christ. Do I identify myself with these?</div>
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c) “A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people” (Lk 3:15). The early Christians anxiously awaited the second coming of the Lord: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come’ “ (Rev 22:17). Do I await the coming of the Lord, or am I so busy with material life that I am inordinately attached to all things passing?</div>
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d) In Christian tradition, John the Baptist is the messenger who prepares the people for the first coming of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. The Church has received the same mission of preparing the way of the Lord who will come: “I shall indeed be with you soon!” (Rev 22:20). What can I do to prepare for the second coming of the Lord?</div>
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e) Salvation is not reserved for a few elect but is offered to all, including those considered “unworthy” of the salvation of God. In Jesus’ time, those included among the “unworthy” were the publicans and pagans. Who are those frequently considered “unworthy” of salvation in our day?</div>
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f) The theme of salvation is closely related to the coming of the Kingdom of God and has social justice implications: “Now I am making the whole of creation new” (Rev 21: 5). What can I do to promote justice in a way that will affect the structures of social injustice?</div>
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5. Psalm 97 (96, 1-7, 10-12)</h3>
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The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice;<br />
let the many coastlands be glad!<br />
Clouds and thick darkness are round about Him; <br />
righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fire goes before Him, <br />
and burns up His adversaries round about. <br />
His lightnings light up the world;<br />
the earth sees and trembles. <br />
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, <br />
before the Lord of all the earth.<br />
The heavens proclaim His righteousness;<br />
and all the peoples behold His glory.</div>
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All worshipers of images are put to shame, <br />
who make their boast in worthless idols; <br />
all gods bow down before Him.</div>
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The Lord loves those who hate evil;<br />
He preserves the lives of His saints;<br />
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. <br />
Light dawns for the righteous, <br />
and joy for the upright in heart.<br />
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,<br />
and give thanks to His holy name! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fire goes before Him, <br />
and burns up His adversaries round about. <br />
His lightnings light up the world;<br />
the earth sees and trembles. <br />
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, <br />
before the Lord of all the earth.<br />
The heavens proclaim His righteousness;<br />
and all the peoples behold His glory.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All worshipers of images are put to shame, <br />
who make their boast in worthless idols; <br />
all gods bow down before Him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Lord loves those who hate evil;<br />
He preserves the lives of His saints;<br />
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. <br />
Light dawns for the righteous, <br />
and joy for the upright in heart.<br />
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,<br />
and give thanks to His holy name! </div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
6. Final Prayer</h3>
Word, splendor of the Father, in the fullness of time You came down from heaven to redeem the world. Your Gospel of peace frees us from every fault, pours out light into our minds and hope into our hearts. When, among the splendors of heaven, You will return as judge, welcome us to Your right hand in the assembly of the blessed. Praise be to Christ our Lord, to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.<br />
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</h3>
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span><span style="font-size: small;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saints of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;">St Lucy</span></span></b></h2>
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<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: December13<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>: <sup> </sup>blind; martyrs; Perugia, Italy; Mtarfa, Malta; epidemics; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
salesmen, Syracuse, Italy, throat infections, writers</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--oAcJUUsgTI/UMrIqMNZ0EI/AAAAAAAAGLY/eyOvAcKBl7A/s1600/250px-Saint_Lucy_by_Domenico_di_Pace_Beccafumi.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--oAcJUUsgTI/UMrIqMNZ0EI/AAAAAAAAGLY/eyOvAcKBl7A/s320/250px-Saint_Lucy_by_Domenico_di_Pace_Beccafumi.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Lucy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Saint Lucy</b> (283–304), also known as <i>Saint Lucia</i> or <i>Santa Lucia</i>,
was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by the
Roman Catholic Church, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her
feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from <i>Lux, Lucis</i>
meaning "Light", as she is the patron saint of those who are blind.
Saint Lucy is one of the few saints celebrated by members of the
Lutheran Church among the Scandinavian peoples, who take part in Saint
Lucy's Day celebrations that retain many elements of Germanic paganism.<br />
<br />
Saint
Lucy is one of seven women, aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary,
commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. Hagiography states that
Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Diocletian persecution. She
consecrated her virginity to God through pious works<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-newadvent.org_3-0">[3]</sup>
refused to marry a pagan betrothed, and had her wedding dowry
distributed to the poor. Her betrothed pagan groom denounced her as a
Christian to the governor of Syracuse, Sicily. Miraculously unable to
move her or burn her, the guards took out her eyes with a fork. In
another version, Lucy's betrothed admired her eyes, so she tore them out
and gave them to him, saying, "Now let me live to God".<br />
<br />
The oldest record of her story comes from the fifth-century accounts of saints' lives.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-newadvent.org_3-1">[3]</sup> By the 6th century, her story was widespread, so that she appears in the Sacramentary of Pope Gregory I.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> At the opening of the 8th century Aldhelm included a brief account of her life among the virgins praised in <i>De laude virginitatis</i>, and in the following century the Venerable Bede included her in his Martyrology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup>
In medieval accounts, Saint Lucy's eyes are gouged out prior to her
execution. In art, her eyes sometimes appear on a tray that she is
holding.<br />
<br />
Until 1861 relics of Saint Lucy were venerated
in a church dedicated to her in Venice; after its demolition, they were
transferred to the church of San Geremia. The Roman Catholic calendar
of saints formerly had a commemoration of
Saints Lucy and Geminianus on 16 September. This was removed in 1969,
as a duplication of the feast of her <i>dies natalis</i> on 13 December and because the Geminianus in question, mentioned in the <i>Passio</i> of Saint Lucy, seems to be a merely fictitious figure,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CR_2-1">[2]</sup> unrelated to the Geminianus whose feast is on 31 January.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Life_and_works">Life and works</span></h2>
Lucy's Latin name <i>Lucia</i> shares a root (<i>luc-</i>) with the Latin word for light, <i>lux</i>. "In 'Lucy' is said, the way of light" Jacobus de Voragine stated at the beginning of his <i>vita</i> of the Blessed Virgin Lucy, in <i>Legenda Aurea</i>, the most widely-read version of the Lucy legend in the Middle Ages.<br />
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 172px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Jacobello_del_Fiore_Santa_Luc%C3%ADa_en_el_sepulcro_de_Santa_Ag%C3%BCeda_PC_Fermo.jpg/170px-Jacobello_del_Fiore_Santa_Luc%C3%ADa_en_el_sepulcro_de_Santa_Ag%C3%BCeda_PC_Fermo.jpg" height="239" width="170" />
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<i>Eutychia and Lucy at the Tomb of Saint Agatha</i>, by Jacobello del Fiore</div>
</div>
</div>
Because people wanted to shed light on Lucy's bravery and fortitude, legends grew up, reported in the <i>acta</i>
that are associated with her name. All the details are conventional
ones also associated with other female martyrs of the early 4th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
Her Roman father died when she was young, leaving her and her mother
without a protecting guardian. Her mother, Eutychia, had suffered four
years with dysentery but Lucy had heard the renown of Saint Agatha, the
patroness of Catania, "and when they were at a Mass, one read a gospel
that made mention of a woman who was healed of the dysentery by touching
of the hem of the coat of Jesus Christ," which, according to the <i>Legenda Aurea</i>,
convinced her mother to pray together at Saint Agatha's tomb. They
stayed up all night praying, until they fell asleep, exhausted. Saint
Agatha appeared in a vision to Lucy and said, "Soon you shall be the
glory of Syracuse, as I am of Catania." At that instant Eutychia was
cured.<br />
<br />
Eutychia had arranged a marriage for Lucy with a
pagan bridegroom, but Lucy urged that the dowry be spent on alms so
that she might retain her virginity.
Euthychia suggested that the sums would make a good bequest, but Lucy
countered, "...whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you
give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Savior,
while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your
death."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeat_7-0">[7]</sup> News
that the patrimony and jewels were being distributed came to the ears of
Lucy's betrothed, who heard from a chattering nurse that Lucy had found
a nobler Bridegroom.<br />
<br />
Her rejected pagan bridegroom denounced Lucy as a Christian to the
magistrate Paschasius, who ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the
emperor's image. Lucy replied that she had given all that she had: "I
offer to Him myself, let Him do with His offering as it pleases Him."
Sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, Lucy asserted: <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Lotto%2C_pala_di_santa_lucia_00.jpg/220px-Lotto%2C_pala_di_santa_lucia_00.jpg" height="276" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<i>Lucy Before the Judge</i>, by Lorenzo Lotto, 1523-32</div>
</div>
</div>
The Christian tradition states that when the guards came to take her away they found her so filled with the Holy Spirit
that she was as stiff and heavy as a mountain; they could not move her
even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. Even after she had a
dagger through her throat, she prophesied against her persecutor.
Unfounded, and absent in the many narratives and traditions, at least
until the 15th century, is the story of Lucia tortured by eye-gouging.
The emblem of the eyes on the cup, or plate, must be linked simply to
popular devotion to her, as protector of sight, because of her name,
Lucia (from the Latin word "lux" which means "light").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup>
In paintings St. Lucy is frequently shown holding her eyes on a golden
plate. Lucy was represented in Gothic art holding a dish with two eyes
on it (<i>illustration above</i>). The legend concludes with God restoring Lucy's eyes.<br />
<br />
Dante also mentions Lucia in <i>Inferno</i> Canto II as the messenger "of all cruelty the foe" sent to Beatrice
from "The blessed Dame" (Divine Mercy), to rouse Beatrice to send
Virgil to Dante's aid. She has instructed Virgil to guide Dante through
Hell and Purgatory. Lucia is only referenced indirectly in Virgil's
discourse within the narrative and doesn't appear. According to Robert
Harrison, Professor in Italian Literature at Stanford University and
Rachel Jacoff, Professor of Italian Studies at Wellesley, Lucia's
appearance in this intermediary role is to reinforce the scene in which
Virgil attempts to fortify Dante's courage to begin the journey through
the Inferno.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup><br />
<br />
Lucy may also be seen as a figure of Illuminating Grace or Mercy or even Justice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dc_11-0">[11]</sup>
Nonetheless Dante obviously regarded Lucia with great reverence,
placing her opposite Adam within the Mystic Rose in Canto XXXII of the
Paradiso. In Mark Musa's translation of Dante's <i>Purgatorio</i>, it is noted
that Lucy was admired by an undesirable suitor for her beautiful eyes.
To stay chaste she plucked out her own eyes, a great sacrifice for which
God gave her a pair of even more beautiful eyes. It is said in Sweden
that to vividly celebrate St. Lucy's Day will help one live the long
winter days with enough light. Lucy's name also played a large part in naming Lucy as a patron saint
of the blind and those with eye-trouble. She was the patroness of
Syracuse in Sicily, Italy.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Relics">Relics</span></h3>
Sigebert (1030–1112), a monk of Gembloux, in his <i>sermo de Sancta Lucia</i>,
chronicled that her body lay undisturbed in Sicily for 400 years,
before Faroald II, Duke of Spole to, captured the island and transferred
the body to Corfinium in the Abruzzo, Italy. From there it was removed
by the Emperor Otho I in 972 to Metz and deposited in the church of St.
Vincent. It was from this shrine that an arm of the saint was taken to
the monastery of Luitburg in the Diocese of Speyer - an incident
celebrated by Sigebert himself in verse.<br />
<br />
The subsequent
history of the relics is not clear. On their capture of Constantinople
in 1204, the French found some relics attributed to Saint Lucy in the
city, and Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice, secured them for the monastery
of St. George at Venice. In 1513 the Venetians presented to Louis XII
of France the saint's head, which he deposited in the cathedral church
of Bourges.
Another account, however, states that the head was brought to Bourges
from Rome where it had been transferred during the time when the relics
rested in Corfinium. The remainder of the relics remain in Venice: they
were transferred to the church of San Geremia when the church of Santa
Lucia was demolished in the 19th century to make way for the new railway
terminus. A century later, on 7 November 1981, thieves stole all her
bones, except her head. Police recovered them five weeks later, on her
feast day. Other parts of the corpse have found their way to Rome,
Naples, Verona, Lisbon, Milan, as well as Germany and France.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Popular_celebration">Popular celebration</span></h3>
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 224px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Lucia-13.12.06.jpg/222px-Lucia-13.12.06.jpg" height="183" width="222" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Saint Lucia procession in Sweden.</div>
</div>
</div>
Her
brief day was commonly thought to be the shortest day of the year, as
can be seen in John Donne's poem, "A Nocturnal upon St. Lucie's Day,
being the shortest day"
(1627). The poem begins with: "'Tis the year's midnight, and it is the
day's," and expresses, in a mourning piece, the withdrawal of the
world-spirit into sterility and darkness, where "The world's whole sap
is sunk.".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
<br />
This
timing, and her name meaning light, is a factor in the particular
devotion to St. Lucy in Scandinavian countries, where young girls dress
as the saint in honor of the feast. A special devotion to St. Lucy is
present in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto,
Trentino-Alto Adige, in the North of the country, and Sicily, in the
South, as well as in Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia.<br />
<br />
The feast is a Catholic celebrated holiday with roots that can be
traced back to Sicily. On 13th of every December it is celebrated with
large traditional feasts of home made pasta and various other Italian
dishes, with a special dessert of wheat in hot chocolate milk. The large
grains of soft wheat are representative of her eyes and are a treat
only to be indulged in once a year.<br />
<br />
In Omaha, Nebraska, the Santa Lucia Festival is celebrated each
summer. It was founded in 1925 by Italian Immigrant Grazia Buonafede
Caniglia, and continues to this day. A statue of Saint Lucy is paraded
through the streets of downtown Omaha, along with a First class relic,
made of the physical body of Saint Lucy.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ol>
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">Traditional dates as given in <i>Catholic Encyclopedia,</i> <i>s.v.</i> "Lucy, Saint".</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-CR-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 139</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-newadvent.org-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09414a.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Noted by Blunt 1885.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09414a.htm; supplementing the fourteenth-century synthesis of legendary material in <i>Legenda Aurea</i>, Sigebert of Gembloux's mid-eleventh century <i>passio</i>, written to support a local cult of Lucy at Metz, is edited by Tino Licht, <i>Acta Sanctae Luciae</i> (Universitätsverlag Winter) 2007 along with a historicizing tractate and a sermon.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"We
know nothing of St. Lucy, as the sole authority for her story is her
fabulous 'Acts', a Christian romance similar to the 'Acts' of other
virgin martyrs", wrote John Henry Blunt (<i>The Annotated Book of Common Prayer</i>, [London] 885:176), adding "though probably based on facts".</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-skeat-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Ælfric's Lives of Saints". <i>(Walter
W. Skeat, ed., Early English Text Society, original series, vols. 76,
82, 94, 114 [London, 1881-1900], revised; as found at the University of Virginia's Old English resource pages)</i>. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 20 June 2007</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Tessa Paul. 'The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints.'</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Alban Butler. 'Lives of the Saints'</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Saint Lucy". Saint Lucy Catholic Church<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 12/05/2011</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-dc-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">See David H. Higgins' commentary in Dante, <i>The Divine Comedy,</i> trans. C.H. Sisson. NY: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-19-920960-X. P. 506.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Santa Lucia of the gondoliers brought home to Sicily", 17 December 2004.</span></li>
</ol>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
<br />
<br />
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Day: </b><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;">St John of the Cross</span></span></b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Feast Day</b>: December 14</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>: <sup> </sup>contemplative life; contemplatives; mystical theology; mystics; Spanish poets</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k42sBh_RlJw/UMtyBSZkSQI/AAAAAAAAGNg/EfAc92XsMKw/s1600/JuanCruzretrat.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k42sBh_RlJw/UMtyBSZkSQI/AAAAAAAAGNg/EfAc92XsMKw/s320/JuanCruzretrat.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John of the Cross, O.C.D.</b>,</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>John of the Cross, O.C.D.</b>, (<i>San Juan de la Cruz</i>) (1542<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup>
– 14 December 1591), was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation, a
Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite friar and priest, born
at Fontiveros, Old Castile.<br />
<br />
John of the Cross was a
reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered, along with Saint
Teresa of Ávila, as a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. He is also
known for his writings. Both his poetry and his studies on the growth of
the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature and
one of the peaks of all Spanish literature. He was canonized as a saint
in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. He is one of the thirty-five Doctors of
the Church.<br />
<br />
He was born <b>Juan de Yepes y Álvarez</b><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> into a Jewish converso family in Fontiveros, near Ávila, a town of around 2,000 people.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup>
His father, Gonzalo, was an accountant to richer relatives who were
silk merchants. However, when in 1529 he married John's mother,
Catalina, who was an orphan of a lower class, Gonzalo was rejected by
his family and forced to work with his wife as a weaver.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> John's father died in 1545, while John was still only around seven years old.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
Two years later, John's older brother Luis died, probably as a result
of insufficient nourishment caused by the penury to which John's family
had been reduced. After this, John's mother Catalina took John and his
surviving brother Francisco, and moved first in 1548 to Arevalo, and
then in 1551 to Medina del Campo, where she was able to find work weaving.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-0">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-impact_8-0">[8]</sup><br />
<br />
In Medina, John entered a school for around 160<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup>
poor children, usually orphans, receiving a basic education, mainly in
Christian doctrine, as well as some food, clothing, and lodging. While
studying there, he was chosen to serve as acolyte at a nearby monastery of Augustinian nuns.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-1">[7]</sup>
Growing up, John worked at a hospital and studied the humanities at a
Jesuit school from 1559 to 1563; the Society of Jesus was a new
organization at the time, having been founded only a few years earlier
by the Spaniard St. Ignatius Loyola. In 1563<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> he entered the Carmelite Order, adopting the name <b>John of St. Matthias</b>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-2">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
The following year (1564)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup> he professed his religious vows as a Carmelite and travelled to Salamanca,
where he studied theology and philosophy at the prestigious University
there (at the time one of the four biggest in Europe, alongside Paris,
Oxford and Bologna) and at the Colegio de San Andrés. Some modern
writers<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from October 2012">citation needed</span></i>]</sup>
claim that this stay would influence all his later writings, as Fray
Luis de León taught biblical studies (Exegesis, Hebrew and Aramaic)
at the University: León was one of the foremost experts in Biblical
Studies then and had written an important and controversial translation
of the Song of Songs into Spanish. (Translation of the Bible into the
vernacular was not allowed then in Spain.)<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Joining_the_Reform_of_Teresa_of_Jesus">Joining the Reform of Teresa of Jesus</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/S._Juan_de_la_Cruz_y_Santa_Teresa_.JPG/220px-S._Juan_de_la_Cruz_y_Santa_Teresa_.JPG" height="175" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Statues representing John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, in Beas de Segura</div>
</div>
</div>
John
was ordained a priest in 1567, and then indicated his intent to join
the strict Carthusian Order, which appealed to him because of its
encouragement of solitary and silent contemplation. A journey from
Salamanca to Medina del Campo, probably in September 1567, changed this.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup>
In Medina he met the charismatic Carmelite nun, Teresa of Jesus. She
was in Medina to found the second of her convents for women.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup>
She immediately talked to him about her reformation projects for the
Order: she was seeking to restore the purity of the Carmelite Order by
restarting observance of its "Primitive Rule" of 1209, observance of
which had been relaxed by Pope Eugene IV in 1432.<br />
<br />
Under this Rule, much of the day and night was to be spent in the recitation of the choir offices,
study and devotional reading, the celebration of Mass and times of
solitude. For the friars, time was to be spent evangelizing the
population around the monastery.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup>
Total abstinence from meat and lengthy fasting was to be observed from
the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14) until Easter.
There were to be long periods of silence, especially between Compline
and Prime. Coarser, shorter habits, more simple than those worn since
1432, were to be worn.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> They were to follow the injunction
against the wearing of shoes (also mitigated in 1432). It was from this
last observance that the followers of Teresa among the Carmelites were
becoming known as "discalced", i.e., barefoot, differentiating
themselves from the non-reformed friars and nuns.<br />
<br />
Teresa asked John to delay his entry into the Carthusians and to
follow her. Having spent a final year studying in Salamanca, in August
1568 John traveled with Teresa from Medina to Valladolid, where Teresa
intended to found another monastery of nuns. Having spent some time with
Teresa in Valladolid, learning more about this new form of Carmelite
life, in October 1568, accompanied by Friar Antonio de Jesús de Heredia,
John left Valladolid to found a new monastery for friars, the first for
men following Teresa's principles. The were given the use of a derelict
house at Duruelo (midway between Avila and Salamanca), which had been donated to Teresa. On 28 November 1568, the monastery,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup> was established, and on that same day John changed his name to <b>John of the Cross</b>.<br />
<br />
Soon
after, in June 1570, the friars found the house at Duruelo too small,
and so moved to the nearby town of Mancera de Abajo. After moving on
from this community, John set up a new community at Pastrana (October
1570), and a community at Alcalá de Henares, which was to be a house of
studies for the academic training of the friars. In 1572<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup>
he arrived in Avila, at the invitation of Teresa, who had been
appointed prioress of the Monastery of the Visitation there in 1571.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-French_Wikipedia_18-0">[18]</sup>
John become the spiritual director and confessor for Teresa and the
other 130 nuns there, as well for as a wide range of laypeople in the
city.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-3">[7]</sup> In 1574, John accompanied Teresa in the foundation of a new monastery in Segovia,
returning to Avila after staying there a week. Beyond this, though,
John seems to have remained in Avila between 1572 and 1577.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup><br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/John_of_the_Cross_crucifixion_sketch.jpg/220px-John_of_the_Cross_crucifixion_sketch.jpg" height="263" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Drawing of the crucifixion, by John of the Cross, which inspired Salvador Dali</div>
</div>
</div>
One
day at some point between 1574 and 1577, while praying in the
monastery of the Incarnation in Ávila, in a loft overlooking the
sanctuary, John had a vision of the crucified Christ, which led him to
create his famous drawing of Christ "from above." In 1641 this drawing
was placed in a small monstrance, and kept in Avila. This drawing
inspired the artist Salvador Dali's 1951 work, Christ of Saint John of
the Cross.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_height_of_Carmelite_tensions">The height of Carmelite tensions</span></h3>
The years 1575-77, however, saw a great increase in the tensions
among the Spanish Carmelite friars over the reforms of Teresa and John.
Since 1566 the reforms had been overseen by Canonical Visitors from the Dominican Order,
with one appointed to Castile and a second to Andalusia. These Visitors
had substantial powers: they could move the members of religious
communities from house to house and even province to province. They could assist religious superiors
in their office, and could depute other superiors from either the
Dominicans or Carmelites. In Castile, the Visitor was Pedro Fernández,
who prudently balanced the interests of the Discalced Carmelites against
those of the friars and nuns who did not desire reform.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup><br />
<br />
In
Andalusia to the south, however, where the Visitor was Francisco
Vargas, tensions rose due to his clear preference for the Discalced
friars. Vargas asked them to make foundations in various cities, in
explicit contradiction of orders from the Carmelite Prior General
against their expansion in Andalusia. As a result, a General Chapter of
the Carmelite Order was convened at Piacenza
in Italy in May 1575, out of concern that events in Spain were getting
out of hand, which concluded by ordering the total suppression of the
Discalced houses.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-4">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
This
measure was not immediately enforced. For one thing, King Philip II of
Spain
was supportive of some of Teresa’s reforms, and so was not immediately
willing to grant the necessary permission to enforce this ordinance.
Moreover the Discalced friars also found support from the papal nuncio
to King Philip II, Nicolò Ormanetto, Bishop of Padua,
who still had ultimate power as nuncio to visit and reform religious
Orders. When asked by the Discalced friars to intervene, Ormanetto
replaced Vargas as Visitor of the Carmelites in Andalusia (where the
troubles had begun) with Jerónimo Gracián, a priest from the University
of Alcalá, who was in fact a Discalced Carmelite friar himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-5">[7]</sup>
The nuncio's protection helped John himself avoid problems for a time.
In January 1576 John was arrested in Medina del Campo by some Carmelite
friars. However, through the nuncio's intervention, John was soon
released.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-6">[7]</sup>
When Ormanetto died on 18 June 1577, however, John was left without
protection, and the friars opposing his reforms gained the upper hand.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Imprisonment.2C_writings.2C_torture.2C_death_and_recognition">Imprisonment, writings, torture, death and recognition</span></h3>
On the night of 2 December 1577, a group of Carmelites opposed to
reform broke into John’s dwelling in Avila, and took him prisoner.<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/El_Greco_-_View_of_Toledo_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/220px-El_Greco_-_View_of_Toledo_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" height="246" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
El Greco's landscape of Toledo depicts the Priory in which John was held
captive, just below the old Muslim Alcazar and perched on the banks of
the Tajo on high cliffs</div>
</div>
</div>
John had received an order from some of his superiors, opposed to
reform, ordering him to leave Avila and return to his original house,
but John had refused on the basis that his reform work had been approved
by the Spanish Nuncio, a higher authority than these superiors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ascent_21-0">[21]</sup>
The Carmelites therefore took John captive. John was taken from Avila
to the Carmelite monastery in Toledo, at that time the Order's most
important monastery in Castile, where perhaps 40 friars lived.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup>
John was brought before a court of friars, accused of disobeying the
ordinances of Piacenza. Despite John's argument that he had not
disobeyed the ordinances, he received a punishment of imprisonment. He
was jailed in the monastery, where he was kept under a brutal regimen
that included public lashing before the community at least weekly, and
severe isolation in a tiny stifling cell measuring ten feet by six feet,
barely large enough for his body. Except when rarely permitted an oil
lamp, he had to stand on a bench to read his breviary by the light
through the hole into the adjoining room. He had no change of clothing
and a penitential diet of water, bread and scraps of salt fish.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup> During this imprisonment, he composed a great part of his most famous poem <i>Spiritual Canticle</i>, as well as a few shorter poems. The paper was passed to him by the friar who guarded his cell.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup>
He managed to escape nine months later, on 15 August 1578, through a
small window in a room adjoining his cell. (He had managed to pry the
cell door off its hinges earlier that day).<br />
<br />
After being nursed back to health, first with Teresa's nuns in Toledo, and then during six weeks at the Hospital of Santa Cruz,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup>
John continued with reform. In October 1578 he joined a meeting at
Almodovar del Campo of the supporters of reform, increasingly known as
the Discalced Carmelites.
There, in part as a result of the opposition faced from other
Carmelites in recent years, they decided to demand from the Pope their
formal separation from the rest of the Carmelite Order.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-7">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
At this meeting John was appointed superior of El Calvario, an
isolated monastery of around thirty friars in the mountains about 6
miles away<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup> from Beas in Andalucia. During this time he befriended the nun Ana de Jesús,
superior of the Discalced nuns at Beas, through his visits every
Saturday to the town. While at El Calvario he composed his first version
of his commentary on his poem, <i>The Spiritual Canticle</i>, perhaps at the request of the nuns in Beas.<br />
<br />
In 1579 he moved to Baeza, a town of around 50,000 people, to serve as rector
of a new college, the Colegio de San Basilio, to support the studies of
Discalced friars in Andalucia. This opened on 13 June 1579, and he
remained there until 1582, spending much of his time as a spiritual
director for the friars and townspeople.<br />
<br />
1580 was an
important year in the resolution of the disputes within the Carmelites.
On 22 June, Pope Gregory XIII signed a decree, titled <i>Pia Consideratione</i>,
which authorised a separation between the Calced and Discalced
Carmelites. The Dominican friar, Juan Velázquez de las Cuevas, was
appointed to carry out the decisions. At the first General Chapter of
the Discalced Carmelites, in Alcalá de Henares
on 3 March 1581, John of the Cross was elected one of the ‘Definitors’
of the community, and wrote a set of constitutions for them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jean_de_la_Croix_28-0">[28]</sup>
By the time of the Provincial Chapter at Alcalá in 1581, there were 22
houses, some 300 friars and 200 nuns in the Discalced Carmelites.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Sepulcro-de-san-juan-de-la-cruz-02.jpg/220px-Sepulcro-de-san-juan-de-la-cruz-02.jpg" height="329" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Saint John of the Cross' shrine and reliquary, Convent of Carmelite Friars, Segovia</div>
</div>
</div>
In November 1581 John was sent by Teresa to help Ana de Jesus in
founding a convent in Granada. Arriving in January 1582, she set up a
monastery of nuns, while John stayed in the friars' monastery of Los
Martires, beside the Alhambra, becoming its prior in March 1582.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup> While here, he learned of the death of Teresa in October of that year.<br />
<br />
In February 1585, John travelled to Malaga and established a
monastery of Discalced nuns there. In May 1585, at the General Chapter
of the Discalced Carmelites in Lisbon, John was elected Provincial Vicar
of Andalusia, a post which required him to travel frequently, making
annual visitations of the houses of friars and nuns in Andalusia. During
this time he founded seven new monasteries in the region, and is
estimated to have travelled around 25,000 km.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
In June 1588, he was elected third Councillor to the Vicar General
for the Discalced Carmelites, Father Nicolas Doria. To fulfill this
role, he had to return to Segovia in Castile, where in this capacity he
was also prior of the monastery. After disagreeing in 1590-1 with<br />
some
of Doria's remodeling of the leadership of the Discalced Carmelite
Order, though, John was removed from his post in Segovia, and sent by
Doria in June 1591 to an isolated monastery in Andalusia called La
Peñuela. There he fell ill, and traveled to the monastery at Úbeda for
treatment. His condition worsened, however, and he died there on 14
December 1591, of erysipelas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-8">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/JohnCrossRelicsUbeda.jpg/220px-JohnCrossRelicsUbeda.jpg" height="147" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Reliquary of John of the Cross in Úbeda, Spain</div>
</div>
</div>
The morning after John’s death, huge numbers of the townspeople of
Úbeda entered the monastery to view John’s body; in the crush, many were
able to take home parts of his habit. He was initially buried at Úbeda,
but, at the request of the monastery in Segovia, his body was secretly
moved there in 1593. The people of Úbeda, however, unhappy at this
change, sent representative to petition the pope to move the body back
to its original resting place. Pope Clement VIII, impressed by the
petition, issued a Brief on 15 October 1596 ordering the return of the
body to Ubeda. Eventually, in a compromise, the superiors of the
Discalced Carmelites decided that the monastery at Úbeda would receive
one leg and one arm of the corpse from Segovia (the monastery at Úbeda
had already kept one leg in 1593, and the other arm had been removed as
the corpse passed through Madrid in 1593, to form a relic there). A hand
and a leg remain visible in a reliquary at the Oratory of San Juan de
la Cruz in Úbeda, a monastery built in 1627 though connected to the
original Discalced monastery in the town founded in 1587.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Richard_P_Hardy_1982_pp113-130_32-0">[32]</sup><br />
<br />
The head and torso was retained by the monastery at Segovia. There,
they were venerated until 1647, when on orders from Rome designed to
prevent the veneration of remains without official approval, the remains
were buried in the ground. In the 1930s they were disinterred, and now
sit in a side chapel in a marble case above a special altar built in
that decade.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Richard_P_Hardy_1982_pp113-130_32-1">[32]</sup><br />
<br />
Proceedings
to beatify John began with the gathering of information on his life
between 1614 and 1616, although he was only beatified in 1675 by Pope
Clement X, and was canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. When his feast
day was added to the General Roman Calendar in 1738, it was assigned to
24 November, since his date of death was impeded by the then-existing
octave of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup> This obstacle was removed in 1955 and in 1969 Pope Paul VI moved it to the <i>dies natalis</i> (birthday to heaven) of the saint, 14 December.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34]</sup>
The Church of England commemorates him as a "Teacher of the Faith" on
the same date. In 1926, he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope
Pius XI.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Editions_of_his_works">Editions of his works</span></h2>
His writings were first published in 1618 by Diego de Salablanca. The
numerical divisions in the work, still used by modern editions of the
text, were introduced by Salablanca (they were not in John's original
writings), in order to help make the work more manageable for the
reader.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-9">[7]</sup>
This edition does not contain the ‘’Spiritual Canticle’’, however, and
also omits or adapts certain passages, perhaps for fear of falling foul
of the Inquisition.<br />
<br />
The ‘’Spiritual Canticle’’ was first included in the 1630 edition,
produced by Fray Jeronimo de San Jose, at Madrid. This edition was
largely followed by later editors, although editions in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries gradually included a few more poems and
letters.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[35]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Literary_works">Literary works</span></h2>
St.
John of the Cross is considered one of the foremost poets in the
Spanish language. Although his complete poems add up to fewer than 2500
verses, two of them—the <i>Spiritual Canticle</i> and <i>The Dark Night of the Soul</i> are widely considered masterpieces of Spanish poetry, both for their formal stylistic point of view and their rich symbolism
and imagery. His theological works often consist of commentaries on
these poems. All the works were written between 1578 and his death in
1591, meaning there is great consistency in the views presented in them.<br />
<br />
The poem <i>The</i> <i>Spiritual Canticle</i>, is an eclogue in which the bride (representing the soul) searches for the bridegroom (representing Jesus Christ),
and is anxious at having lost him; both are filled with joy upon
reuniting. It can be seen as a free-form Spanish version of the Song of Songs
at a time when translations of the Bible into the vernacular were
forbidden. The first 31 stanzas of the poem were composed in 1578 while
John was imprisoned in Toledo. It was read after his escape by the nuns
at Beas, who made copies of these stanzas. Over the following years,
John added some extra stanzas. Today, two versions exist: one with 39
stanzas and one with 40, although with some of the stanzas ordered
differently. The first redaction of the commentary on the poem was
written in 1584, at the request of Madre Ana de Jesus, when she was
prioress of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Granada. A second redaction,
which contains more detail, was written in 1585-6.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-10">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<i>The Dark Night</i> (from which the spiritual term takes its name) narrates the journey of the soul from her bodily home to her union with God.
It happens during the night, which represents the hardships and
difficulties she meets in detachment from the world and reaching the
light of the union with the Creator. There are several steps in this
night, which are related in successive stanzas. The main idea of the
poem can be seen as the painful experience that people endure as they
seek to grow in spiritual maturity and union with God. The poem of this
title was likely written in 1578 or 1579. In 1584-5, John wrote a
commentary on the first two stanzas and first line of the third stanza
of the poem.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-11">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<i>The</i> <i>Ascent of Mount Carmel</i> is a more systematic study of the ascetical endeavour of a soul looking for perfect union, God, and the mystical
events happening along the way. Although it begins as a commentary on
the poem ‘’The Dark Night’’, it rapidly drops this format, having
commented on the first two stanzas of the poem, and becomes a treatise.
It was composed sometime between 1581 and 1585.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-12">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
A four stanza work, <i>Living Flame of Love</i>
describes a greater intimacy, as the soul responds to God's love. It
was written in a first redaction at Granada between 1585-6, apparently
in two weeks,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kavanaugh_7-13">[7]</sup> and in a mostly identical second redaction at La Penuela in 1591.<br />
<br />
These, together with his <i>Dichos de Luz y Amor</i>,
or "Sayings of Light and Love," and St. Teresa's
writings, are the most important mystical works in Spanish, and have
deeply influenced later spiritual writers all around the world. Among
these can be named T. S. Eliot, Thérèse de Lisieux, Edith Stein (Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross), and Thomas Merton. John has also influenced
philosophers (Jacques Maritain), theologians (Hans Urs von Balthasar),
pacifists (Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, and Philip Berrigan) and
artists (Salvador Dalí). Pope John Paul II wrote his theological
dissertation on the mystical theology of Saint John of the Cross.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The
day is unknown. The parish registers were destroyed by a fire in 1546,
and the only serious evidence is an inscription on the font in the
church, dated 1689. Midsummer Day is sometimes cited as the date of
John’s birth, but since this is also the Feast of St John the Baptist,
this may simply be conjecture. See E Allison Peers, <i>Spirit of Flame: A Study of St John of the Cross</i>, (London: SCM Press, 1943), p11</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Rodriguez, Jose Vincente, Biographical Narrative. <i>God Speaks in the Night. The Life, Times, and Teaching of St. John of the Cross</i>, Washington D.C.: ICS Publications, 1991, p. 3</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>, London: SPCK, 2002, p27. A statue of John was erected in Fontiveros in 1928.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Norman Roth, <i>Conversos, Inquisition, and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain</i>, Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1995, pp. 157, 369</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Desmond Tillyer, <i>Union with God: The Teaching of St John of the Cross</i>, London & Oxford: Mowbray, 1984, p4</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Gerald Brenan, <i>St John of the Cross: His Life and Poetry</i>, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973), p4</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Kavanaugh-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>l</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>m</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>n</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Kavanaugh, Kieran (1991). "General Introduction: Biographical Sketch". In Kieran Kavanaugh. <i>The Collected Works of St John of the Cross</i>. Washington: ICS Publications. pp. 9–27. ISBN 0-935216-14-6.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-impact-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Matthew, Iain (1995). <i>The Impact of God, Soundings from St John of the Cross.</i>. Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 3. ISBN 0-340-61257-6.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>, London: SPCK, 2002, p31</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Kavanaugh
(1991) names the date as 24 February. However, E Allison Peers (1943),
p13, points out that although this, the Feast of St Matthias, is often
assumed to be the date, Father Silverio postulates a date in August or
September.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">At some point between 21 May and October. See E Allison Peers, <i>Spirit of Flame: A Study of St John of the Cross</i>, (London: SCM Press, 1943), p13</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">E Allison Peers (1943, p16) suggests that the journey was in order to visit a nearby Carthusian monastery; Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), p24, argues that the reason was for John to say his first mass</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">E Allison Peers, <i>Spirit of Flame: A Study of St John of the Cross</i>, (London: SCM Press, 1943), p16</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Desmond Tillyer, <i>Union with God: The Teaching of St John of the Cross</i>, (London & Oxford: Mowbray, 1984), p.8</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), p27</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The monastery may have contained three men, according to E Allison Peers (1943), p27, or five, according to Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), p35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The month generally given is May. E Allison Peers, <i>Complete Works</i>
Vol I (1943, xxvi), agreeing with P Silverio, thinks it must have been
substantially later than this, though certainly before 27 September.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-French_Wikipedia-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://translate.google.com/translate?&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffr.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FJean+de+la+Croix&sl=fr&tl=en</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), p56</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">He
is possibly the same Pedro Fernández who became the Bishop of Avila in
1581. It was he who appointed Teresa in 1571 as prioress in Avila, but
who also enjoyed good relations with the Carmelite Prior Provincial of
Castile.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ascent-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Bennedict
Zimmermann. "Ascent of Mt Carmel , introductory essay THE DEVELOPMENT
OF MYSTICISM IN THE CARMELITE ORDER". Thomas Baker and Internet Archive<span class="printonly">. http://www.archive.org/details/ascentofmountcar00johnuoft</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2009-12-11</span>.</span> |pages = 10,11</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>,
(London: SPCK, 2002), p.48. Thompson points out that many earlier
biographers have stated the number of friars at Toledo to be 80, but
this is simply taken from Crisigono's Spanish biography. Alain Cugno
(1982) gives the number of friars as 800. However, a document shows that
in 1576, 42 friars belonged to the house, with only just over half of
them resident, the remainder being absent for various reasons. This is
developed in J Carlos Vuzeute Mendoza, ‘La prisión de San Juan de la
Cruz: El convent del Carmen de Toledo en 1577 y 1578’, A García Simón,
ed, <i>Actas del congreso internacional sanjuanista</i>, 3 vols, (Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León, 1993) II, pp427-436</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Tyler, <i>St John of the Cross</i>,
(New York: Continuum, 2000), p.28. The reference to the El Greco
painting is also taken from here. The Priory no longer exists, having
been destroyed in 1936 - it is now the Toledo Municipal car park.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Desmond Tillyer, <i>Union with God: The Teaching of St John of the Cross</i>, (London & Oxford: Mowbray, 1984), p.10</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Dark night of the soul</i>. Translation by Mirabai Starr. ISBN 1-57322-974-1 p.8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Tyler, <i>St John of the Cross</i>, (New York: Continuum, 2000), p.33. The Hospital still exists, and is today a municipal art gallery in Toledo.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>, London: SPCK, 2002, p117</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Jean_de_la_Croix-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Jean de la Croix"<span class="printonly">. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_la_Croix</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-13</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>, London: SPCK, 2002, p119</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), p90</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CP Thompson, <i>St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night</i>,
London: SPCK, 2002, p122. This would have been largely by foot or by
mule, given the strict rules which governed the way in which Discalced
friars were permitted to travel.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Richard_P_Hardy_1982_pp113-130-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard P Hardy, <i>The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing</i>, (London: DLT, 1982), pp113-130</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 110</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 146</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Complete Works of Saint John of the Cross</i>.
Translated and edited by E Allison Peers, from the critical edition of
Silverio de Santa Teresa. 3 vols, (Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1943).
Vol I, pp.l-lxxvi</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
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<span style="color: #660000;"> <span dir="auto"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span></span></span> <b><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;">Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe </span></span></b></h2>
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<br />
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: December 12<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: <sup> </sup>Patroness of the Americas and Protectress of Unborn children<sup><br /></sup><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt0vgu1zB2U/UMkI3KbdX4I/AAAAAAAAGJg/6maH-KqFft0/s1600/Virgen_de_guadalupe1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt0vgu1zB2U/UMkI3KbdX4I/AAAAAAAAGJg/6maH-KqFft0/s320/Virgen_de_guadalupe1.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Guadalupe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our Lady of Guadalupe gave the following message to Saint Juan Diego in
1531: "Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor
any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are
you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily
within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by
anything." <b>(Words of Our Lady to Juan Diego)</b><br />
<br />
<b>Our Lady of Guadalupe</b> (Spanish: <span lang="es"><i>Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe</i></span>), also known as the <b>Virgin of Guadalupe</b> (Spanish: <span lang="es"><i>Virgen de Guadalupe</i></span>) is a celebrated Roman Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.<br />
<br />
Two
accounts, published in the 1640s, one in Spanish, one in Nahuatl, tell
how, while walking from his village to Mexico City in the early morning
of December 9, 1531 (then the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the
Spanish Empire),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CathE_1-0">[1]</sup>
the peasant Juan Diego saw on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac a
vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age, surrounded by
light. Speaking to him in Nahuatl,
the local language, she asked that a church be built at that site, in
her honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the Lady as the Virgin
Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop, Fray Juan de
Zumárraga,
who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the lady for a
miraculous sign to prove her identity. The Virgin told Juan Diego to
gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. Although December was very
late in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found at the
usually barren hilltop Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, which the
Virgin arranged in his peasant <i>tilma</i>
cloak. When Juan Diego opened the cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on
December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the
image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup><br />
<br />
The icon is now displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most visited Marian shrines.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> The icon is Mexico’s most popular religious and cultural image, bearing the titles: the <i>Queen of Mexico</i>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> and was once proclaimed <i>Patroness of the Philippines</i> (but later revised) by Pope Pius XI in 1935. In 1999, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Virgin Mary <i>Patroness of the Americas</i>, <i>Empress of Latin America</i>, and <i>Protectress of Unborn Children</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mariologia.org_5-0">[5]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup> under this Marian title.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Name">Name</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 177px;">
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/El_Rostro_de_la_Virgen.jpg/175px-El_Rostro_de_la_Virgen.jpg" height="194" width="175" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
In the earliest account of the apparition, the Nican Mopohua, written in the Nahuatl language around 1556,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup>
the Virgin Mary tells Juan Bernadino, the uncle of Juan Diego, that the
image left on the tilma is to be known by the name "the Perfect Virgin,
Holy Mary of Guadalupe."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup><br />
<br />
Yet, there is no consensus among scholars today concerning how the name "Guadalupe" was ascribed to the image.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Chavez_Eduardo_2009.2C_p._205_10-0">[10]</sup>
The various theories can be grouped into two major camps. The first is
that the Spanish misunderstood a Nahuatl name. The second is that the
Spanish name "Guadalupe", like the Spanish Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Extremadura, is the original name.<br />
<br />
The first theory to promote a Nahuatl origin was that of Luis Becerra Tanco."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Chavez_Eduardo_2009.2C_p._205_10-1">[10]</sup> In his 1675 work <i>Felicidad de Mexico</i>,
Becerra Tanco claimed that Juan Bernardino and Juan Diego would not
have been able to understand the name Guadalupe because the "d" and "g"
sounds do not exist in Nahuatl. He proposed two Nahuatl alternative
names that sound similar to "Guadalupe", <i>Tecuatlanopeuh</i> <span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[tekʷat͡ɬa'nopeʍ]</span>, "she whose origins were in the rocky summit", and <i>Tecuantlaxopeuh</i> <span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[tekʷant͡ɬa'ʃopeʍ]</span>, "she who banishes those who devoured us."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Chavez_Eduardo_2009.2C_p._205_10-2">[10]</sup><br />
<br />
It has also been suggested that the name is a Spanish version of the Nahuatl term, <i>Coātlaxopeuh</i> <span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[koaːt͡ɬa'ʃopeʍ]</span>, meaning “the one who crushes the serpent” and that it may be referring to the feathered serpent Quetzacoatl.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup><br />
<br />
The theory promoting the Spanish language origin of the name claims that:<br />
<ul>
<li>Juan Diego and Juan Bernardino would have been familiar with the
Spanish language "g" and "d" sounds since their baptismal names contain
those sounds.</li>
<li>The lack of evidence of any other name for the Virgin during the
almost 144 years between the apparition in 1531 and Becerra Tanco's
proposal in 1675, supports the Spanish "Guadalupe" as the original.</li>
<li>Documents written by contemporary Spaniards and Franciscan Friars
arguing for the name to be changed to a native name such as "Tepeaca" or
"Tepeaquilla" would not make sense if there was already an original
Nahuatl name, suggesting the Spanish "Guadalupe" was the original.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
Following the Spanish Conquest in 1519–21, a temple of the mother-goddess Tonantzin at Tepeyac
outside Mexico City, was destroyed and a chapel dedicated to the Virgin
built on the site. Newly converted Indians continued to come from afar
to worship there. The object of their worship, however, was equivocal,
as they continued to address the Virgin Mary as Tonantzin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
<br />
The first record of the painting's existence was in 1556, when
Archbishop Alonso de Montufar, a Dominican, preached a sermon commending
popular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, in regards to a painting in
the chapel at Tepeyac, where certain miracles had lately been performed.
Days later he was answered by Francisco de Bustamante, head of the
Colony's Franciscans and guardians of the chapel at Tepeyac, who
delivered a sermon before the Viceroy expressing his concern that the
Archbishop was promoting a superstitious regard for a painting by a
native artist, Marcos Cipac de Aquino:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
The devotion that has been growing in a chapel dedicated to Our Lady,
called of Guadalupe, in this city is greatly harmful for the natives,
because it makes them believe that the image painted by Marcos the
Indian is in any way miraculous.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-poole_14-0">[14]</sup></blockquote>
<br />
The next day Archbishop Montufar opened an inquiry. The Franciscans
repeated their claim that the image encouraged idolatry and
superstition, and testified that it was painted by "Marcos the Indian."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-poole_14-1">[14]</sup>
Appearing before the Dominicans, who favored allowing the Aztecs to
venerate the Guadalupe, was the Archbishop himself. The matter ended
with the Franciscans deprived of custody of the shrine<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> and the tilma mounted and displayed within a much enlarged church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeptoid.com_16-0">[16]</sup><br />
<br />
The first extended account of the image and the apparition is in <i>Imagen de la Virgen Maria, Madre de Dios de Guadalupe</i>, a guide to the cult for Spanish-speakers published in 1648 by Miguel Sanchez, a diocesan priest of Mexico City.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> A 36-page tract in Nahuatl language, <i>Huei tlamahuiçoltica</i>
("The Great Event"), was published in 1649 by Luis Lasso de la Vega,
which has close affinity with Sánchez's narrative. This tract contains <i>Nican mopohua</i>
("Here it is recounted"), a text about the Virgin which contains the
story of the apparition and the supernatural origin of the image, plus
two other sections, <i>Nican motecpana</i> ("Here is an ordered account"), describing fourteen miracles connected with Our Lady of Guadalupe, and <i>Nican tlantica</i> ("Here ends"), an account of the Virgin in New Spain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Juan_Diego">Juan Diego</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Eternal_father_painting_guadalupe.jpg/220px-Eternal_father_painting_guadalupe.jpg" height="302" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eighteenth-century painting of God the Father fashioning the image.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
The growing fame of the image led to a parallel interest in Juan
Diego. In 1666 the Church, with the aim of establishing a feast day in
his name, began gathering information from people who reported having
known him, and in 1723 a formal investigation into his life was ordered,
and much information was gathered. In 1987, under Pope John Paul II,
who took a special interest in saints and in non-European Catholics, the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints declared him "venerable", and on
May 6, 1990, he was beatified by the Pope himself during Mass at the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, being declared
“protector and advocate of the indigenous peoples," with December 9 as
his feast day.<br />
<br />
At this point historians and theologians
began to question the
quality of the evidence regarding Juan Diego. There is no mention of him
or his miraculous vision in the writings of bishop Zumárraga, into
whose hands he delivered the miraculous image, nor in the record of the
ecclesiastical inquiry of 1556, which omits him entirely, nor anywhere
else before the mid-17th century. Doubts as to his reality were not new:
in 1883 Joaquín García Icazbalceta, historian and biographer of
Zumárraga, in a confidential report on the Lady of Guadalupe for Bishop
Labastida, was very hesitant to support the story of the apparition and
stated his conclusion that there was never such a person.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup>
Neither were they welcome: as recently as 1996 the 83 year old abbot of
the Basilica of Guadalupe, Guillermo Schulenburg, was forced to resign
following an interview with the Catholic magazine <i>Ixthus,</i> when he said that Juan Diego was "a symbol, not a reality."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup><br />
<br />
In 1995, with progress towards sanctification at a stand-still,
Father Xavier Escalada, a Jesuit writing an encyclopedia of the
Guadalupan legend, produced a deer skin codex, (Codex Escalada),
illustrating the apparition and the life and death of Juan Diego.
Although the very existence of this important document had been
previously unknown, it bore the date 1548, placing it within the
lifetime of those who had known Juan Diego, and bore the signatures of
two trustworthy 16th century scholar-priests, Antonio Valeriano and Bernardino de Sahagún, thus verifying its contents.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup>
Some scholars remained unconvinced, describing the discovery of the
Codex as "rather like finding a picture of St. Paul's vision of Christ
on the road to Damascus, drawn by St. Luke and signed by St. Peter",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brading_22-0">[22]</sup> but Diego was declared a saint, with the name of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, in 2002.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Technical_analyses">Technical analyses</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 252px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe.JPG/250px-Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe.JPG" height="333" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original <i>Tilma</i> of Saint Juan Diego which hangs above the
altar of the Guadalupe Basilica, Mexico City. It is encased in
bulletproof glass in a low-oxygen atmosphere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Neither the fabric ("the support") nor the image (together, "the
tilma") has ever been analyzed using the full range of scientific
resources available to museum conservationists. Nevertheless, four
technical studies were conducted between 1751–2 and 1982. Of these, the
findings of three have been published. All were commissioned by the
authorized custodians of the tilma in the Basilica, and in every case
the investigators had direct and unobstructed access to it.<br />
<br />
Studies conducted between 1751–2 and 1982:<br />
<dl><dd>MC
– in 1756 a prominent artist, Miguel Cabrera, published a report
entitled "Maravilla Americana" containing the findings made by himself
and six other painters in 1751 and 1752 from ocular and manual
inspection.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>G –
José Antonio Flores Gómez, an art restorer, discussed in a 2002
interview with the Mexican journal Proceso (magazine) certain technical
issues relative to the tilma, on which he had worked in 1947 and 1973.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>PC –
in 1979 Philip Callahan, biophysicist and USDA entomologist,
specializing in Infrared imaging, took numerous infrared photographs of
the front of the tilma. His findings, with photographs, were published
in 1981.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>R – "Proceso" also published in 2002 an interview with José Sol
Rosales, formerly director of the Center for the Conservation and
Listing of Heritage Artifacts (Patrimonio Artístico Mueble) of the
National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) in México City. This interview
was interspersed with extracts from a report R had written in 1982 of
the findings he had made during his inspection of the tilma that year
using raking and UV light, and – at low magnification – a stereo microscope of the type used for surgery.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup></dd></dl>
Summary conclusions ("contra" indicates a contrary finding)<br />
<dl><dd>(1) Support: The material of the support is soft to the touch
(almost silken: MC; something like cotton: G) but to the eye it
suggested a coarse weave of palm threads called "pita" or the rough
fiber called "cotense" (MC), or a hemp and linen mixture (R); the traditional understanding is that it is ixtle, an agave fiber.</dd><dd>(2) Ground, or Primer: R asserted (MC and PC contra) by ocular
examination that the tilma was primed, though with primer "applied
irregularly." R does not clarify whether his observed "irregular"
application entails that majorly the entire tilma was primed, or just
certain areas – such as those areas of the tilma extrinsic to the
image – where PC agrees had later additions. MC, alternatively, observed
that the image had soaked through to the reverse of the tilma.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup></dd><dd>(3) Under-drawing: PC asserted there was no under-drawing.</dd><dd>(4) Brush-work: R suggested (PC contra) there was some visible
brushwork on the original image, but at best in only one minute area of
the image ("her eyes, including the irises, have outlines, apparently
applied by a brush").</dd><dd>(5) Condition of the surface layer: The three most recent
inspections agree (i) that significant additions have been made to the
image, some of which were subsequently removed, and (ii) that the
original image has been abraded and re-touched in places. Some flaking
is visible (mostly along the line of the vertical seam, or at passages
considered to be later additions).</dd><dd>(6) Varnish: The tilma has never been varnished.</dd><dd>(7) Binding Medium: R provisionally identified the pigments and
binding medium (distemper) as consistent with 16th c. methods of
painting sargas (MC, PC contra for different reasons), but the color
values and luminosity are exceptional.</dd></dl>
The technique of
painting on fabric with water-soluble pigments (with
or without primer or ground) is well-attested. The binding medium is
generally animal glue or gum arabic (see: Distemper). Such an artifact
is variously discussed in the literature as a tüchlein or sarga.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[28]</sup> The tilma, considered as a type of sarga, is by no means unique, but its state of preservation is remarkable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Religious_significance">Religious significance</span></h2>
The iconography of the Virgin is impeccably Catholic:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-McMenGuad2006_29-0">[29]</sup> Miguel Sanchez, the author of the 1648 tract <i>Imagen de la Virgen María</i>,
described her as the Woman of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's
Revelation 12:1, "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars,"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brading_22-1">[22]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup> and she is also described as a representation of the Immaculate Conception.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brading_22-2">[22]</sup>
Yet despite this orthodoxy the image also had a hidden layer of coded
messages for the indigenous people of Mexico which goes a considerable
way towards explaining her popularity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-elizondo_31-0">[31]</sup> Her blue-green mantle was the color reserved for the divine couple Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[32]</sup> her belt is interpreted as a sign of pregnancy; and a cross-shaped image symbolizing the cosmos and called <i>nahui-ollin</i> is inscribed beneath the image's sash.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup> She was called "mother of maguey,"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-taylor_34-0">[34]</sup> the source of the sacred beverage pulque,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-whatis_35-0">[35]</sup> "the milk of the Virgin",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bushnell_36-0">[36]</sup> and the rays of light surrounding her doubled as maguey spines.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-taylor_34-1">[34]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Cultural_significance">Cultural significance</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Symbol_of_Mexico">Symbol of Mexico</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Guadalupano.jpg/220px-Guadalupano.jpg" height="282" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag carried by Miguel Hidalgo and his insurgent army</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<i>Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe</i>
is recognized as a symbol of all Catholic Mexicans. Miguel Sánchez, the
author of the first Spanish language apparition account, identified
Guadalupe as Revelation's Woman of the Apocalypse, and said:<br />
<blockquote>
this New World has been won and conquered by the hand of the Virgin
Mary ... [who had] prepared, disposed, and contrived her exquisite
likeness in this her Mexican land, which was conquered for such a
glorious purpose, won that there should appear so Mexican an image.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brading_22-3">[22]</sup></blockquote>
Throughout
the Mexican national history of the 19th and 20th
centuries, the Guadalupan name and image have been unifying national
symbols; the first President of Mexico (1824–29) changed his name from
José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix to Guadalupe Victoria in
honor of the <i>Virgin of Guadalupe</i>. Father Miguel Hidalgo, in the
Mexican War of Independence (1810), and Emiliano Zapata, in the Mexican
Revolution (1910) led their respective armed forces with Guadalupan
flags emblazoned with an image of <i>Our Lady of Guadalupe</i>. In 1999, the Church officially proclaimed her the <i>Patroness of the Americas</i>, the <i>Empress of Latin America</i>, and the <i>Protectress of Unborn Children</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mariologia.org_5-1">[5]</sup><br />
<br />
In 1810 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla initiated the bid for Mexican independence with his <i>Grito de Dolores,</i>
with the cry "Death to the Spaniards and long live the Virgin of
Guadalupe!" When Hidalgo's mestizo-indigenous army attacked Guanajuato
and Valladolid,
they placed "the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was the
insignia of their enterprise, on sticks or on reeds painted different
colors" and "they all wore a print of the Virgin on their hats."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-krauze_37-0">[37]</sup>
After Hidalgo's death leadership of the revolution fell to a
zambo/mestizo priest named José María Morelos, who led insurgent troops
in the Mexican south. Morelos adopted the Virgin as the seal of his
Congress of Chilpancingo, inscribing her feast day into the Chilpancingo
constitution and declaring that Guadalupe was the power behind his
victories:<br />
<blockquote>
New Spain puts less faith in its own efforts than in the power of God
and the intercession of its Blessed Mother, who appeared within the
precincts of Tepeyac as the miraculous image of Guadalupe that had come
to comfort us, defend us, visibly be our protection.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-krauze_37-1">[37]</sup></blockquote>
Simón
Bolívar noticed the Guadalupan theme in these uprisings, and
shortly before Morelos' execution in 1815 wrote: "the leaders of the
independence struggle have put fanaticism to use by proclaiming the
famous Virgin of Guadalupe as the queen of the patriots, praying to her
in times of hardship and displaying her on their flags ... the
veneration for this image in Mexico far exceeds the greatest reverence
that the shrewdest prophet might inspire."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brading_22-4">[22]</sup>
One of Morelos' officers, Félix Fernández, would later become the first
president of Mexico, even changing his name to Guadalupe Victoria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-krauze_37-2">[37]</sup><br />
<br />
In
1914, Emiliano Zapata's peasant army rose out of the south against the
government of Porfirio Díaz. Though Zapata's rebel forces were primarily
interested in land reform – "tierra y libertad" (land and liberty) was
the slogan of the uprising – when his peasant troops penetrated Mexico
City they carried Guadalupan banners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[38]</sup>
More recently, the contemporary Zapatista National Liberation Army
(EZLN) named their "mobile city" in honor of the Virgin: it is called
Guadalupe Tepeyac. EZLN spokesperson Subcomandante Marcos
wrote a humorous letter in 1995 describing the EZLN bickering over what
to do with a Guadalupe statue they had received as a gift.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[39]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Mestizo_culture">Mestizo culture</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/LA_Cathedral_Lady_of_Guadalupe_statue.jpg/250px-LA_Cathedral_Lady_of_Guadalupe_statue.jpg" height="445" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeptoid.com_16-1">The original relic piece </sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeptoid.com_16-1">taken from the <i>Tilma</i> of Guadalupe. </sup><br />
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote>
"The Aztecs ... had an elaborate, coherent symbolic system for making
sense of their lives. When this was destroyed by the Spaniards,
something new was needed to fill the void and make sense of New
Spain ... the image of Guadalupe served that purpose."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[40]</sup></blockquote>
Hernán
Cortés, the Conquistador who overthrew the Aztec empire in 1521, was a
native of Extremadura, home to Our Lady of Guadalupe. By the 16th
century the Extremadura Guadalupe, a statue of the Virgin said to be
carved by Saint Luke
the Evangelist, was already a national icon. It was found at the
beginning of the 14th century when the Virgin appeared to a humble
shepherd and ordered him to dig at the site of the apparition.<br />
<br />
The
recovered Virgin then miraculously helped to expel the Moors from Spain,
and her small shrine evolved into the great Guadalupe monastery. One of
the more remarkable attributes of the Guadalupe of Extremadura is that
she is dark, like the Americans, and thus she became the perfect icon
for the missionaries who followed Cortés to convert the natives to
Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeptoid.com_16-1">[16]</sup><br />
<br />
According to the traditional account, the name of Guadalupe was
chosen by the Virgin herself when she appeared on the hill outside
Mexico City in 1531, ten years after the Conquest.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[41]</sup>
According to secular history, in 1555 Bishop Alonso de Montúfar
commissioned a Virgin of Guadalupe from a native artist, who gave her
the dark skin which his own people shared with the famous Extremadura
Virgin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-skeptoid.com_16-2">[16]</sup>
Whatever the connection between the Mexican and her older Spanish
namesake, the fused iconography of the Virgin and the indigenous Nahua goddess Tonantzin
provided a way for 16th-century Spaniards to gain converts among the
indigenous population, while simultaneously allowing 16th century
Mexicans to continue the practice of their native religion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[42]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Guadalupe continues to be a mixture of the cultures which blended to form Mexico, both racially and religiously,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-guide_43-0">[43]</sup> "the first mestiza",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44">[44]</sup> or "the first Mexican".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-king_45-0">[45]</sup> "bringing together people of distinct cultural heritages, while at the same time affirming their distinctness."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[46]</sup> As Jacques Lafaye wrote in <i>Quetzalcoatl and Guadalupe</i>,
"as the Christians built their first churches with the rubble and the
columns of the ancient pagan temples, so they often borrowed pagan
customs for their own cult purposes."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lafay_47-0">[47]</sup>
The author Judy King asserts that Guadalupe is a "common denominator"
uniting Mexicans. Writing that Mexico is composed of a vast patchwork of
differences – linguistic, ethnic, and class-based – King says "The
Virgin of Guadalupe is the rubber band that binds this disparate nation
into a whole."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-king_45-1">[45]</sup>
The Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes once said that "you cannot truly be
considered a Mexican unless you believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[48]</sup> Nobel Literature laureate Octavio Paz
wrote in 1974 that "the Mexican people, after more than two centuries
of experiments, have faith only in the Virgin of Guadalupe and the
National Lottery".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49">[49]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_Church">Roman Catholic Church</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Beliefs_and_Miracles">Beliefs and Miracles</span></h3>
Roman Catholic sources claim many miraculous and supernatural
properties for the image such as that the tilma has maintained its
structural integrity over nearly 500 years, while replicas normally last
only about 15 years before suffering degradation;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-giulio_50-0">[50]</sup>
that it repaired itself with no external help after a 1791 ammonia
spill that did considerable damage, and that on 14 November 1921 a bomb
damaged the altar, but left the icon unharmed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[51]</sup><br />
<br />
That in 1929 and 1951 photographers found a figure reflected in the
Virgin's eyes; upon inspection they said that the reflection was tripled
in what is called the Purkinje effect, commonly found in human eyes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52">[52]</sup>
An ophthalmologist, Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann, later enlarged an image of
the Virgin's eyes by 2500x and claimed to have found not only the
aforementioned single figure, but images of all the witnesses present
when the tilma was first revealed before Zumárraga in 1531, plus a small
family group of mother, father, and a group of children, in the center
of the Virgin's eyes, fourteen people in all.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-catholiceducation.org_53-0">[53]</sup><br />
<br />
Numerous Catholic websites repeat an unsourced claim<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-experiencefestival.com_54-0">[54]</sup> that in 1936 biochemist Richard Kuhn
analyzed a sample of the fabric and announced that the pigments used
were from no known source, whether animal, mineral or vegetable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-catholiceducation.org_53-1">[53]</sup> Dr. Philip Serna Callahan, who photographed the icon under infrared
light, declared from his photographs that portions of the face, hands,
robe, and mantle had been painted in one step, with no sketches or
corrections and no visible brush strokes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55">[55]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Pontifical_Pronouncements">Pontifical Pronouncements</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 252px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_%28interior%29.JPG/250px-Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_%28interior%29.JPG" height="188" width="250" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City</div>
</div>
</div>
With the Papal Brief <i>Non Est Equidem</i>
of May 25, 1754, Pope Benedict XIV
declared Our Lady of Guadalupe patron of what was then called New
Spain, corresponding to Spanish Central and Northern America, and
approved liturgical texts for the Holy Mass and the Breviary in her
honor. Pope Leo XIII granted new texts in 1891 and authorized coronation
of the image in 1895. Pope Pius X proclaimed her patron of Latin
America in 1910. Pope Pius XII
declared the Virgin of Guadalupe "Queen of Mexico and Empress of the
Americas" in 1945, and "Patroness of the Americas" in 1946. Pope John
XXIII
invoked her as "Mother of the Americas" in 1961, referring to her as
Mother and Teacher of the Faith of All American populations, and in 1966
Pope Paul VI sent a Golden Rose to the shrine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-popes_56-0">[56]</sup><br />
<br />
In July 16, 1935, Pope Pius XI declared <i>Our Lady of Guadalupe</i> to be the <i>Heavenly Patroness of the Philippines</i> and was signed and attested by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mariologia.org_5-2">[5]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57">[57]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58">[58]</sup>
This was revised in September 12, 1942, when Guadalupe became the
secondary "Patroness of the Philippines" when Pope Pius XII installed
the Immaculate Conception as the Principal Patroness of the Filipino
people through the Papal Bull <i>Impositi Nobis</i>, though her feast day is still widely celebrated in the archipelago. Today, the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title of <i>Our Lady of Guadalupe</i>
is especially invoked by the Catholic bishops and laypeople who oppose
the legalization of abortion and the passage of the Philippine
Reproductive Health Bill.<br />
<br />
Pope John Paul II visited the shrine in the course of his first
journey outside Italy as Pope from January 26–31, 1979, and again when
he beatified Juan Diego there on May 6, 1990. In 1992 he dedicated to
Our Lady of Guadalupe a chapel within St. Peter's Basilica in the
Vatican. At the request of the Special Assembly for the Americas of the
Synod of Bishops, he named Our Lady of Guadalupe patron of the Americas
on January 22, 1999 (with the result that her liturgical celebration
had, throughout the Americas, the rank of solemnity), and visited the shrine again on the following day.<br />
<br />
On
July 31, 2002, the Pope canonized Juan Diego before a crowd of 12
million, and later that year included in the General Calendar of the
Roman Rite,
as optional memorials, the liturgical celebrations of Saint Juan Diego
Cuauhtlatoatzin (December 9) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12).<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Devotions_and_Veneration">Devotions and Veneration</span></h3>
The shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic
pilgrimage destination in the world. Over the Friday and Saturday of
December 11 to 12, 2009, a record number of 6.1 million pilgrims visited
the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City to commemorate the anniversary
of the apparition.<br />
<br />
The Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the Patroness of Mexico and the
Continental Americas; she is also venerated by Native Americans, on the
account of the devotion calling for the conversion of the Americas.
Replicas of the tilma can be found in thousands of churches throughout
the world, and numerous parishes bear her name.<br />
<br />
Due to a
claim that her black girdle indicates pregnancy on the image, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, under this title is popularly invoked as <i>Patroness of the Unborn</i> and a common image for the Pro-Life movement.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li id="cite_note-CathE-1"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">G. Lee (1913). "Shrine of Guadalupe". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">English translation of the account in Nahuatl</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">EWTN.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Marys-Touch.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-mariologia.org-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Virgen de Guadalupe". Mariologia.org<span class="printonly">. http://www.mariologia.org/aparicionesguadalupeespanol09.htm</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-08-13</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CatholicFreeShipping.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Britannica.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Basílica de Guadalupe | Comentario al Nican Mopohua". Virgendeguadalupe.org.mx<span class="printonly">. http://www.virgendeguadalupe.org.mx/apariciones/documentos/i_nican.htm</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-08-13</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Nican Mopohua: Here It Is Told," 208. http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/nahuatl/nican/nican7.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Chavez_Eduardo_2009.2C_p._205-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Anderson
Carl and Chavez Eduardo, "Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the
Civilization of Love," Doubleday, New York, 2009, p. 205. See note
number 40.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">González, Ondina E. and Justo L. González, Christianity in Latin America: a history, p. 59, Cambridge University Press, 2008</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love," Doubleday, New York, 2009, p. 205. See note number 40.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">D. A. Brading, "Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe" (Cambridge University Press, 2001) pp.1–2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-poole-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Poole,
Stafford. Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Origins and Sources of a Mexican
National Symbol, 1531–1797. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The Wonder of Guadalupe, Francis Johnston, TAN Books, 1981, p. 47</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-skeptoid.com-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Dunning, Brian. "The Virgin of Guadalupe." Skeptoid Podcast. Skeptoid Media, Inc., 13 Apr 2010. Web. 12 Jul 2010.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">D. A. Brading, "Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe" (Cambridge University Press, 2001) p.5</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Sousa, Lisa</span>; <span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Stafford Poole</span>, and <span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">James Lockhart</span> (trans. and trans.) (1998). <i>The Story of Guadalupe: Luis Laso de la Vega's</i> Huei tlamahuiçoltica <i>of 1649</i>. UCLA Latin American studies, <span class="nowrap">vol. 84</span>; Nahuatl studies series, <span class="nowrap">no. 5</span>.
Stanford & Los Angeles, California: Stanford University Press, UCLA
Latin American Center Publications. ISBN 0-8047-3482-8. OCLC 39455844</span> pp.42–47)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Juan Diego y las Apariciones el pimo Tepeyac (Paperback) by Joaquín García Icazbalceta ISBN 970-92771-3-8</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Daily Catholic. December 7, 1999, accessed November 30, 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web"><span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Peralta, Alberto</span> (2003). "El Códice 1548: Crítica a una supuesta fuente Guadalupana del Siglo XVI". <i>Artículos</i>. Proyecto Guadalupe<span class="printonly">. http://www.proyectoguadalupe.com/apl_1548.html</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2006-12-01</span>.</span><span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Spanish)</span>, <span class="citation Journal"><span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Poole, Stafford</span> (July 2005). "History vs. Juan Diego". <i>The Americas</i> <b>62</b>: 1–16. doi:10.1353/tam.2005.0133.</span>, <span class="citation book"><span class="smallcaps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Poole, Stafford</span> (2006). <i>The Guadalupan Controversies in Mexico</i>. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5252-7. OCLC 64427328.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-brading-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Brading,
D.A. Mexican Phoenix. Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition Across
Five Centuries. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2001.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cabrera,
Miguel: "Maravilla Americana y conjunto de varias maravillas observadas
con la direccíon de las reglas del arte de la pintura en la prodigiosa
imagen de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Mexico", 1756, facs. ed. Mexico,
1977; summary in Brading, D.A.: "Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Image and Tradition Across Five Centuries", Cambridge University Press,
2001, pp. 169–172</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vera, Rodrigo: "un restaurador de la guadalupana expone detalles técnicos que desmitifican a la imagen", Revista <i>Proceso</i> N° 1343, July 27, 2002, pp. 17–18, cf. [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Callahan,
Philip: "The Tilma Under Infra-Red Radiation", CARA Studies in Popular
Devotion, Vol. II, Guadalupan Studies, No. III (March 1981, 45pp.),
Washington, D.C.; cf. Leatham, Miguel (2001). "Indigenista Hermeneutics
and the Historical Meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico". Folklore
Forum. Google Docs. pp. 34–5.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vera, Rodrigo: "el análisis que ocultó el vaticano", Revista <i>Proceso</i> N° 1333, May 18, 2002; cf. [2] and cf. <i>idem</i>, "manos humanas pintaron la guadalupana", Revista <i>Proceso</i> N° 1332, May 11, 2002, cf. http://www.ecultura.gob.mx/patrimonio/index.php?lan=</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Brading,
D.A.: "Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition
Across Five Centuries", Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 170</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bomford, David and Roy, Ashok: The Technique of Two Paintings by Dieric Bouts, National Gallery
Technical Bulletin vol. 10, 1986, pp. 42–57; Santos Gómez, Sonia and
San Andrés Moya, Margarita: La Pintura de Sargas, Archivo Español de
Arte, LXXVII, 2004, 305, pp. 59–74</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-McMenGuad2006-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">McMenamin, M. (2006). "Our Lady of Guadalupe and Eucharistic Adoration". <i>Numismatics International Bulletin</i> <b>41</b> (5): 91–97.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">In
fact, while the crown was part of the image until 1887-88, "[o]n
February 23, 1888, [when] the image was removed to the nearby church of
the Capuchin nuns ... onlookers were surprised by the fact that there
was no crown on the Virgin's head" (<i>The Guadalupan Controversies in Mexico</i>, Stafford Poole, Stanford University Press, Aug 28, 2006, p. 60).
Besides, "[w]hat is rarely mentioned is that the frame which surrounded
the canvas was lowered to leave almost no space above the Virgin's
head, thereby obscuring the effects of the erasure" (D. A. Brading, <i>Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe</i>, Cambridge University Press, 2002, p.307)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-elizondo-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Elizondo, Virgil. <i>Guadalupe, Mother of a New Creation.</i> Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1997</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">UTPA.edu, "La Virgen de Guadalupe", accessed 30 November 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Tonantzin Guadalupe</i>, by Joaquín Flores Segura, Editorial Progreso, 1997, ISBN 970-641-145-3, ISBN 978-970-641-145-7, pp. 66–77</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-taylor-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">Taylor, William B. (1979). <i>Drinking, Homicide, and Rebellion in Colonial Mexican Villages</i>. Stanford: Stanford University Press</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-whatis-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Del Maguey, Single Village Mezcal. "What if Pulque?"<span class="printonly">. http://www.mezcal.com/pulque.html</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 11 September 2009</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-bushnell-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">Bushnell, John (1958). "La Virgen de Guadalupe as Surrogate Mother in San Juan Aztingo". <i>American Anthropologist</i> <b>60</b> (2): 261</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-krauze-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Krauze, Enrique. Mexico, Biography of Power. A History of Modern Mexico 1810–1996. HarperCollins: New York, 1997.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Documentary
footage of Zapata and Pancho Villa's armies entering Mexico City can be
seen at YouTube.com, Zapata's men can be seen carrying the flag of the
Guadalupana about 38 seconds in.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Subcomandante
Marcos, Flag.blackened.net, "Zapatistas Guadalupanos and the Virgin of
Guadalupe" 24 March 1995 , accessed 11 December 2006.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Harrington, Patricia. "Mother of Death, Mother of Rebirth: The Virgin of Guadalupe." <i>Journal of the American Academy of Religion.</i> Vol. 56, Issue 1, pp. 25-50. 1988</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sancta.org, "Why the name 'of Guadalupe'?", accessed 30 November 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The Virgin of Guadalupe,
Is the Virgin of Guadalupe a miraculous apparition, a dismissable
religious icon, or does it have more importance? (@ skeptoid.com,
accessed June 2010)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-guide-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Elizondo, Virgil. AmericanCatholic.org,
"Our Lady of Guadalupe. A Guide for the New Millennium" St. Anthony
Messenger Magazine Online. December 1999. , accessed 3 December 2006.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lopez,
Lydia. "'Undocumented Virgin.' Guadalupe Narrative Crosses Borders for
New Understanding." Episcopal News Service. December 10, 2004.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-king-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">King, Judy. MexConnect.com , "La Virgen de Guadalupe – Mother of All Mexico" Accessed 29 November 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">O'Connor, Mary. "The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Economics of Symbolic Behavior." <i>The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.</i> Vol. 28, Issue 2. pp. 105-119. 1989.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-lafay-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lafaye, Jacques. <i>Quetzalcoatl and Guadalupe. The Formation of Mexican National Consciousness.</i> Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1976</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Demarest, Donald. "Guadalupe Cult ... In the Lives of Mexicans." p. 114 in <i>A Handbook on Guadalupe</i>, Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, eds. Waite Park MN: Park Press Inc, 1996</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Paz, Octavio. Introduction to Jacques Lafaye's <i>Quetzalcalcoatl and Guadalupe. The Formation of Mexican National Consciousness 1531–1813.</i> Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-giulio-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Guerra,
Giulio Dante. AlleanzaCattolica.org, "La Madonna di Guadalupe".
'Inculturazione' Miracolosa. Christianita. n. 205–206, 1992. , accessed 1
December 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">D.A. Brading, <i>Mexican Phoenix. Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition Across Five Centuries</i>, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, (2001), p.314; Stafford Poole, <i>The Guadalupan Controversies in Mexico</i>, Stanford, California: Stanford University Press (2006), p.110</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Web.archive.org. "The Eyes" Interlupe. Accessed 3 December</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-catholiceducation.org-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">"Science Sees What Mary Saw From Juan Diego’s Tilma", catholiceducation.org</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-experiencefestival.com-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Experiencefestival.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sennott, Br. Thomas Mary. MotherOfAllPeoples.com , "The Tilma of Guadalupe: A Scientific Analysis".</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-popes-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Notitiae, bulletin of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2002, pages 194–195</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2028%20[1936]%20-%20ocr.pdf
- 16 Quintiliis (Julius) 1935. Pius XI, Papam. Beatissima Virgo Maria
Sub Titulo de Beata Guadalupana Insularum Philippinarum Coelestis
Patrona Declarantur.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://lifestyle.inquirer.net, "Our Lady of Guadalupe is secondary patroness of the Philippines"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-zenit.org-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Znit.org</span></li>
</ol>
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<span class="reference-text"> </span> </div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book">Lee, George (1913). "Shrine of Guadalupe". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span>Caryana.org, The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe</li>
<li>Udayton.edu, Marian library's discussion of Guadalupe as Mexican national symbol</li>
<li>NEWS.BBC.co.uk, BBC photo essay of 12 December festivities in San Miguel de Allende, Gto.</li>
<li>Pbase.com, Photo essay on Los Angeles Latino community's Guadalupan murals, altars and statues.</li>
<li>NewAdvent.org, The Catholic Encyclopedia</li>
<li><span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Spanish)</span> ProyectoGuadalupe.com, Critical essays, iconography and documentary information about the Guadalupe</li>
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Snippet II: <b>History of Advent</b> </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says: </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His being born. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i> Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;"> It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span> </li>
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<b>Today's Snippet II</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
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The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup> It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century.<br />
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Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup> Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.</div>
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In Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
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Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
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In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches. Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="refbegin references-column-width" style="-moz-column-width: 60em; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010). </span></li>
</ol>
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Advent Traditions - The Jesse Tree</span></b></h2>
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<h3>
<b>A 24 Day Advent Tradition: The Jesse Tree </b></h3>
<h3>
<b> </b></h3>
<h3>
<b> Project: The Jesse Tree - Daily Reverence through Four Weeks of Advent</b></h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Jesse tree helps us connect the custom of decorating Christmas
trees to the historical biblical events leading to Jesus’ birth. The
Jesse tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out of the
stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the
father of King David. </div>
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We adorn a Jesse tree with illustrated
ornaments that represent the people, prophesies, and historical biblical
events leading up to the birth of Jesus. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The ornaments of the
Jesse tree tell the story of God in the Old Testament, connecting the
Advent season with the faithfulness of God across four thousand years of
history.</div>
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<b>Supplies: </b><br /> 1. Jesse Tree by creative medium of choice<br /> 2. Ready-made or Hand-made ornaments<br /> 3. Bible (Old and New Testaments)</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Note:</b> Be creative with your Jesse tree and ornaments.<br />
Here are some suggested creative Ideas: You can add ready-made or
do-it-yourself ornaments to your primary Christmas tree; or your can
create a small tabletop tree as the Jesse tree; or you can make a poster
of a Jesse tree with 24 sections to place hand-crafted cut-out
ornaments </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
WEEK ONE </h3>
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~~ <b>DAY ONE</b><br /> Sunday, The Jesse Tree</div>
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Create a Jesse Tree</div>
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The Jesse tree was created to help people link the custom of decorating
Christmas trees to the events leading up to Jesus birth. The tradition
of decorating Christmas trees actually predates the arrival of
Christianity in western Europe and was adopted by the early Church. In
order to associate the custom more clearly with Christianity, people
made Jesse trees—Christmas trees with decorations related to the events
of Jesus’ birth and the prophecies about him in the Old Testament. Many
parishes and families make Jesse trees during Advent to remind them of
these events as they prepare for Christmas.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Read from the: <br /> 1) The story of Jesse, the father of David, is told in Isaiah 11:1-10.<br /> 2) David’s story is found in 1 Samuel 16:1-13.</div>
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~~~<b>DAY TWO</b><br /> Monday: Adam and Eve</div>
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Ornament: Any Type of Fruit or Apple </div>
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<br />
(Note: The actual fruit from the Garden of Eden story is unknown, The
apple has become the symbolic fruit of choice because it is
traditionally a universally and easily identifiable fruit)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Adam and Eve and the First Sin</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Genesis 3 tells how Adam and Eve’s intimacy with God and with each
other is disrupted. The serpent enters the scene. The serpent represents
anything that can separate a person from God. The woman, with the man
as her silent partner, speaks to the serpent. They examine the
possibility of disobeying God. Will Adam and Eve accept God’s moral
order and trust in his love?</div>
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Read form the Bible:<br /> 1)Adam and Eve — Genesis 2:4-24<br /> 2)The Fall of Adam and Eve — Genesis 3</div>
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~~~<b>DAY THREE</b><br /> Tuesday: Noah</div>
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Ornament: Rainbow or Ark</div>
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<br /></div>
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Noah and the Flood</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The story of Noah is told to illustrate how deeply the human family has
fallen into sinfulness. Sin is now so universal that a troubled God
decides to complete the work of destruction that the human family has
begun (Genesis 6:13). However, God sees that Noah is a good man and
decides that humanity will survive through Noah’s family. God tells Noah
to build an ark, which God will use to save Noah’s family and members
of the animal kingdom. God is pained by and disappointed in humankind,
but in his mercy he will save the human family through Noah.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Read from the Bible:<br /> 1) Noah and the Flood — Genesis 6-9</div>
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~~~<b>DAY FOUR</b><br /> Wednesday: Abraham</div>
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Ornament: Stars</div>
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Abraham and the Covenant</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Abraham stands before God, facing the future. God had promised that
Abraham would be the father of many descendants, but his wife, Sarah,
seems unable to have children. So Abraham believes he will die childless
and that his steward, Eliezer, will be his heir. God assures Abraham
that this will not happen, promising Abraham that he will have a son
with Sarah. More than that, the descendants of Abraham will be as
numerous as the stars in the sky.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Read from the Bible:<br /> 1)The Call of Abraham — Genesis 12<br /> 2) God’s Covenant with Abraham — Genesis 15</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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~~~<b>DAY FIVE</b><br /> Thursday: Isaac</div>
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Ornament: Ram</div>
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<br /></div>
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Abraham and the Offering of Isaac</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Then, unexpectedly, God sends an angel with the message that Abraham
must sacrifice his son Isaac. As bitter as the message is, and as
hopeless as it makes Abraham feel, he obeys without hesitation. He
gathers his servants and Isaac with wood for the sacrifice and sets out
to the appointed place. The last part of the way he goes alone with
Isaac, who is made to carry the wood for his own sacrifice. On the way,
Isaac asks his father what animal will be sacrificed. Abraham answers
that God will provide.</div>
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Read from the Bible:<br /> 1) Abraham and Isaac — Genesis 22</div>
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<br /></div>
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~~~<b>DAY SIX</b><br /> Friday: Jacob</div>
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Ornament: Ladder</div>
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<br /></div>
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Jacob’s Dream</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While on his journey, Jacob arrives at a certain place and rests there,
using a stone for a pillow. In a dream, he receives a divine
revelation. He sees a ladder, or perhaps a ramp, going up from earth to
heaven. The shape of Jacob’s vision may have been inspired by the shape
of the ziggurats of Babylon, which had ramps going up their sides to the
place where the deity was said to dwell. On the ramp in Jacob’s dream
are angels, roaming up and down, patrolling the earth and reporting back
to God. In his vision, Jacob meets God. God confirms the covenant made
to Abraham and to Isaac that their ancestors will be as plentiful as the
dust on the ground and will spread from east to west. Jacob will also
receive God’s protection wherever he goes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Read from the Bible:<br /> 1) Jacob and Esau — Genesis 25:19-34; 27<br /> 2) Jacob’s Vision of God — Genesis 28:10-22<br /> 3) Jacob Returns to the Land of His Fathers — Genesis 31-33</div>
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~~~<b>DAY SEVEN</b><br /> Saturday: Joseph</div>
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Ornament: Coat of Many Colors</div>
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<br /></div>
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Joseph and God’s Providence</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pharaoh has Joseph brought before him. Joseph hears the dreams and
correctly interprets their meaning. The seven fat cows and stalks of
grain are seven years in which harvests will be abundant and the cows
will be fat. The next seven years will be a period of famine. After
interpreting the dreams, Joseph advises that Pharaoh appoint someone to
oversee the harvesting and ensure that enough grain is saved in the
first seven years to help Egypt survive the seven years of famine.
Pharaoh agrees and appoints Joseph vizier, second in authority only to
Pharaoh himself, to carry out the plan. Joseph marries an Egyptian woman
and has two sons. The first he names Manasseh (“forgotten”), to show
that his previous suffering has been forgotten. The second is Ephraim
(“God has made me fruitful”).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Read from the Bible:<br /> 1)Joseph and His Brothers — Genesis 37<br /> 2)Joseph and Pharaoh — Genesis 39-41<br /> 3) Joseph and His Brothers Are Reconciled — Genesis 42-45</div>
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~~~~~~<br />
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<h3>
Week Two</h3>
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~~ <b>DAY SEVEN</b></div>
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Sunday: Moses</div>
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Ornament: Burning Bush</div>
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God Calls Moses</div>
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God answers Moses, “I am who I am” (Yahweh). Other meanings of God’s
answer can be “I come to be all that exists” and “I cause to be all that
happens.” God seems to be saying that God will come in his own time and
will not be controlled by Moses. God will be who he will be. He came to
save the people because it is his choice. “And he said, ‘I will make
all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name,
“The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will
show mercy on whom I will show mercy’” (Exodus 33:19).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> The Birth of Moses — Exodus 1-2<br /> Moses Meets God in the Burning Bush — Exodus 3<br /> Pharaoh’s Contest with God — Exodus 5-6</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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~~ <b>DAY EIGHT </b></div>
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Monday: The Israelites</div>
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Ornament: Lamb</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lamb - Passover and Exodus</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Moses gathers the people. He orders that a lamb be sacrificed and the
blood of the lamb be put on the doorframes of the houses. This will be a
sign to God to “pass over” the houses of the Hebrews. That night the
Hebrews eat roasted lamb and unleavened bread, preparing for the
journey. Egyptian houses are filled with mourning, “for there was not a
house without someone dead” (Exodus 12:30). Pharaoh, finally convinced
that he cannot defeat God, lets the people go.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Passover — Exodus 11-13<br /> Journey to the Sea — Exodus 14:1-15:21<br /> Testing in the Desert — Exodus 15:22-17:16</div>
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<br /></div>
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~~<b>DAY NINE</b></div>
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Tuesday: Moses and Aaron</div>
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Ornament: Tablets of the Torah</div>
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<br /></div>
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God Gives the People the Law</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When Moses and Aaron go up on Mount Sinai, God first reminds them of
what he has done for them: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). He
then tells them what they need to do in order to live in relationship
with God and one another. We call these instructions the Ten
Commandments.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> The Hebrews Meet God at Sinai — Exodus 19<br /> The Ten Commandments — Exodus 20:1-11</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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~~<b>DAY TEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wednesday: Joshua</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Ram’s Horn Trumpet</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Joshua and the Fall of Jericho</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Joshua led the Hebrew people from success to success in conquering the
land of Canaan. The biblical writer attributes this to his obedience and
faithfulness to God. The Canaanite people were defeated, their cities
were destroyed, and the spoils of war were offered to God. Like Moses,
Joshua was successful until his death, at the age of 110, the same age
of Joseph at his death.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Rahab and the Fall of Jericho — Joshua 2; 6<br /> Joshua Renews the Covenant — Joshua 23-24</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~<b>DAY ELEVEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Thursday: Gideon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Clay Water Pitcher</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gideon’s Unlikely Victory</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gideon, a farmer, is threshing his wheat in a winepress so that he can
hide it from the Midianites. When God tells him that he will lead the
Hebrew people against their enemies, Gideon ridicules the idea. He tells
God that God abandoned the people and does not seem prepared to keep
his promises. God is not put off; he gives the task to Gideon and
promises that he will be with him. Gideon does not think much of God’s
choice, as his tribe is among the smallest. God, of course, realizes
this. God wants to emphasize that when victory comes, it comes from God.
The Hebrew people will never win if they depend on themselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Reading:<br /> Gideon’s Small Army — Judges 6-8</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~ <b>DAY TWELVE</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Friday: Ruth</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Grain</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
grain - Ruth’s Faithfulness</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Naomi is troubled, knowing that she cannot stay in Moab with no one to
protect her. She decides to return to Bethlehem and tells her
daughters-in-law to return to the protection of their own families. One
daughter-in-law, Orpah, returns to her family. The other, Ruth, stays
with Naomi and asks not to be separated from her. Ruth remains faithful
to Naomi and goes into the fields to glean among the barley. (After the
grain was harvested, the poor were permitted to go into the fields to
gather any grain that was left behind.) While Ruth is working in the
fields, she meets Boaz, the landowner, who is attracted to her and hears
her story. Moved in his heart, he tells his workers to make sure that
Ruth has plenty of grain to gather. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Reading:<br /> Naomi and Ruth — Book of Ruth, Chapters 1-4</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~ <b>DAY THIRTEEN</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Saturday: Samuel</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Crown</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Samuel and the Beginning of the Kingdom</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Saul is a member of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes.
He is described as handsome and tall, a man of substance. His father, a
wealthy man, loses a number of donkeys. Saul goes in search of them but
cannot find them. Told of a holy man in a nearby town, Saul goes to see
him to ask if he can help Saul find the donkeys. Samuel is in the shrine
of the town, conducting the sacrifices. When Samuel sees Saul, he
realizes that Saul is the man God has told him about in a dream. God
told Samuel that Saul is the man who will help free the people from the
Philistines.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /> Readings:<br /> God Calls to Samuel — 1 Samuel 3<br /> Samuel and Saul — 1 Samuel 10-12</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~~~~~~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
WEEK THREE </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~~<b>DAY FOURTEEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday: David</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Shepherd’s Crook or Harp</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Harp - David, a Shepherd to the People</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
David was a great poet and a person of deep, yet flawed, spirituality.
He is credited with a heartfelt song of faith in God for his continued
protection (2 Samuel 22). In this song, David describes God as a rock,
fortress, deliverer, shield, horn, stronghold, and refuge. God’s actions
in David’s life are like the mighty forces of nature aiding him:
breakers surge and floods overwhelm; the earth sways and shakes,
trembles and quakes. David’s enemies flee and are destroyed, ground into
the dust and trampled. God’s commitment to David will not end, though
David is unfaithful in many ways. God’s covenant love is steadfast and
enduring.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Young David — 1 Samuel 16-17<br /> David and Jonathan — 1 Samuel 18<br /> Saul and David — 1 Samuel 24; 28<br /> David the King — 2 Samuel 5-6<br /> David, Bathsheba, and Nathan — 2 Samuel 11-12<br /> David’s Later Years — 2 Samuel 19-24</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~ <b>DAY FIFTEEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Monday: Elijah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Stone Altar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Elijah Fights the False Gods</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
God now calls Elijah to confront Ahab and pagan gods. He is going into
enemy territory: Jezebel is killing off the prophets of Israel. In spite
of the danger, Elijah is not put off. When he meets with the king, Ahab
calls Elijah the “troubler of Israel.” Elijah responds by challenging
the priests of Baal and Asherah to a contest with the God of Israel.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Elijah is Fed by God — 1 Kings 17<br /> Elijah Confronts Baal — 1 Kings 18</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /> ~~ <b>DAY SIXTEEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Tuesday: Hezekiah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: An Empty Tent</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Reign of Hezekiah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ahaz was not faithful to God, engaging in such contemptible practices
as sacrificing one of his sons in the Canaanite way (2 Kings 16:1-4).
When Ahaz died, he was replaced by his surviving son, Hezekiah. Hezekiah
tried to make up for his father’s unfaithfulness.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Reign of Hezekiah — 2 Kings 18–19</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~<b>DAY SEVENTEEN</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wednesday: Isaiah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Fire Tongs with Hot Coal</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Isaiah and the Call to Holiness</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In response, one of the seraphs flies to Isaiah with a live coal taken
from the altar and touches his lips with it, declaring that his guilt
has departed. Isaiah then hears the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah replies, “Here am I;
send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Isaiah’s Vision — Isaiah 6<br /> Isaiah’s Message — Isaiah 1-2<br /> A Savior Will Come — Isaiah 9; 11</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~<b>DAY EIGHTEEN</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Thursday: Jeremiah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Tears</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jeremiah the Prophet</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jeremiah teaches that the people cannot pray faithfully if they
continue to oppress the immigrants, the orphans, and the widows. They
have to stop shedding innocent blood (some practiced human sacrifice),
and they must act justly toward one another. “Here you are, trusting in
deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery,
swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you
have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which
is called by my name, and say, ‘We are safe!’—only to go on doing all
these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a
den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the
LORD” (Jeremiah 7:8-11).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon — Jeremiah 7; 26<br /> Jeremiah Speaks Against Jerusalem — Jeremiah 28<br /> Sorrow for the Fall of Judah — Lamentations 1<br /> Jeremiah’s Message of Hope — Jeremiah 29; 31</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~~<b>DAY NINETEEN</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Friday: Habakkuk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: Stone Watchtower</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Watchtower - Habakkuk: Patient Waiting</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Acknowledging that he does not understand God’s will, Habakkuk stands
ready to hear what God has planned. God assures Habakkuk that no matter
what seems to be happening on the surface, God’s ultimate plan for the
Judeans who live in faithfulness will not be delayed. “For there is
still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does
not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will
not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> The Sack of Jerusalem and the Fall of Judah — 2 Kings 24-25</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~<b>DAY TWENTY</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Saturday: Nehemiah</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ornament: City Wall</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
city wall - Nehemiah: Reform and Renewal</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After persuading the king to let him return to Judah, Nehemiah was
named governor and given permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
When he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah rallied the people and rebuilt or
restored the walls in fifty-two days. However, he realized that the
people were spiritually lax and must also be rebuilt. Ezra read the Law
to the people and helped them understand its demands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Readings:<br /> Ezra and Nehemiah — Nehemiah 8-9</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
~~~~~~</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
WEEK FOUR</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>NOTE: Included are people and ornaments for each day during a long Advent
season of 27 days. When the season is shorter, adjust week four readings to the coordinate with the current advent calendar, by doing two to three stories a day in week four, so the final stories fall on Christmas day.</i></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span></span></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="shqh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="shqh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~ </span></span><span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY ONE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="shqh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="shqh-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Sunday: John the Baptist</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4oeao-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Scallop Shell</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="aa9al-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1s4ho-0-0"><span data-text="true">John the Baptist</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2lffp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cdvng-0-0"><span data-text="true">Jesus had immense respect for John the Baptist saying: “Among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). John was called by God to be a prophet and prepared himself to follow this call. Dedication to a goal means some reevaluation of priorities. John apparently wanted to be free of any obligations except getting ready to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. He wanted people to know that the time for the Messiah to come was near. This meant that their priorities in life needed to be reconsidered. When we realize that we are being called to a new life in Christ, we have to consider what sacrifices we are going to be called to make to change our lives. While we will not be called to the extremes that John the Baptist was, we also need to recognize that life has to be different if we are going to be faithful.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9o481-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9o481-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9o481-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Readings:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="feo0i-0-0"><span data-text="true">John the Baptist Preaches Repentance — Luke 3:1–6</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="77s1v-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Messengers from John the Baptist — Matthew 11:2–11</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fauc0-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY TWO</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9m37p-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Monday: Mary</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4cuia-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: White Lily</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6ttkq-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2e61q-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Annunciation</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="e13dj-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e13dj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="e13dj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="24von-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="24von-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="24von-0-0"><span data-text="true">When we think of heroes in Scripture, Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not usually come to mind. But consider the risks she was taking when she said yes to becoming the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:38). She was a young girl of about sixteen years old living in a small village where every secret is known and every fault is criticized. She lived in an occupied land and could be subject to any command from the occupying army. She faced an unknown future. The experience of speaking to God’s messenger must have been terrifying in itself. It is perhaps fitting that we consider Mary our greatest hero, leader, champion, and saint. Her decision made it possible for us to discover what it means to live in Jesus.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bmlrb-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Readings:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="56ofp-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Annunciation — Luke 1:26–38</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> DAY TWENTY THREE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6kbpn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Tuesday: Elizabeth</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1jujn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Mother and Child</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6me7g-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3dqmk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Mary Visits Elizabeth</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="14sm2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="37h3u-0-0"><span data-text="true">After the angel left Mary, she immediately went to see her cousin Elizabeth. Mary had learned from Gabriel that Elizabeth would soon have a son who would grow up to be John the Baptist. As Mary comes into her presence, Elizabeth experiences the Holy Spirit filling her life. She calls out to Mary the words of blessing we repeat with every Hail Mary; “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42). Elizabeth then asks, “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Luke 1:43). These recall the words of King David when the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem, “How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?” (2 Samuel 6:9) Just as the Ark of the Covenant symbolized the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel, Mary’s visit sanctifies Elizabeth’s home with the presence of the Lord.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7dnvj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Reading:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="34tsn-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Visitation — Luke 1:39–45</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6ie8a-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><b>DAY TWENTY FOUR</b></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="52kr3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Wednesday: Zechariah</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4t9k5-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Pencil and Tablet</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8t62o-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="6sse9-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7rjen-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7rjen-0-0"><span data-text="true">Pencil and tablet - His Name Is John</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="kapt-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="kapt-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="kapt-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9d2fi-0-0"><span data-text="true">When the angel revealed to aged Zechariah that he would have a son, Zechariah asked for proof. As a result, he was silenced. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth conceived their first child. Elizabeth was grateful to God, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people” (Luke 1:25). When their son was born, Elizabeth said that he would be called John (“the Lord is gracious”). Elizabeth’s relatives objected, as no other family members had the name. Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote “His name is John.” (Luke 1:63) Then Zechariah immediately spoke, blessing and praising God. The relatives were filled with awesome reverence over God’s wonderful deeds. Zechariah then proclaimed the prayer which we know from its Latin name the Benedictus. Every morning the Church blesses the Lord, the God of Israel, who has visited and set the people free. In this prayer—found in Luke 1:68–79—are the perfect words to prepare us to welcome the celebration of the coming of Jesus.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7hpes-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0"><span data-text="true"> READINGS:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8hs9l-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Birth of John — Luke 1:57–66</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Canticle of Zechariah — Luke 1:68–79</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="b3pe5-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="d3npf-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY FIVE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="djopn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="djopn-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b> </b>Thursday: Joseph</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c2sa6-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Carpenter’s Square or Hammer</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bqjv8-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9d52q-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hammer</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bri5u" data-offset-key="a3rfn-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="2uu20-0-0"><span data-text="true">What a wonderful father Joseph was for Jesus. We first meet Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 as he contemplates how to deal with Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph is an honest, caring man who does not want to embarrass Mary, so he intends to quietly divorce her. Imagine his wonderment and joy as he heard from the angel the good news and true identity of Jesus. Joseph continued his caring in times of danger as they escaped to Egypt. Luke speaks of his concern for Jesus when they finally found him in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). Along the way it is Joseph who had primary responsibility for Jesus’ religious education. He would also be the one to teach Jesus the fundamentals of carpentry. In his faithful listening and open heart, Joseph is a model for all to understand and love Jesus whose birth we prepare to celebrate.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bo8e2-0-0"><span data-text="true"> An Angel Appears to Joseph — Matthew 1:18–25</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f73vm-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Finding of Jesus in the Temple — Luke 2:41–52</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY SIX</b></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1lu3g-0-0"><span data-text="true">Friday: Nativity of Jesus</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="a3kta-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Manger</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="fnv4t-0-0"><span data-text="true">Luke connects Jesus’ birth to the world-wide stage. The Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus (63 B.C.–14 A.D.) was praised as savior and bringer of peace, which he accomplished by defeating his enemies. Luke contrasts Augustus’s accomplishments with Jesus the Savior. While the world looks to the political center for peace, Luke tells us to look at the outskirts of the empire. Jesus is born in humble circumstances. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a sign of his humanity. Jesus is laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals, as a sign that Jesus is to be food for the world. The Gospel of Luke is especially concerned for the poor, the outcast, those on the margins of society. This concern is never more apparent than in the proclamation of the Savior to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14). Shepherds lived on the margins and were not well respected by society, yet they are the first to hear of the Messiah. They were also the first to step out in faith to celebrate his birth. When we celebrate Jesus’ birth this Christmas season, we will be following in the footsteps of the shepherds. Like Mary, we will have much to reflect upon in our hearts.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4kion-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Birth of Jesus — Luke 2:1–20</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4o3g0-0-0"><span data-text="true">~~</span></span><span data-offset-key="4o3g0-0-0"><span data-text="true"><b>DAY TWENTY SEVEN</b></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4o3g0-0-0"><span data-text="true">Saturday: Christ</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f94rs-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ornament: Chi-Rho</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8c3ee-0-0"><span data-text="true">Chi-Rho</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="e02bq-0-0"><span data-text="true">In the Beginning Was the Word</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2mho3-0-0"><span data-text="true">When we celebrate Mass on Christmas, the Gospel readings change depending on the time of the Mass. For the Christmas Vigil Mass on the evening of December 24, the reading is from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:1-25), beginning with the genealogy tracing Jesus’ ancestry in the Old Testament and ending with the revelation to Joseph. For Midnight Mass and the Mass at Dawn, the traditional readings are from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-20). At the Mass for Christmas day, the reading is from John 1:1-34. In the first readings the narrative carries us along into the mystery of Jesus’ birth. The text from John calls us to meditate on the meaning of the stories we have heard. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). When we are reflecting on Jesus Christ, we are reflecting on God, and through him has come all life (John 1:3-4). In Jesus, God has become one of us, made his dwelling among us, pitched his tent in our midst. When we enter into relationship with Jesus Christ, we enter into the heart of God. When we share the love Jesus has won for us, we share the heart of God with one another. The wonder of Christmas reflects this for us and is the gift we bring for one another.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dkkpk-0-0"><span data-text="true"> READINGS:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dkkpk-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Genealogy and Birth of Jesus — Matthew 1:1–25</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f7tb0-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The Birth of Jesus and the Visit of the Shepherds — Luke 2:1–20</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ag67h-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In the Beginning Was the Word — John 1:1–18</span></span></div>
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet V: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet VI: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 160px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Book 3, Chapter 1</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
NOVENA BEFORE THE INCARNATION</span></h2>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Contains
the most Exquisite Preparations of the Almighty for the Incarnation
of the Word in Mary most Holy; the Circumstances Accompanying this
Mystery; the Exalted State, in which the Blessed Mother was placed;
her Visit to Saint Elisabeth and the Sanctification of the Baptist:
Her Return to Nazareth and a Memorable Battle of the Virgin with
Lucifer.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order that her most faultless life
might be to all an example of the highest holiness, the Most High had
placed upon our Queen and Mistress the duties of a spouse of saint
Joseph which was a position requiring more interaction with her
neighbors. The heavenly Mistress, finding Herself in this new estate,
was filled with such exalted thoughts and sentiments in the
fulfillment of her duties, and ordered all the activities of her life
with such wisdom, that She was an object of admirable emulation to
the angelic spirits and an unparalleled example for men. Few knew Her
and still fewer had interaction with Her: but these happy ones were
so filled with that celestial influence of Mary, that with a
wonderful joy and with unwonted flights of spirit they sought to
express and manifest the light, which illumined their hearts and
which they knew came from Her. The most prudent Queen was not unaware
of these operations of the Most High but neither was it yet time, nor
would her most profound humility as yet consent to their becoming
known to the world. She continually besought the Lord to hide them
from men, to make all the favors of his right hand redound solely to
his praise, and to permit Her to be ignored and despised by all the
mortals, in as far as his infinite goodness would not be offended
thereby.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In such fruitful occupations and in
augmenting the gifts and graces from which all this good proceeded,
our Queen, the Spouse of Joseph, busied Herself during the six months
and seventeen days, which intervened between her espousal and the
Incarnation of the Word. I cannot pretend to refer even briefly to
her great heroic acts of all the virtues, interior and exterior, to
all her deeds of charity, humility, religion, and all her works of
mercy, the alms and benefactions; for this exceeds the power of the
pen. The best I can do is to sum up and say: that the Most High found
in most holy Mary the fulfillment of all his pleasure and of his
wishes, as far as is possible in the correspondence of a creature
with its Creator. By her sanctity and merits God felt Himself as it
were obliged, and, (according to our way of speaking), compelled, to
hasten his steps and extend the arms of his Omnipotence to bring
about the greatest of wonders conceivable in the world before or
after: namely the Incarnation of the Onlybegotten of the Father in
the virginal womb of this Lady.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order to proceed with a dignity
befitting Himself, God prepared most holy Mary in a singular manner
during the nine days immediately preceding this mystery, and allowed
the river of his Divinity to rush impetuously forth (Psalm 45, 5) to
inundate this City of God with its floods. He communicated such great
graces and gifts and favors, that I am struck dumb by the perception
of what has been made known to me concerning this miracle, and my
lowliness is filled with dread at even the mention of what I
understood. For the tongue, the pen, and all the faculties of a
creature fall far below any possibility of revealing such
incomprehensible sacraments. Therefore I wish it to be understood,
that all I say here is only an insignificant shadow of the smallest
part of these wonders and ineffable prodigies, which are not at all
to be encompassed by our limited words, but only by the power divine,
which I do not possess.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the first day of this most blessed
novena the heavenly Princess Mary, after a slight rest, according to
the example of her father David and according to the diurnal order
and arrangement laid out for Her by the Lord, left her couch at
midnight (Psalm 118, 62), and, prostrate in the presence of the Most
High, commenced her accustomed prayer and holy exercises.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In this vision our
Princess Mary learned most high secrets of the Divinity and of its
perfections, and especially of God’s communications </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad
extra </i></span><span lang="en-US">in the work of creation. She saw
that it originated in the goodness and liberality of God, that
creatures were not necessary for supplementing his Divine existence,
nor for his infinite glory, since without them He was glorious
through the interminable eternities before the creation of the world.
Many sacraments and secrets were manifested to our Queen, which
neither can nor should be made known to all; for She alone was the
only One (Cant. 6, 8: 7, 6), the chosen One, selected by the highest
King and Lord of creation for these delights. But as her Highness in
this vision perceived this impulse and inclination of the Divinity to
communicate Itself </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad extra </i></span><span lang="en-US">with
a force greater than that which makes all the elements tend toward
their center, and as She was drawn within the sphere of this divine
love, She besought the eternal Father with heart aflame, that He send
his Onlybegotten into the world and give salvation to men, since in
this manner He should satisfy, and, (speaking humanly), execute the
promptings of his Divinity and its perfections.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">These petitions of
his Spouse were very sweet to the Lord; they were the scarlet lace,
with which She bound and secured his love. And in order to put his
desires into execution He sought first to prepare the tabernacle or
temple, whither He was to descend from the bosom of the eternal
Father. He resolved to furnish his beloved and chosen Mother with a
clear knowledge of all his works </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad</i></span>
<span lang="en-US"><i>extra, </i></span><span lang="en-US">just as
his Omnipotence had made them. On the first day therefore, and in
this same vision, He manifested to Her all that He had made on the
first day of the creation of the world, as it is recorded in Genesis,
and She perceived all with greater clearness and comprehension, than
if She had been an eye–witness; for She knew them first as they
are in God, and then as they are in themselves.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
She perceived and understood, how the
Lord in the beginning (Gen. 1; 1, 5), created heaven and earth; in
how far and in what way it was void, and how the darkness was over
the face of the abyss; how the spirit of the Lord hovered over the
waters and how, at the divine command, light was made, and what was
its nature; how, after the darkness was divided, it was called night
and the light day, and how thus the first day was made. She knew the
size of the earth, its longitude, latitude and depth, its caverns,
hell, limbo and purgatory with their inhabitants; the countries,
climes, the meridians and divisions of the world, and all its
inhabitants and occupants. With the same clearness She knew the
inferior orbs and the empyrean heaven; how the angels were made on
the first day; She was informed of their nature, conditions,
diversity, hierarchies, offices, grades and virtues. The rebellion of
the bad angels was revealed to Her, their fall and the occasion and
the cause of that fall, though the Lord always concealed from Her
that which concerned Herself. She understood the punishment and the
effects of sin in the demons, beholding them as they are in
themselves; and at the conclusion of the first day, the Lord showed
to Her, how She too was formed of this lowly earthly material and
endowed with the same nature as all those, who return to the dust: He
did not however say, that She would again return to it; yet He gave
Her such a profound knowledge of the earthly existence, that the
great Queen humiliated Herself to the abyss of nothingness; being
without fault. She debased Herself more than all the children of Adam
with all their miseries.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This whole vision and all its effects
the Most High arranged in such a way as to open up in the heart of
Mary the deep trenches that were required for the foundations of the
edifice, which He wished to erect in Her: namely so high a one, that
it would reach up to the substantial and hypostatic union of the
human and divine nature. And as the dignity of Mother of God was
without limits and to a certain extent infinite, it was becoming that
She should be grounded in a proportionate humility, such as would be
without limits though still within the bounds of reason itself.
Attaining the summit of virtue, this blessed One among women
humiliated Herself to such an extent, that the most holy Trinity was,
as it were, fully paid and satisfied, and (according to our mode of
understanding) constrained to raise Her to the highest position and
dignity possible among creatures and nearest to the Divinity itself.
In this highest benevolence his Majesty spoke and said to Her:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">My Spouse
and Dove, great is my desire redeeming man from sin and my immense
kindness is as it were strained in waiting for the time, in which I
shall descend in order to repair the world; ask Me continually during
these days and with great affection for the fulfillment of this
desire. Prostrate in my royal presence let not thy petitions and
clamors cease, asking Me that the Onlybegotten of the Father descend
in reality to unite Himself with the human nature. “Whereupon
the heavenly Princess responded and said: “Lord and God
eternal, whose is all the power and wisdom, whose wish none can
resist (Esther 13, 9), who shall hinder thy Omnipotence? Who shall
detain the impetuous current of thy Divinity, so that thy pleasure in
conferring this benefit upon the whole human race remain unfulfilled?
If perhaps, 0 my Beloved, I am a hindrance to such an immeasurable
benefit, let me perish before I impede thy pleasure; this blessing
cannot depend upon the merits of any creature; therefore, my Lord and
Master, do not wait, as we might later on merit it so much the less.
The sins of men increase and the offenses against Thee are
multiplied; how shall we merit the very blessing, of which we become
daily more unworthy? In Thee thyself, my Lord, exists the last cause
and motive of our salvation; thy infinite bounty, thy numberless
mercies incite Thee, the groans of thy Prophets and of the Fathers of
thy people solicit Thee, the saints sigh after Thee, the sinners look
for Thee and all of them together call out to Thee; and if I,
insignificant wormlet, on account of my ingratitude, am not unworthy
of thy merciful condescension, I venture to beseech Thee, from the
bottom of my heart, to speed thy coming and to hasten thy Redemption
for thy greater glory.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When the Princess of heaven had
finished this prayer, She returned to her ordinary and more natural
state; but anxious to fulfill the mandate of the Lord, She continued
during that whole day her petitions for the Incarnation of the Word
and with the deepest humility She repeated the exercises of
prostrating Herself to the ground and praying in the form of a cross.
For the Holy Ghost, who governed Her, had taught Her this posture, by
which She so highly pleased the most blessed Trinity. God saw, in the
body of the future Mother of the Word, as it were the crucified
person of Christ and therefore He received this morning sacrifice of
the most pure Virgin as an advance offering of that of his most holy
Son.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the second day, at the same hour
of midnight, the Virgin Mary was visited in the same way as described
in the last chapter. The divine power raised Her up by the same
elevations and illuminings to prepare Her for the visions of the
Divinity. He manifested Himself again in an abstractive manner as on
the first day, and She was shown the works performed on the second
day of the creation. She learnt how and when God divided the waters
(Gen. 1, 6), some above and others below, establishing the firmament,
and above it the crystal, known also as the watery heaven. Her
insight penetrated into the greatness, order, conditions, movements
and all the other qualities and conditions of the heavens.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
And in the most prudent Virgin this
knowledge did not lay idle, nor remain sterile; for immediately the
most clear light of the Divinity overflowed in Her, and inflamed and
emblazoned Her with admiration, praise and love of the goodness and
power of God. Being transformed as it were with a godlike excellence,
She produced heroic acts of all the virtues, entirely pleasing to his
divine Majesty. And as in the preceding first day God had made Her a
participant of his wisdom, so on this second day, He made Her in
corresponding measure a participant in the divine Omnipotence, and
gave Her power over the influences of the heavens, of the planets and
elements, commanding them all to obey Her. Thus was this great Queen
raised to Sovereignty over the sea, the earth, the elements and the
celestial orbs, with all the creatures, which are contained therein.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
More and more the Queen of heaven
reflected his infinite attributes and virtues; more and more
brilliantly shone forth her beauty under the touch of the pencil of
the divine Wisdom and under the colors and lights added to it from on
high. On the third day She was informed of the works of creation as
they happened on the third day. She learned when and how the waters,
which were beneath the firmament, flowed together in one place, (Gen.
1, 9), disclosing the dry land, which the Lord called earth, while He
called the waters the sea. She learned in what way the earth brought
forth the fresh herbs, and all plants and fructiferous trees with
their seeds, each one according to its kind. She was taught and She
comprehended the greatness of the sea, its depth and its divisions,
its correspondence with the streams and the fountains, that take
their rise from it and flow back into it; the different plants and
herbs, the flowers, trees, roots, fruits and seeds; She perceived how
all and each one of them serve for the use of man. All this our Queen
understood and penetrated with the keenest insight more clearly,
distinctly and comprehensibly than Adam or Solomon. In comparison
with Her all those skilled in medicine in the world would appear but
ignorant even after the most thorough studies and largest experience.
The most holy Mary knew all that was hidden from sight, as Wisdom
says (Wis. 7, 21); and just as She learned it without any fiction,
She also communicates it without envy. Whatever Solomon says there in
the book of Wisdom was realized in Her with incomparable and eminent
perfection.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
There is another special favor, which
the most holy Mary received for the benefit of the mortals on the
third day and in that vision of the Divinity; for during this vision
God manifested to Her in a special way the desire of his divine love
to come to the aid of men and to raise them up from all their
miseries. In accordance with the knowledge of his infinite mercy and
the object for which it was conceded, the Most High gave to Mary a
certain kind of participation of his own attributes, in order that
afterwards, as the Mother and Advocate of sinners, She might
intercede for them. This participation of the most holy Mary in the
love of God and in his inclination to help her, was so heavenly and
powerful that if from that time on the strength of the Lord had not
come to her aid, She would not have been able to bear the impetuosity
of her desire to assist and save mankind. Filled with this love and
charity, She would, if necessary or feasible, have delivered Herself
an infinite number of times to the flames, to the sword and to the
most exquisite torments of death for their salvation. All the
torments, sorrows, tribulations, pains, infirmities She would have
accepted and suffered; and She would have considered them a great
delight for the salvation of sinners. Whatever all men have suffered
from the beginning of the world till this hour, and whatever they
will suffer till the end, would have been a small matter for the love
of this most merciful Mother. Let therefore mortals and sinners
understand what they owe to most holy Mary.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
From that day on, the heavenly Lady
continued to be the Mother of kindness and great mercy, and for two
reasons: first, because from that moment She sought with an especial
and anxious desire to communicate without envy the treasures of
grace, which She had comprehended and received; and therefore such an
admirable sweetness grew up in her heart, that She was ready to
communicate it to all men and to shelter them in her heart in order
to make them participants of the divine love, which there was
enkindled. Secondly, because this love of most holy Mary for the
salvation of men was one of the principal dispositions required for
conceiving the eternal Word in her virginal womb. It was eminently
befitting that She should be all mercy, kindness, piety and clemency,
who was Herself to conceive and give birth to the Word made man,
since He in his mercy, clemency and love desired to humiliate Himself
to the lowliness of our nature, and wished to be born of Her in order
to suffer for men. It is said: like begets like: just as the water
partakes of the qualities of the minerals through which it flows; and
although the birth of Christ originated in the Divinity, yet it also
partook of the conditions of the Mother as far as was possible. She
therefore would not have been suitable for concurrence with the Holy
Ghost in this conception, in which only the activity of the man was
wanting, if She had not been endowed with perfections corresponding
to those of the humanity of Christ.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Most High manifested to Her in
this vision, by most special enlightenments, the new Law of grace
which the Redeemer of the world was to establish, the Sacraments
contained in it, the end for which He would leave them in his new
Church of the Gospel, the gifts and blessings prepared for men, and
his desire, that all should be saved and that all should reap the
fruit of the Redemption. And so great was the wisdom, which the most
holy Mary drew from these visions, wherein She was taught by the
highest Teacher and the Corrector of the wise (Wis. 7, 15), that, if
by any means man or angel could describe it, more books would have to
be written of this science of our Lady than all those which have been
composed in this world concerning all the arts and sciences, and all
the inventions of men. And no wonder her science was greater than
that of all other men: for into the heart and mind of our Princess
was emptied and exhausted the ocean of the Divinity, which the sins
and the evil disposition of the creatures had confined, repressed and
circumscribed. It was concealed within its own source until the
proper time, which was no other than the hour in which She was chosen
as Mother of the Onlybegotten of the Father.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Joined with the sweetness of this
divine science, our Queen felt a loving, yet piercing sorrow, which
this very science continued to renew. She perceived in the Most High
the ineffable treasures of grace and blessings, which He had prepared
for mortals and She saw the weight of the Divinity as it were
inclined toward the desire of seeing all men enjoy them eternally. At
the same time She saw and considered the wicked disposition of the
world, and how blindly mortals impeded the flow of these treasures
and deprived themselves of participation of the Divinity. From this
resulted a new kind of martyrdom full of grief for the perdition of
men and of the desire of remedying such lamentable loss. This caused
Her to offer up the most exalted prayers, petitions, sacrifices,
humiliations and heroic acts of love of God and of men, in order that
no one, if possible, should henceforth damn himself, and that all
should recognize their Creator, and Redeemer, confess Him, adore and
love Him. All this took place in this very vision; but as these
petitions were of the same kind as those already described, I do not
expatiate on them here.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In conjunction therewith the Lord
showed Her also the works of creation performed on the fourth day
(Gen. 1, 14–17). The heavenly Princess Mary learned how and
when the luminaries of heaven were formed in the firmament for
dividing day and night and for indicating the seasons, the days and
the years; how for this purpose was created the great light of
heaven, the sun, presiding as the Lord of the day, and joined with
it, the moon, the lesser light, which reigns over the darkness of the
night. In like manner were formed the stars of the eighth heaven, in
order that they might gladden the night with their brilliance and
preside with their various influences over both the day and the
night. She understood what was the material substance of these
luminous orbs, their form, their size, their properties, their
various movements and the uniformity as well as the inequality of the
planets. She knew the number of the stars, and all their influences
exerted upon the earth, both in regard to the living and the lifeless
creatures; the effects and changes, which they cause in them by these
influences.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The fifth day of the novena, which
the most blessed Trinity celebrated in the temple of most holy Mary,
in order that the eternal Word might assume human shape in Her, had
arrived. Just as in the preceding days She was elevated to an
abstractive vision of the Divinity, and, as the veil fell more and
more from the secrets of the infinite wisdom, She discovered new
mysteries also during this day. For the preparations and
enlightenments emitted ever stronger rays of light and divine graces,
which flashed into her most holy soul and emptied the treasures of
infinity into her faculties, assimilating and transforming the
heavenly Lady more and more to a likeness of her God in order to make
Her worthy of being his Mother.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Princess Mary, through these
words of the Most High, was instructed in the great mysteries
regarding the number of the predestined and the reprobate and also
regarding the hindrances and impediments by which sinful men delayed
the coming of the eternal Word as man into the world. Having present
before Herself the vision both of the infinite bounty and equity of
the Creator and of the measureless iniquity and malice of men, the
most prudent Mistress, inflamed by the fire of divine love, spoke to
his Majesty and said:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">My Lord and
infinite God of wisdom and incomprehensible sanctity, what mystery is
this, which Thou hast manifested to me? Without measure are the
misdeeds of men, so that only thy wisdom can comprehend them. But can
all these and many more, perhaps, extinguish thy bounty and love, or
vie with them? No, my Lord and Master, it must not be so; the malice
of men must not detain thy mercy. I am the most useless of all the
human race; yet on its behalf I remind Thee of thy fidelity.
Infallibly true it is, that heaven and earth will come to naught,
before thy word can fail (Is. 51, 6), and it is also true, that Thou
hast many times given thy word through the holy Prophets; and Thou
hast promised them by word of mouth, a Redeemer and our sa1vation.
How then, my God, can these promises fail of fulfillment without
conflicting with thy infinite wisdom; or how can man be deceived
without conflicting with thy goodness? In order to induce Thee to
fulfill thy promise and to secure them eternal felicity through thy
incarnate Word, I have nothing to offer on the part of mortals nor
can any creature oblige Thee; and if this blessing could be merited,
then thy infinite and bounteous clemency would not thereby be
glorified. Only through thy own Self can this obligation be imposed
upon Thee, for only in God can a sufficient reason be found for his
becoming man: in Thee alone was the reason and the motive for our
creation, and therefore in Thee alone also the reason for our
reparation after our fall. Do not seek, my God and most high King,
for merits, nor for a greater motive, than thy own mercy and the
exaltation of thy holy name.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">It is true,
my Spouse,” answered the Most High, “that on account of
my goodness I bound Myself to the promise of vesting Myself in human
nature and of dwelling among them, and that no one could merit in my
sight such a promise; but the ungrateful behavior of men, so
abominable in my sight and in my justice, does not merit the
execution of this promise.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
It is impossible to describe the
hidden secrets, which most holy Mary then saw in the Lord; for She
perceived in Him all the creatures of the past, present and the
future, and the position of each one in creation, the good and bad
actions and the final ending of each one. If She had not been
strengthened, She could not have preserved her life under the effects
and feelings caused by the knowledge and insight into these hidden
sacraments and mysteries. But as his Majesty, in these new miracles
and blessings had such high ends in view, He was not sparing but most
liberal with the beloved One, whom He had chosen as his Mother. And
as our Queen derived this science from the bosom of God itself, She
participated also in the fire of his eternal Charity, which inflamed
Her with the love of God and the neighbor. Therefore, continuing her
intercession, She said:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Lord and
eternal God, invisible and immortal, I confess thy justice, I magnify
thy works, I adore thy infinite Essence and hold in reverence thy
judgments. My heart melts within me with tenderest affection, when I
perceive thy unlimited bounty toward men and their dark ingratitude
and grossness toward Thee. For all of them, 0 my God, Thou seekest
eternal life; but there are few who are thankful for this inestimable
benefit, and many who will perish by their malice. If on this
account, 0 my eternal Good, Thou relinquishest thy undertaking, we
mortals are lost; but while Thou, in thy divine foreknowledge,
perceivest the sins and the malice of men who offend Thee so much,
Thou also foreseest thy Onlybegotten made man and his works of
infinite price and value in thy sight; and these will counterbalance
and exceed the malice of sin beyond all comparison.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
At this prayer of most pure Mary, the eternal
Father (in our way of speaking) represented to Himself his
Onlybegotten as borne in the virginal womb of this great Queen; and
He was moved by her humble and loving petitions. His apparent
hesitation was merely a device of his tender love in order to enjoy
so much the longer the voice of his Beloved, causing her sweet lips
to distil most sweet honey (Cant. 4, 11) and her emissions to be like
those of paradise (Cant. 4, 13). And to draw out still more this
loving contention, the Lord answered Her: “My sweetest Spouse
and chosen Dove, great is that which thou askest of Me and little is
that which obliges Me on the part of men; how then shall such a
singular blessing be conferred on those unworthy ones? Leave Me, my
friend, to treat them according to their evil deserts.” Our
powerful and kind Advocate responded: “No, my Master, I will
not desist from my importunity; if much I ask, I ask it of Thee, who
are rich in mercies, powerful in action, true in thy words. My father
David said of Thee and of the eternal Word: “The Lord hath
sworn, and He will not repent: thou art a priest forever according to
the order of Melchisedech” (Ps. 109, 4). Let then that Priest
come, who is at the same time to be the sacrifice for our rescue; let
Him come, since Thou canst not repent of thy promise; for Thou dost
not promise in ignorance. Let me be clothed.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In this contest (just as it once happened to
Jacob) our Lady and Queen was asked, what was her name; and She said:
“I am a daughter of Adam, formed by thy hands from the
insignificant dust.” And the Most High answered: “Henceforth
Thou shalt be called: Chosen for the Mother of the Onlybegotten.”
But the latter part of this name was heard only by the courtiers of
heaven, while to Her it was as yet hidden until the proper time. She
therefore heard only the word “Chosen.” Having thus
protracted this amorous contention according to the disposition of
his divine wisdom and as far as served to inflame the heart of this
elected One, the whole blessed Trinity gave to Mary, our most pure
Queen, the explicit promise, that They would now send into the world
the eternal Word made man. Filled with incomparable joy and
exultation by this fiat, She asked and received the benediction of
the Most High. Thus this strong Woman issued forth from the contest
with God more victorious than Jacob; for She came out rich, strong
and laden with spoils, and the One that was wounded and weakened (to
speak in our way) was God himself; for He was drawn by the love of
this Lady to clothe Himself in that sacred bridal chamber of her womb
with the weakness of our passible nature. He disguised and enveloped
the strength of his Divinity, so as to conquer in allowing Himself to
be conquered, and in order to give us life by his death. Let the
mortals see and acknowledge, how most holy Mary, next to her most
blessed Son, is the cause of their salvation.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During this vision were also revealed
to this great Queen the works of the fifth day of the creation in the
manner in which they happened; She saw how, by the force of the
divine command, were engendered and produced in the waters beneath
the firmament, the imperfect reptiles, which creep upon the earth,
the winged animals that course through the air, and the finny tribes
that glide through the watery regions. Of all these creatures She
knew the beginnings, the substance, the form and figure according to
their kinds; She knew all the species of the animals that inhabit the
fields and woods, their conditions, peculiarities, their uses and
connections; She knew the birds of heaven (for so we call the
atmosphere), with the varied forms of each kind, their ornaments,
feathers, their lightness; the innumerable fishes of the seas and the
rivers, the differences between the whales, their forms, composition
and qualities, their caverns and the foods furnished them by the sea,
the ends which they serve, the use to which they can be put in the
world. And his Majesty especially commanded all these hosts of
creatures to recognize and obey most holy Mary, giving Her the power
to command all of them, as it happened on many occasions to be
mentioned later on. Therewith She issued from the trance of this day
and She occupied Herself during the rest of it in the exercise and
petitions, which the Most High had pointed out to Her.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having seen God in this vision She
was immediately shown the works on the sixth day of the creation of
the world. She witnessed, as if She Herself had been present, how at
the command of the Lord the earth brought forth the living beings
according to their kinds, as Moses says (Gen. 1, 24). Holy Scripture
here refers to the terrestrial animals, which being more perfect than
the fishes and birds in life and activity, are called by a name
signifying the more important part of their nature. She saw and
understood all the kinds and species of animals, which were created
on this sixth day, and by what name they were called: some, beasts of
burden, because they serve and assist man, others, wild beasts, as
being more fierce and untamed; others, reptiles, because they do not
raise themselves or very little from the earth. She knew and
comprehended the qualities of all of them: their fury, their
strength, the useful purposes which they serve, and all their
distinctions and singularities. Over all these She was invested with
dominion and they were commanded to obey Her. She could without
opposition on their part have trodden upon asps and basilisks, for
all would have meekly borne her heel. Many times did some of these
animals show their subjection to her commands, as when, at the birth
of her most Holy Son, the ox and the ass prostrated themselves and by
their breaths warmed the infant God at the command of his blessed
Mother.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
After seeing the creation of all the irrational
creatures, She became aware, how the most blessed Trinity, in order
to complete and perfect the world, said: “Let us make man to
our image and likeness” (Gen. 1, 26), and how by virtue of this
divine decree the first man was formed of the earth as the first
parent of all the rest. She had a profound insight into the
harmonious composition of the human body and soul and of their
faculties, of the creation and infusion of the soul into the body and
of its intimate union with the body. Of the structure of the human
body and all its parts, She obtained a deep knowledge: She was
informed of the number of the bones, veins, arteries, nerves and
ligatures; of the concourse of humors to compose the befitting
temperaments, the faculties of nutrition, growth and locomotion; She
learned in what manner the disturbances or changes in this harmony
caused the sicknesses, and how these can he cured. All this the most
prudent Virgin understood and comprehended without the least error,
better than all the wise men of the world and better than even the
angels.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Lord manifested to Her also the
happy state of original justice, in which He placed the first parents
Adam and Eve; She understood their condition, beauty and perfection
of innocence and grace; and for how short a time they persevered in
it. She perceived how they were tempted and overcome by the
astuteness of the serpent (Gen. 2, 51), and what were the
consequences of their sin; and how great were the fury and hate of
the demon against the human race. At the vision of all these things
our Queen made great and heroic acts of virtue, highly pleasing to
God. She understood, that She was a daughter of these first parents
and that She descended from a nature so thankless to its Creator. In
the remembrance of this She humiliated Herself in his divine
presence, thereby wounding the heart of God and obliging Him to raise
Her above all that is created. She took it upon Herself to weep for
the first sin and for all the rest, that followed from it, as if She
Herself had been guilty of them all. Hence, even at that time, that
first sin might have been called a fortunate fault, which caused
tears so precious in the eyes of the Lord, and which earned us such
sureties and pledges of our Redemption.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The seventh day of this mysterious preparation for
the approaching sacrament arrived, and in the same hour as already
mentioned, the heavenly Lady was called and elevated in spirit, but
with this difference, that She was bodily raised by her holy angels
to the empyrean heaven, while in her stead one of them remained to
represent Her in corporeal appearance. Placed into this highest
heaven, She saw the Divinity by abstract vision as in other days; but
always with new and more penetrating light, piercing to new and more
profound mysteries, which God according to his free will can conceal
or reveal. Presently She heard a voice proceeding from the royal
throne, which said: “Our Spouse and chosen Dove, our gracious
Friend, who hast been found pleasing in our eyes and hast been chosen
among thousands: We wish to accept thee anew as our Bride, and
therefore We wish to adorn and beautify thee in a manner worthy of
our design.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
On hearing these words the most Humble among the
humble abased and annihilated Herself in the presence of the Most
High more than can be comprehended by human power. Entirely
submissive to the divine pleasure and with entrancing modesty, She
responded: “At thy feet, 0 Lord, lies the dust and abject worm,
ready is thy poor slave for the fulfillment of all thy pleasure in
her. Make use, 0 eternal Good, of this thy insignificant instrument
according to thy desire, and dispose of it with thy right hand.”
Presently the Most High commanded two seraphim, of those nearest to
his throne and highest in dignity to attend on this heavenly Virgin.
Accompanied by others, they presented themselves in visible form
before the throne, and there surrounded the most holy Mary, who was
more inflamed with divine love than they.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The heavenly Princess, most holy
Mary, had now attained such fullness of grace and beauty and the
heart of God was so wounded by her tender affections and desires
(Cant. 4, 9), that He was so to say irresistibly drawn to begin his
flight from the bosom of the eternal Father to the bridal–chamber
of her virginal womb and end the long delay of more than five
thousand years. Nevertheless, since this new wonder was to be
executed in the plenitude of his wisdom and equity, the Lord arranged
this event in such a way, that the Princess of the heavens Herself,
being the worthy Mother of the incarnate Word, should at the same
time be also the most powerful Mediatrix of his coming and the
Redeemer of his people much more than Esther was of Israel (Esther
ch. 7 and 8). In the heart of most holy Mary burned the flame, which
God himself had enkindled, and without intermission She prayed for
the salvation of the human race. However, as yet the most humble Lady
restrained Herself in modesty, knowing that on account of the sin of
Adam, the sentence of death and of eternal privation from the vision
of God had been promulgated (Gen. 3, 9).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The Most High received his holy and chosen Bride,
most holy Mary, into his presence. Although this happened not in an
intuitive, but in an abstractive vision of the Divinity, it was
accompanied with incomparable favors of light and purification
proceeding from the Lord himself, such as were specially reserved for
this day. For they were so divine, that, in our way of speaking, God
himself who wrought them, was astonished and was charmed with the
work of his hand. As if entranced with love, He spoke to Her and
said: “Revertere, revertere, Sulamitis, ut intueamur te”
(Return, return, 0 Sulamitess, that We may behold thee). “My
Spouse, my most perfect and beloved Dove, pleasing in my sight, turn
and advance toward Us, that We may behold thee and be charmed by thy
beauty. I do not regret to have created man and I delight in his
formation, since thou hast been born of him. Let my celestial spirits
see how justly I have desired and do desire to choose thee as my
Spouse and the Queen of all the creatures. Let them see what good
reason I have to rejoice in this my bridal chamber, from whence my
Onlybegotten, next to that of my own bosom, shall derive the greatest
glory. Let all understand, that if I justly repudiated Eve, the first
queen of the earth, on account of her disobedience, I now place thee
and establish thee in the highest dignity, showing my magnificence
and power in dealing with thy purest humility and self–abasement.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order to put the last touch to
this prodigious work of preparing the most holy Mary, the Lord
extended his powerful arm and expressly renewed the spirit and the
faculties of the great Lady, giving Her new inclinations, habits and
qualities, the greatness and excellence of which are inexpressible in
terrestrial terms. It was the finishing act and the final retouching
of the living image of God, in order to form, in it and of it, the
very shape, into which the eternal Word, the essential image of the
eternal Father (II Cor. 4, 4) and the figure of his substance (Heb.
1, 3), was to be cast. Thus the whole temple of most holy Mary, more
so than that of Solomon, was covered with the purest gold of the
Divinity inside and out, (III Kings, 6, 30), so that nowhere could be
seen in Her any grossness of an earthly daughter of Adam. Her entire
being was made to shine forth the Divinity; for since the divine Word
was to issue from the bosom of the eternal Father to descend to that
of Mary, He provided for the greatest possible similarity between the
Mother and the Father.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
No words at my disposal could ever
suffice to describe as I would wish, the effects of these favors in
the heart of our great Queen and Mistress. Human thought cannot
conceive them, how then can human words express them? But what has
caused the greatest wonder in me, when I considered these things in
the light given to me, is the humility of this heavenly Woman and the
mutual contest between her humility and the divine power. Rare and
astonishing prodigy of humility, to see this Maiden, most holy Mary,
though raised to the supremest dignity and holiness next to God, yet
humiliating Herself and debasing Herself below the meanest of the
creatures; so that, by the force of this humility, no thought of her
being destined for the Mothership of the Messias could find entrance
into her mind! And not only this: She did not even have a suspicion
of anything great or admirable in Herself (Ps. 130, 1). Her eyes and
heart were not elated; on the contrary the higher She ascended by the
operation of the right hand of her God, so much the more lowly were
her thoughts concerning Herself. It was therefore just, that the
Almighty should look upon her humility (Luke 1, 48), and that
therefore all generations should call her fortunate and blessed.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962790"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, whoever has only a
selfish and servile love is not a worthy spouse of the Most High, she
must not love or fear like a slave, nor is she supposed to serve for
her daily wages. Yet although her heart must be a filial and generous
love on account of the excellence and immense goodness of her Spouse,
she must nevertheless also feel herself much bounden to Him, when she
considers how rich and liberal He is; how, on account of his love for
souls, He has created a variety of visible goods in order that they
might serve those who serve Him; and especially, when she considers
how many hidden treasures He has in readiness in the abundance of his
sweetness (Ps. 30, 20) for those that fear Him as his true children.
I wish that thou feel deeply obliged to thy Lord and Father, thy
Spouse and Friend, at the thought of the riches given to those souls,
who become his dearest children. For, as a powerful Father, He holds
in readiness these great and manifold gifts for his children, and if
necessary, all of his gifts for each one of them in particular. In
the midst of such motives and incentives of love the disaffection of
men is inexcusable, and at the sight of so many blessings, given
without measure, their ingratitude is unpardonable.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Remember, also, my dearest, that thou
wast no foreigner, or stranger in this house of the Lord, his holy
Church (Ephes. 2, 19); but thou wast made a domestic and a spouse of
Christ among the saints, favored by his gifts and by the dowry of a
bride. Since all the treasures and riches of the bridegroom belong to
the legitimate spouse, consider of how great possessions He makes
thee participant and mistress. Enjoy them all, then, as his domestic,
and be zealous for his honor as a much–favored daughter and
spouse; thank Him for all these works and benefits, as if they had
all been prepared for thee alone by the Lord. Love and reverence Him
for thyself and for all thy neighbors, to whom God has been so
liberal. In all this imitate, with thy weak faculties, that which
thou hast understood of what I have done. I assure thee also,
daughter, that it will he very pleasing to me, if thou magnify and
praise the Omnipotent with fervent affection, for the favors and
riches which, beyond all human conception, the divine right hand
showered upon me.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962791"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 3, Chapter 2</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thereupon his Majesty announced to
all the other angels that the time of the Redemption had come and
that He had commanded it to be brought to the world without delay;
for already, in their own presence, the most holy Mary had been
prepared and adorned to be his Mother, and had been exalted to the
supreme dignity. The heavenly spirits heard the voice of their
Creator, and with incomparable joy and thanksgiving for the
fulfillment of his eternal and perfect will, they intoned new
canticles of praise, repeating therein that hymn of Sion: “Holy,
holy, holy art thou, God and Lord Sabaoth (Is. 6, 3). Just and
powerful art Thou, Lord our God, who livest in the highest (Ps. 112,
5) and lookest upon the lowly of the earth. Admirable are all thy
works, most high and exalted in thy designs.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The supernal prince Gabriel, obeying
with singular delight the divine command and accompanied by many
thousands of most beautiful angels in visible forms, descended from
the highest heaven. The appearance of the great prince and legate was
that of a most handsome youth of rarest beauty; his face emitted
resplendent rays of light, his bearing was grave and majestic, his
advance measured, his motions composed, his words weighty and
powerful, his whole presence displayed a pleasing, kindly gravity and
more of godlike qualities than all the other angels until then seen
in visible form by the heavenly Mistress. He wore a diadem of
exquisite splendor and his vestments glowed in various colors full of
refulgent beauty. Enchased on his breast, he bore a most beautiful
cross, disclosing the mystery of the Incarnation, which He had come
to announce. All these circumstances were calculated to rivet the
affectionate attention of the most prudent Queen.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The whole of this celestial army with
their princely leader holy Gabriel directed their flight to Nazareth,
a town of the province of Galilee, to the dwelling place of most holy
Mary. This was an humble cottage and her chamber was a narrow room,
bare of all those furnishings which are wont to be used by the world
in order to hide its own meanness and want of all higher goods. The
heavenly Mistress was at this time fourteen years, six months and
seventeen days of age; for her birthday anniversary fell on the
eighth of September and six months seventeen days had passed since
that date, when this greatest of all mysteries ever performed by God
in this world, was enacted in Her.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The bodily shape of the heavenly
Queen was well proportioned and taller than is usual with other
maidens of her age; yet extremely elegant and perfect in all its
parts. Her face was rather more oblong than round, gracious and
beautiful, without leanness or grossness; its complexion clear, yet
of a slightly brownish hue; her forehead spacious yet symmetrical;
her eyebrows perfectly arched; her eyes large and serious, of
incredible and ineffable beauty and dovelike sweetness, dark in color
with a mixture tending toward green; her nose straight and well
shaped; her mouth small, with red–colored lips, neither too
thin nor too thick. All the gifts of nature in Her were so
symmetrical and beautiful, that no other human being ever had the
like. To look upon Her caused feelings at the same time of joy and
seriousness, love and reverential fear. She attracted the heart and
yet restrained it in sweet reverence; her beauty impelled the tongue
to sound her praise, and yet her grandeur and her overwhelming
perfections and graces hushed it to silence. In all that approached
Her, She caused divine effects not easily explained; She filled the
heart with heavenly influences and divine operations, tending toward
the Divinity.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Her garments were
humble and poor, yet clean, of</span> <span lang="en-US">a dark
silvery hue, somewhat like the color of ashes, and they were arranged
and worn without pretense, but with the greatest modesty and
propriety. At the time when, without her noticing it, the embassy of
heaven drew nigh unto Her, She was engaged in the highest
contemplation concerning the mysteries which the Lord had renewed in
Her by so many favors during the nine receding days. And since, as we
have said above, the Lord himself had assured Her that his
Onlybegotten would soon descend to assume human form, this great
Queen was full of fervent and joyful affection in the expectation of
its execution and inflamed with humble love, She spoke in her heart:
“Is it possible that the blessed time has arrived, in which the
Word of the eternal Father is to be born and to converse with men?
(Brauch 10, 38). That the world should possess Him? That men are to
see Him in the flesh? (Is. 40.5). That his inaccessible light is to
shine forth to illumine those who sit in darkness? (Is. 9, 2). O, who
shall be worthy to see and know Him! O, who shall be allowed to kiss
the earth touched by his feet!”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Rejoice, ye
heavens, and console thyself, O earth</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">(Ps.
95, 11); let all things bless and extol Him, since already his
eternal happiness is nigh! O children of Adam, afflicted with sin,
and ye creatures of</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">my
Beloved, now shall you raise your heads and throw off the yoke of
your ancient servitude! (Is. 14, 25). O, ye ancient Forefathers and
Prophets, and all ye just, that are detained in limbo and are waiting
in the bosom of Abraham, now shall you be consoled and your much
desired and long promised Redeemer shall tarry no longer! (Agg. 2</span><span lang="en-US"><i>,
</i></span><span lang="en-US">8). Let us all magnify Him and sing to
Him hymns of praise! O who shall be the slave of Her, whom Isaias
points out as his Mother (Is. 7, 4); O Emmanuel, true God and Man! O
key of David, who art to unlock heaven! (Is. 22, 22). O eternal
Wisdom! O Lawgiver of the new Church! Come, come to us, O Lord, and
end the captivity of thy people; let all flesh see thy salvation!”
(Is. 40, 5).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In order that the
mystery of the Most High might be fulfilled, the holy archangel
Gabriel, in the shape described in the preceding chapter and
accompanied by innumerable angels in visible human forms and
resplendent with incomparable beauty, entered into the chamber, where
most holy Mary was praying. It was on a Thursday at six o’clock
in the evening and at the approach of night. The great modesty and
restraint of the Princess of heaven did not permit Her to look at him
more than was necessary to recognize him as an angel of the Lord.
Recognizing him as such, She, in her usual humility, wished to do him
reverence; the holy prince would not allow it; on the contrary he
himself bowed profoundly as before his Queen and Mistress, in whom he
adored the heavenly mysteries of his Creator. At the same time he
understood that from that day on the ancient times and the custom of
old whereby men should worship angels, as Abraham had done (Gen. 38,
2</span><span lang="en-US"><i>), </i></span><span lang="en-US">were
changed. For as human nature was raised to the dignity of God himself
in the person of the Word, men now held the position of adopted
children, of companions and brethren of the angels, as the angel said
to Evangelist Saint John, when he refused to be worshipped (Apoc. 19,
10).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The holy archangel saluted our and his Queen and
said: “Ave gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in
mulieribus” (Luke 1, 28). Hearing this new salutation of the
angel, this most humble of all creatures was disturbed, but not
confused in mind (Luke 1, 29). This disturbance arose from two
causes: first, from her humility, for She thought herself the lowest
of the creatures and thus in her humility, was taken unawares at
hearing Herself saluted and called the “Blessed among women;”
secondly, when She heard this salute and began to consider within
Herself how She should receive it, She was interiorly made to
understand by the Lord, that He chose Her for his Mother, and this
caused a still greater perturbance, having such an humble opinion of
Herself. On account of this perturbance the angel proceeded to
explain to Her the decree of the Lord, saying: “Do not fear,
Mary, for thou hast found grace before the Lord (Luke 1, 30); behold
thou shalt conceive a Son in thy womb, and thou shalt give birth to
Him, and thou shalt name Him Jesus; He shall be great, and He shall
be called Son of the Most High,” and the rest as recorded of
the holy archangel.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Our most prudent
and humble Queen alone, among all the creatures, was sufficiently
intelligent and magnanimous to estimate at its true value such a new
and unheard of sacrament; and in proportion as She realized its
greatness, so She was also moved with admiration. But She raised her
humble heart to the Lord, who</span> <span lang="en-US">could not
refuse Her any petition, and in the secret of her spirit She asked
new light and assistance by which to govern Herself in such an
arduous transaction; for, as we have said in the preceding chapter,
the Most High, in order to permit Her to act in this mystery solely
in faith, hope and charity, left Her in the common state and
suspended all other kinds of favors and interior elevations, which
She so frequently or continually enjoyed. In this disposition She
replied and said to holy Gabriel, what is written in saint Luke: “how
shall this happen, that I conceive and bear; since I know not, nor
can know, man?” At the same time She interiorly represented to
the Lord the vow of chastity, which She had made and the espousal,
which his Majesty had celebrated with Her.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The holy prince Gabriel replied (Luke 1, 24):
“Lady, it is easy for the divine power to make Thee a Mother
without the cooperation of man; the Holy Spirit shall remain with
Thee by a new presence and the virtue of the Most High shall
overshadow Thee, so that the Holy of holies can be born of Thee, who
shall himself be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin
Elisabeth has likewise conceived a son in her sterile years and this
is the sixth month of her conception; for nothing is impossible with
God. He that can make her conceive, who was sterile, can bring it
about, that Thou, Lady, be his Mother, still preserving thy virginity
and enhancing thy purity.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
With these and many other words the
ambassador of heaven instructed the most holy Mary, in order that, by
the remembrance of the ancient promises and prophecies of holy Writ,
by the reliance and trust in them and in the infinite power of the
Most High, She might overcome her hesitancy at the heavenly message.
But as the Lady herself exceeded the angels in wisdom, prudence and
in all sanctity, She withheld her answer, in order to be able to give
it in accordance with the divine will and that it might be worthy of
the greatest of all the mysteries and sacraments of the divine power.
She reflected that upon her answer depended the pledge of the most
blessed Trinity, the fulfillment of his promises and prophecies, the
most pleasing and acceptable of all sacrifices, the opening of the
gates of paradise, the victory and triumph over hell, the Redemption
of all the human race, the satisfaction of the divine justice, the
foundation of the new law of grace, the glorification of men, the
rejoicing of the angels, and whatever was connected with the
Incarnation of the Onlybegotten of the Father and his assuming the
form of servant in her virginal womb (Philip 2, 7)</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">A great wonder,
indeed, and worthy of our admiration, that all these mysteries and
whatever others they included, should be intrusted by the Almighty to
an</span> <span lang="en-US">humble Maiden and made dependent upon
her fiat. But befittingly and securely He left them to the wise and
strong decision of this courageous Woman (Prov. 31, 11), since She
would consider them with such magnanimity and nobility, that perforce
his confidence in Her was not misplaced. The operations, which
proceed within the divine Essence, depend not on the cooperation of
creatures, for they have no part in them and God could not expect
such cooperations for executing the works </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad
intra;</i></span> <span lang="en-US">but in the works </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad
extra </i></span><span lang="en-US">and such as were</span>
<span lang="en-US">contingent, among which that of becoming man was
the most exalted, He could not proceed without the cooperation of
most holy Mary and without her free consent. For He wished to reach
this acme of all the works outside Himself in Her and through Her and
He wished that we should owe this benefit to this Mother of wisdom
and our Reparatrix.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Therefore this
great Lady considered and inspected profoundly this spacious field of
the dignity of Mother of God (Prov. 21, 16) in order to purchase it
by her </span><span lang="en-US"><i>fiat;</i></span> <span lang="en-US">She
clothed Herself in fortitude more than human, and She tasted and saw
how profitable was this enterprise and commerce with the Divinity.
She comprehended the ways of his hidden benevolence and adorned
Herself with fortitude and beauty. And having conferred with Herself
and with the heavenly messenger Gabriel about the grandeur of these
high and divine sacraments, and finding herself in excellent
condition to receive the message sent to Her, her purest soul was
absorbed and elevated in admiration, reverence and highest intensity
of divine love. By the intensity of these movements and supernal
affections, her most pure heart, as it were by natural consequence,
was contracted and compressed with such force, that it distilled
three drops of her most pure blood, and these, finding their way to
the natural place for the act of conception, were formed by the power
of the divine and holy Spirit, into the body of Christ our Lord. Thus
the matter, from which the most holy humanity of the Word for our
Redemption is composed, was furnished and administered by the most
pure heart of Mary and through the sheer force of her true love. At
the same moment, with a humility never sufficiently to be extolled,
inclining slightly her head and joining her hands, She pronounced
these words, which were the beginning of our salvation: “Fiat
mihi secundum verbum tuum’’ (Luke 1, 31).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
At the pronouncing of this “fiat,” so
sweet to the hearing of God and so fortunate for us, in one instant,
four things happened. First, the most holy body of Christ our Lord
was formed from the three drops of blood furnished by the heart of
most holy Mary. Secondly, the most holy soul of the same Lord was
created, just as the other souls. Thirdly, the soul and the body
united in order to compose his perfect humanity. Fourthly, the
Divinity united Itself in the Person of the Word with the humanity,
which together became one composite being in hypostatical union; and
thus was formed Christ true God and Man, our Lord and Redeemer. This
happened in springtime on the twenty–fifth of March, at break
or dawning of the day, in the same hour, in which our first father
Adam was made and in the year of the creation of the world 5199,
which agrees also with the count of the Roman Church in her
Martyrology under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. This reckoning is
the true and certain one, as was told me, when I inquired at command
of my superiors. Conformable to this the world was created in the
month of March, which corresponds to the beginning of creation. And
as the works of the Most High are perfect and complete (Deut. 32, 4),
the plants and trees come forth from the hands of his Majesty bearing
fruit, and they would have borne them continually without
intermission, if sin had not changed the whole nature. The divine
Child began to grow in the natural manner in the recess of the womb,
being nourished by the substance and the blood of its most holy
Mother, just as other men; yet it was more free and exempt from the
imperfections, to which other children of Adam are subject in that
place and period. For from some of these, namely those that, are
accidental and unnecessary to the substance of the act of generation,
being merely effects of sin, the Empress of heaven was free. She was
also free from the superfluities caused by sin, which in other women
are common and happen naturally in the formation, sustenance and
growth of their children. For the necessary matter, which is proper
to the infected nature of the descendants of Eve and which was
wanting in Her, was supplied and administered in Her by the exercise
of heroic acts of virtue and especially by charity. By the fervor of
her soul and her loving affections the blood and humors of her body
were changed and thereby divine Providence provided for the
sustenance of the divine Child. Thus in a natural manner the humanity
of our Redeemer was nourished, while his Divinity was recreated and
pleased with her heroic virtues. Most holy Mary furnished to the Holy
Ghost, for the formation of this body, pure and limpid blood, free
from sin and all its tendencies. And whatever impure and imperfect
matter is supplied by other mothers for the growth of their children
was administered by the Queen of heaven most pure and delicate in
substance. For it was built up and supplied by the power of her
loving affections and her other virtues. In a like manner was
purified whatever served as food for the heavenly Queen. For, as She
knew that her nourishment was at the same time to sustain and nourish
the Son of God, She partook of it with such heroic acts of virtue,
that the angelic spirits wondered how such common human actions could
be connected with such supernal heights of merit and perfection in
the sight of God.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thus adorned and deified by the
Divinity and its gifts, the most holy soul of Christ our Lord
proceeded in its operations in the following order: immediately it
began to see and know the Divinity intuitively as It is in Itself and
as It is united to his most holy humanity, loving It with the highest
beatific love and perceiving the inferiority of the human nature in
comparison with the essence of God. The soul of Christ humiliated
itself profoundly, and in this humility it gave thanks to the
immutable being of God for having created it and for the benefit of
the hypostatic union, by which, though remaining human, it was raised
to the essence of God. It also recognized that his most holy humanity
was made capable of suffering, and was adapted for attaining the end
of the Redemption. In this knowledge it offered itself as the
Redeemer in sacrifice for the human race (Ps. 39, 8), accepting the
state of suffering and giving thanks in his own name and in the name
of mankind to the eternal Father. He recognized the composition of
his most holy humanity, the substance of which it was made, and how
most holy Mary by the force of her charity and of her heroic virtues,
furnished its substance. He took possession of this holy tabernacle
and dwelling; rejoicing in its most exquisite beauty, and, well
pleased, reserved as his own property the soul of this most perfect
and most pure Creature for all eternity. He praised the eternal
Father for having created Her and endowed Her with such vast graces
and gifts: for having exempted Her and freed Her from the common law
of sin, as his Daughter, while all the other descendants of Adam have
incurred its guilt (Rom. 5, 18). He prayed for the most pure Lady and
for saint Joseph, asking eternal salvation for them. All these acts,
and many others, were most exalted and proceeded from Him as true God
and Man. Not taking into account those that pertain to the beatific
vision and love, these acts and each one by itself, were of such
merit that they alone would have sufficed to redeem infinite worlds,
if such could exist.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Even the act of obedience alone, by
which the most holy humanity of the Word subjected itself to
suffering and prevented the glory of his soul from being communicated
to his body, was abundantly sufficient for our salvation. But
although this sufficed for our salvation, nothing would satisfy his
immense love for men except the full limit of effective love (John
13, 1); for this was the purpose of his life, that He should consume
it in demonstrations and tokens of such intense love, that neither
the understanding of men nor of angels was able to comprehend it. And
if in the first instant of his entrance into the world He enriched it
so immeasurably, what treasures, what riches of merits must He have
stored up for it, when He left it by his Passion and Death on the
cross after thirty–three years of labor and activity all
divine! O immense love! O charity without limit! O mercy without
measure! O most generous kindness! and, on the other hand, O
ingratitude and base forgetfulness of mortals in the face of such
unheard of and such vast benefaction! What would have become of us
without Him? How much less could we do for this our Redeemer and
Lord, even if He had conferred on us but small favors, while now we
are scarcely moved and obliged by his doing for us all that He could?
If we do not wish to treat as a Redeemer Him, who has given us
eternal life and liberty, let us at least hear Him as our Teacher,
let us follow Him as our Leader, as our guiding light, which shows us
the way to our true happiness.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
These operations of Christ our Lord
in the first instant of his conception were followed, in another
essential instant, by the beatific vision of the Divinity, which we
have mentioned in the preceding chapter (No. 139); for in one instant
of time many instants of essence can take place. In this vision the
heavenly Lady perceived with clearness and distinction the mystery of
the hypostatic union of the divine and the human natures in the
person of the eternal Word, and the most holy Trinity confirmed Her
in the title and the rights of Mother of God. This in all rigor of
truth She was, since She was the natural Mother of a Son, who was
eternal God with the same certainty and truth as He was man. Although
this great Lady did not directly cooperate in the union of the
Divinity with the humanity, She did not on this account lose her
right to be called the Mother of the true God; for She concurred by
administering the material and by exerting her faculties, as far as
it pertained to a true Mother; and to a greater extent than to
ordinary mothers, since in Her the conception and the generation took
place without the aid of a man. Just as in other generations the
agents, which bring them about in the natural course, are called
father and mother, each furnishing that which is necessary, without
however concurring directly in the creation of the soul, nor in its
infusion into the body of the child; so also, and with greater
reason, most holy Mary must be called, and did call Herself, Mother
of God for She alone concurred in the generation of Christ, true God
and Man, as a Mother, to the exclusion of any other natural cause;
and only through this concurrence of Mary in the generation, Christ,
the Man–God, was born.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
But She was especially persistent and fervent in
her prayer to obtain guidance of the Almighty nor the worthy
fulfillment of her office as Mother of the Onlybegotten of the
Father. For this, before all other graces, Her humble heart urged Her
to desire, and this was especially the subject of her solicitude,
that She might be guided in all her actions as becomes the Mother of
God. The Almighty answered Her: “My Dove, do not fear, for I
will assist thee and guide thee, directing thee in all things
necessary for the service of my onlybegotten Son.” With this
promise She came to Herself and issued from her ecstasy, in which all
that I have said had happened, and which was the most wonderful She
ever had. Restored to her faculties, her first action was to
prostrate Herself on the earth and adore her holiest Son, God and
Man, conceived in her virginal womb; for this She had not yet done
with her external and bodily senses and faculties. Nothing that She
could do in the service of her Creator, did this most prudent Mother
leave undone. From that time on She was conscious of feeling new and
divine effects in her holiest soul and in her exterior and interior
faculties. And although the whole tenor of her life had been most
noble both as regards her body as her soul; yet on this day of the
incarnation of the Word it rose to still greater nobility of spirit
and was made more godlike by still higher reaches of grace and
indescribable gifts.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962792"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western">
My dearest daughter, many times I have confided
and manifested to thee the love burning within my bosom: for I wish
that it should be ardently re–enkindled within thy own, and
that thou profit from the instruction, which I give thee. Happy is
the soul, to which the Most High manifests his holy and perfect will;
but more happy and blessed is he, who puts into execution, what he
has learned. In many ways God shows to mortals the highways and
pathways of eternal life: by the Gospels and the holy Scriptures, by
the Sacraments and the laws of the holy Church, by the writings and
examples of the saints, and especially, by the obedience due to the
guidings of its ministers, of whom his Majesty said : “Whoever
hears you, hears Me;” for obeying them is the same as obeying
the Lord himself. Whenever by any of these means thou hast come to
the knowledge of the will of God, I desire thee to assume the wings
of humility and obedience, and, as if in ethereal flight or like the
quickest sunbeam, hasten to execute it and thereby fulfill the divine
pleasure.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Besides these means of instruction,
the Most High has still others in order to direct the soul; namely,
He intimates his perfect will to them in a supernatural manner, and
reveals to them many sacraments. This kind of instruction is of many
and different degrees; not all of them are common or ordinary to all
souls; for the Lord dispenses his light in measure and weight (Wis.
11, 21). Sometimes He speaks to the heart and the interior feelings
in commands; at others, in correction, advising or instructing:
sometimes He moves the heart to ask Him; at other times He proposes
clearly what He desires, in order that the soul may be moved to
fulfill it; again He manifests, as in a clear mirror, great
mysteries, in order that they may be seen and recognized by the
intellect and loved by the will. But this great and infinite Good is
always sweet in commanding, powerful in giving the necessary help for
obedience, just in his commands, quick in disposing circumstances so
that He can be obeyed, notwithstanding all the impediments which
hinder the fulfillment of his most holy will.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In receiving this divine light, my
daughter. I wish to see thee very attentive, and very quick and
diligent in following it up in deed. In order to hear this most
delicate and spiritual voice of the Lord it is necessary, that the
faculties of the soul be purged from earthly grossness and that the
creature live entirely according to the spirit; for the animal man
does not perceive the elevated things of the Divinity (I Cor. 2, 14).
Be attentive then to his secrets (Is. 34, 16) and forget all that is
of the outside; listen, my daughter, and incline thy ear; free
thyself from all visible things (Ps. 44, 11). And in order that thou
mayest be diligent, cultivate love; for love is a fire, which does
not have its effect until the material is prepared; therefore let thy
heart always be disposed and prepared. Whenever the Most High bids
thee or communicates to thee anything for the welfare of souls, or
especially for their eternal salvation, devote thyself to it
entirely; for they are bought at the inestimable price of the blood
of the Lamb and of divine love. Do not allow thyself to be hindered
in this matter by thy own lowliness and bashfulness; but overcome the
fear which restrains thee, for if thou thyself art of small value and
usefulness, the Most High is rich (I Pet. 1, 18), powerful, great,
and by Himself performs all things (Rom. 10, 12). Thy promptness and
affection will not go without its reward, although I wish thee rather
to be moved entirely by the pleasure of thy Lord.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962793"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 3, Chapter 3</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">MOST
HOLY MARY VISITS ELISABETH</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-GB">And Mary
rising up in those days,” says the sacred text, “went
into the hill country with haste, into a city of Jude” (Luke 1,
39). This rising up of our heavenly Queen signified not only her
exterior preparations and setting out from Nazareth on her journey,
but it referred to the movement of her spirit and to the divine
impulse and command which directed Her to arise interiorly from the
humble retirement, which She had chosen in her humility. She arose as
it were from the feet of the Most High, whose will and pleasure She
eagerly sought to fulfill, like the lowliest handmaid, who according
to the word of David (Ps. 122, 2) keeps her eyes fixed upon the hands
of her Mistress, awaiting her commands. Arising at the bidding of the
Lord She lovingly hastened to accomplish his most holy will, In
procuring without delay the sanctification of the Precursor of the
incarnate Word, who was yet held prisoner in the womb of Elisabeth by
the bonds of original sin. This was the purpose and object of this
journey. Therefore the Princess of heaven arose and proceeded in
diligent haste, as mentioned by the Evangelist saint Luke.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Leaving behind then the house of her
father and forgetting her people (Ps. 44, 11), the most chaste
spouses, Mary and Joseph, pursued their way to the house of Zacharias
in mountainous Judea. It was twenty six leagues distant from
Nazareth, and the greater part of the way was very rough and broken,
unfit for such a delicate and tender Maiden. All the convenience at
their disposal for the arduous undertaking was an humble beast, on
which She began and pursued her journey. Although it was intended
solely for her comfort and service, yet Mary, the most humble and
unpretentious of all creatures, many times dismounted and asked her
spouse saint Joseph to share with Her this commodity and to lighten
the difficulties of the way by making use of the beast. Her discreet
spouse never accepted this offer; and in order to yield somewhat to
the solicitations of the heavenly Lady, he permitted her now and then
to walk with him part of the way, whenever it seemed to him that her
delicate strength could sustain the exertion without too great
fatigue. But soon he would again ask Her, with great modesty and
reverence, to accept of this slight alleviation and the celestial
Queen would they obey and again proceed on her way seated in the
saddle.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thus alleviating their fatigue by
humble and courteous contentions, the most holy Mary and saint Joseph
continued on their journey, making good use of each single moment.
They proceeded alone, without accompaniment of any human creatures;
but all the thousand angels, which were set to guard the couch of
Solomon, the most holy Mary, attended upon them (Cant. 3, 7).
Although the angels accompanied them in corporeal form, serving their
great Queen and her most holy Son in her womb, they were visible only
to Mary. In the company of the angels and of saint Joseph, the Mother
of grace journeyed along, filling the fields and the mountains with
the sweetest fragrance of her presence and with the divine praises,
in which She unceasingly occupied herself. Sometimes She conversed
with the angels and, alternately with them, sang divine canticles
concerning the different mysteries of the Divinity and the works of
Creation and of the Incarnation. Thus ever anew the pure heart of the
immaculate Lady was inflamed by the ardors of divine love. In all
this her spouse saint Joseph contributed his share by maintaining a
discreet silence, and by allowing his beloved Spouse to pursue the
flights of her spirit; for, lost in highest contemplation, he was
favored with some understanding what was passing within her soul.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
At other times the two would converse
with each other and speak about the salvation of souls and the
mercies of the Lord, of the coming of the Redeemer, of the prophecies
given to the ancient Fathers concerning Him, and of other mysteries
and sacraments of the Most High. Something happened on the way, which
caused great wonder in her holy spouse Joseph: he loved his Spouse
most tenderly with a chaste and holy love, such as had been ordained
in Him by the special grace and dispensation of the divine love
itself (Cant. 2, 4); in addition to this privilege (which was
certainly not a small one) the saint was naturally of a most noble
and courteous disposition, and his manners were most pleasing and
charming; all this produced in him a most discreet and loving
solicitude, which was yet increased by the great holiness, which he
had seen from the beginning in his Spouse and which was ordained by
heaven as the immediate object of all his privileges. Therefore the
saint anxiously attended upon most holy Mary and asked her many
times, whether She was tired or fatigued, and in what He could serve
Her on the journey. But as the Queen of heaven already carried within
the virginal chamber the divine fire of the incarnate Word, holy
Joseph, without fathoming the real cause, experienced in his soul new
reactions, proceeding from the words and conversations of his beloved
Spouse. He felt himself so inflamed by divine love and imbued with
such exalted knowledge of the mysteries touched upon in their
conversations, that he was entirely renewed and spiritualized by this
burning interior light. The farther they proceeded and the more they
conversed about these heavenly things, so much the stronger these
affections grew, and he became aware, that it was the words of his
Spouse, which thus filled his heart with love and inflamed his will
with divine ardor.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having pursued their journey four
days, the most holy Mary and her spouse arrived at the town of Juda,
where Zachary and Elisabeth then lived. This was the special and
proper name of the place, where the parents of saint John lived for a
while, and therefore the Evangelist saint Luke specifies it, calling
it Juda, although the commentators have commonly believed that this
was not the name of the town in which Elisabeth and Zacharias lived,
but simply the name of the province, which was called Juda or Judea;
just as for the same reason the mountains south of Jerusalem were
called the mountains of Judea. But it was expressly revealed to me
that the town was called Juda and that the Evangelist calls it by its
proper name; although the learned expositors have understood by this
name of Juda the province, in which that town was situated. This
confusion arose from the fact that some years after the death of
Christ the town Juda was destroyed, and, as the commentators found no
trace of such a town, they inferred that saint Luke meant the
province and not a town; thus the great differences of opinion in
regard to the place, where most holy Mary visited Elisabeth, are
easily explained.</div>
<div class="western">
It was at this city of Juda and at the house of
Zacharias that most holy Mary and Joseph arrived. In order to
announce their visit, saint Joseph hastened ahead of Mary and calling
out saluted the inmate the house, saying: “The Lord be with you
and fill souls with divine grace.” Elisabeth was already
forewarned, for the Lord himself had informed her in a vision that
Mary of Nazareth had departed to visit her. She had also in this
vision been made aware that the heavenly Lady was most pleasing in
the eyes of the Most High; while the mystery of her being the Mother
God was not revealed to her until the moment, when they both saluted
each other in private. But saint Elisabeth immediately issued forth
with a few of her family, in order to welcome most holy Mary, who, as
the more humble and younger in years, hastened to salute her cousin,
saying: “The Lord be with you, my dearest cousin, and Elisabeth
answered : “The same Lord reward you for having come in order
to afford me this pleasure.’’ With these words they
entered the house of Zacharias and what happened I will relate in the
following chapter.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
After the first salutation of Elisabeth by the
most holy Mary, the two cousins retired, as I have said at the end of
the preceding chapter. And immediately the Mother of grace saluted
anew her cousin saying: “May God save thee, my dearest cousin,
and may his divine light communicate to thee grace and life’’
(Luke 1, 40). At the sound of most holy Mary’s voice, saint
Elisabeth was filled by the Holy Ghost and so enlightened interiorly,
that in one instant she perceived most exalted mysteries and
sacraments. These emotions, and those that at the same time were felt
by the child John in the womb of his mother, were caused by the
presence of the Word made flesh in the bridal chamber of Mary’s
womb, for, making use of the voice of Mary as his instrument, He, as
Redeemer, began from that place to use the power given to Him by the
eternal Father for the salvation and justification of the souls. And
since He now operated as man, though as yet of the diminutive size of
one conceived eight days before, He assumed, in admirable humility,
the form and posture of one praying and beseeching the Father. He
asked in earnest prayer for the justification of his future Precursor
and obtained it at the hands of the blessed Trinity.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This happened before the most holy
Mary had put her salutation into words. At the pronunciation of the
words mentioned above, God looked upon the child in the womb of saint
Elisabeth, and gave it perfect use of reason, enlightening it with
his divine light, in order that he might prepare himself by
foreknowledge for the blessings which he was to receive. Together
with this preparation he was sanctified from original sin, made an
adopted son of God, and filled with the most abundant graces of the
Holy Ghost and with the plenitude of all his gifts; his faculties
were sanctified, subjected and subordinated to reason, thus verifying
in himself what the archangel Gabriel had said to Zacharias; that His
son would be filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb of his mother
(Luke 1, 17). At the same time the fortunate child, looking through
the walls of the maternal womb as through clear glass upon the
incarnate Word, and assuming a kneeling posture, adored his Redeemer
and Creator, whom he beheld in most holy Mary as if enclosed in a
chamber made of the purest crystal. This was the movement of
jubilation, which was felt by his mother Elisabeth as coming from the
infant in her womb (Luke 1, 44). Many other acts of virtue the child
John performed during this interview, exercising faith, hope,
charity, worship, gratitude, humility, devotion and all the other
virtues possible to him there. From that moment he began to merit and
grow in sanctity, without ever losing it and without ever ceasing to
exercise it with all the vigor of grace.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Saint Elisabeth was instructed at the
same time in the mystery of the Incarnation, the sanctification of
her own son and the sacramental purpose of this new wonder. She also
became aware of the virginal purity and of the dignity of the most
holy Mary. On this occasion, the heavenly Queen, being absorbed in
the vision of the Divinity and of the mysteries operated by it
through her most holy Son, became entirely godlike, filled with the
clear light of the divine gifts which She participated; and thus
filled with majesty saint Elisabeth saw Her.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Filled with admiration at what She saw and heard
in regard to these divine mysteries, saint Elisabeth was wrapt in the
joy of the Holy Ghost; and, looking upon the Queen of the world and
what was contained in Her, she burst forth in loud voice of praise,
pronouncing the words reported to us, by saint Luke: “Blessed
are Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence
is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For
behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the
infant in my womb leaped for joy, and blessed art Thou, that has
believed, because those things shall be accomplished, that were
spoken to Thee by the Lord.” In these prophetic words saint
Elisabeth rehearsed the noble privileges of most holy Mary,
perceiving by the divine light what the power of the Lord had done in
Her, what He now performed, and what He was to accomplish through Her
in time to come. All this also the child John perceived and
understood, while listening to the words of his mother; for she was
enlightened for the purpose of his sanctification, and since he could
not from his place in the womb bless and thank her by word of mouth,
She, both for herself and for her son, extolled the most holy Mary as
being the instrument of their good fortune.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
These words of praise, pronounced by
saint Elisabeth were referred by the Mother of wisdom and humility to
the Creator; and in the sweetest and softest voice She intoned the
Magnificat as recorded by saint Luke (Ch. 1, 46–55)</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
46. My soul doth magnify the Lord;</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Saviour.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
48. Because He hath regarded the
humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
49. Because he that is mighty hath
done great things to me and holy is his name.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
50. And his mercy is from generation
unto generation to them that fear him.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
51. He hath showed might in his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
52. He hath put down the mighty from
their seat and hath exalted the humble.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
53. He hath filled the hungry with
good things and the rich He hath sent empty away.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
54. He hath received Israel, his
servant, being mindful of his mercy;</div>
<div class="western">
55. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his
seed forever.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Just as saint Elisabeth was the first one who
heard this sweet canticle from the mouth of most holy Mary, so she
was also the first one who understood it and, by means of her infused
knowledge, commented upon it. She penetrated some of the great
mysteries. which its Authoress expressed therein in so few sentences.
The soul of most holy Mary magnified the Lord for the excellence of
his infinite Essence; to Him She referred and yielded all glory and
praise (I Tim. 1, 17), both for the beginning and the accomplishment
of her works. She knew and confessed that in God alone every creature
should glory and rejoice, since He alone is their entire happiness
and salvation (11 Cor. 10 17). She confessed also the equity and
magnificence of the Most high in attending to the humble and in
conferencing upon them his abundant spirit of divine love (Ps. 137,
6). She saw how worthy of mortals it is to perceive, understand and
ponder the gifts that were conferred on the humility of Her, whom all
nations were to call blessed, and how all the humble ones, each
according to his degree, could share the same good fortune. By one
word also She expressed all the mercies, benefits and blessings,
which the Almighty showered upon Her in his holy and wonderful name;
for She calls them altogether “great things” since there
was nothing small about anything that referred to this great Queen
and Lady.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
And as the mercies of the Most High overflowed
from Mary’s plenitude to the whole human race, and as She was
the portal of heaven, through which they issued and continue to
issue, and through which we are to enter into the participation of
the Divinity; therefore She confessed, that the mercy of the Lord in
regard Her is spread out over all the generations, communicating
itself to them that fear Him. And just as the infinite mercies raise
up the humble and seek out those that fear God; so also the powerful
arm of divine justice scatters and destroys those who are proud in
the mind of their heart, and hurls them from their thrones in order
to set in their place the poor and lowly. This justice of the Lord
was exercised in wonderful splendor and glory upon the chief of all
the proud, Lucifer and his followers, when the almighty arm of God
scattered and hurled them (because they themselves precipitated
themselves) from their exalted seats which befitted their angelic
natures and their graces, and which they occupied according to the
original (Isaias 14; Apoc. 12) decree of the divine love. For by it
He intended that all should be blessed (I Tim. 2, 4) while they, in
trying to ascend in their vain pride to positions, which they neither
could attain nor should aspire to, on the contrary cast themselves
from those which they occupied (Isaias 14,13).</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">When it was time
to come forth from their retirement, saint Elisabeth offered herself
and her whole family and all her house for the service of the Queen
of heaven. She asked Her to accept, as a quiet retreat, the room
which she herself was accustomed to use for her prayers, and which
was much retired and accommodated to that purpose. The heavenly
Princess accepted the chamber with humble thanks, and made use of it
for recollecting Herself and sleeping therein, and no one ever
entered it, except the two cousins. As for the rest She offered to
serve and assist Elisabeth as a handmaid, for She said, that this was
the purpose</span> <span lang="en-US">of visiting her and consoling
her. O what friendship is so true, so sweet and inseparable, as that
which is formed by the great bond of the divine love! How admirable
is the Lord in manifesting this great sacrament of the Incarnation to
three women before He would make it known to any one else in the
human race! For the first was saint Anne, as I have said in its
place; the second one was her Daughter and the Mother of the Word,
most holy Mary; the third one was saint Elisabeth, and conjointly
with Her, her son, for he being yet in the womb of his mother, cannot
be considered as distinct from her. Thus “the foolishness of
God is wiser than men,” as saint Paul says.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most holy Mary and Elisabeth came
forth from their retirement at nightfall, having passed a long time
together; and the Queen saw Zacharias standing before her in his
muteness, and She asked him for his blessing as from a priest of the
Lord, which the saint also gave to Her. Yet, although She tenderly
pitied him for his affliction, She did not exert her power to cure
him, because She knew the mysterious occasion of his dumbness; yet
She offered a prayer for him. Saint Elisabeth, who already knew the
good fortune of the most chaste spouse Joseph, although he himself as
yet was not aware of it, entertained and served him with great
reverence and highest esteem. After staying three days in the house
of Zacharias, however, he asked permission of his heavenly Spouse
Mary to return to Nazareth and leave Her in the company of saint
Elisabeth in order to assist her in her pregnancy. The holy husband
left them with the understanding that he was to return in order to
accompany the Queen home as soon as they should give him notice;
saint Elisabeth offered him some presents to take home with him; but
he would take only a small part of them, yielding only to their
earnest solicitations, for this man of God was not only a lover of
poverty, but was possessed of a magnanimous and noble heart.
Therewith he pursued his way back to Nazareth, taking along with him
the little beast of burden, which they had brought with them. At
home, in the absence of his Spouse, he was served by a neighboring
woman and cousin of his, who, also when most holy Mary was at home,
was wont to come and go on necessary errands outside of the house.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In conformity with this instruction
and new mandate of the Most High, the Princess of heaven ordered all
her occupations in the house of her cousin Elisabeth. She rose up at
midnight in accordance with her former custom, spending the hours in
the continued contemplation of the divine mysteries and giving to
waking and sleep the time, which most perfectly and exactly agreed
with the natural state and conditions of her body. In labor and
repose She continued to receive new favors, illuminations, exaltation
and caresses of the Lord. During these three months She had many
visions of the Divinity, mostly abstractive in kind. More frequent
still were the visions of the most holy humanity of the Word in its
hypostatic union; for her virginal womb, in which She bore Him,
served Her as her continual altar and sanctuary. She beheld the daily
growth of that sacred body. By this experience and by the sacraments,
which every day were made manifest to Her in the boundless fields of
the divine power and essence, the spirit of this exalted Lady
expanded to vast proportions. Many times would She have been consumed
and have died by the violence of her affections, if She had not been
strengthened by the power of the Lord. To these occupations, which
were concealed from all, She added those, which the service and
consolation of her cousin Elisabeth demanded, although She did not
apply one moment more to them, than charity required. These
fulfilled, She turned immediately to her solitude and recollection,
where she could pour out the more freely her spirit before the Lord.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Not less solicitous was She to occupy
Herself interiorly, while She was engaged for many hours in manual
occupations. And in all this the Precursor was so fortunate that the
great Queen, with her own hands, sewed and prepared the swaddling
clothes and coverlets in which he was to be wrapped and reared; for
his mother Elisabeth, in her maternal solicitude and attention, had
secured for saint John this good fortune humbly asking this favor of
the heavenly Queen. Mary with incredible love and subjection complied
with her request in order to exercise Herself in obedience to her
cousin, whom She wished to serve as the lowest handmaid; for in
humility and obedience most holy Mary always surpassed all men.
Although saint Elisabeth sought to anticipate Her in much that
belonged to her service, yet, in her rare prudence and wisdom, Mary
knew flow to forestall her cousin, always gaining the triumph of
humility.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In this way most
holy Mary put into practice the doctrine of the eternal Word who
humiliated himself so far, that, being the form of the eternal
Father, the figure of his substance, true God of the true God, He
nevertheless assumed the form and condition of a servant (Heb. 1, 3,
Philip 2</span><span lang="en-US"><i>, </i></span><span lang="en-US">6,
7). This Lady was the Mother of God, Queen of all creation, superior
in excellence and dignity to all creatures, and yet She remained the
humble servant of the least of them; and never would She accept
homage and service as if due to Her, nor did She ever exalt Herself,
or fail to judge of Herself in the most humble manner. What shall we
now say of our most execrable presumption and pride? Since, full of
the abomination of sin, we are so senseless as to claim for ourselves
with dreadful insanity the homage and veneration of all the world?
And if this is denied us, we quickly lose the little sense which our
passions have left us. This whole heavenly history bears the stamp of
humility, and is a condemnation of our pride. And since it is not my
office to teach or correct, but to be taught and to be corrected, I
beseech and pray all the faithful children of light to place this
example before their eyes for our humiliation.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
It would not have been difficult for
the Lord to preserve his most holy Mother from such extreme lowliness
and from the occasions in which She embraced it He could have exalted
Her before creatures, ordaining that She be renowned, honored and
respected by all; just as He knew how to procure homage and renown
for others as Assuerus did for Mardocheus. Perhaps, if this had been
left to the judgment of men, they would have so managed that a Woman
more holy than all the hierarchies of heaven, and who bore in her
womb the Creator of the angels and of the heavens, should be
surrounded by a continual guard of honor, withdrawn from the gaze of
men and receiving the homage of all the world; it would have seemed
to them unworthy of Her to engage in humble and servile occupations,
or not to have all things done only at her command, or to refuse
homage, or not to exercise fullest authority. So narrow is human
wisdom, if that can be called wisdom, which is so limited. But such
fallacy cannot creep into the true science of the saints, which is
communicated to them by the infinite wisdom of the Creator, and which
esteems at their just weight and price these honors without
confounding the values of the creatures. The Most High would have
denied his beloved Mother much and benefited Her little, if He had
deprived and withdrawn from Her the occasion of exercising the
profoundest humility and had instead exposed Her to the exterior
applause of men. It would also be a great loss to the world to be
without this school of humility and this example for the humiliation
and confusion of its pride.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The hour for the rising of the
morning star, which was to precede the clear Sun of justice and
announce the wished–for day of the law of grace, had arrived
(John 5, 35). The time was suitable to the Most High for the
appearance of his Prophet in the world; and greater than a prophet
was John, who pointing out with his finger the Lamb (John 1, 29), was
to prepare mankind for the salvation and sanctification of the world.
Before issuing from the maternal womb the Lord revealed to the
blessed child the hour in which he was to commence his mortal career
among men. The child had the perfect use of his reason, and of the
divine science infused by the presence of the incarnate Word. He
therefore knew that he was to arrive at the port of a cursed and
dangerous land, and to walk upon a world full of evils and snares,
where many are overtaken by ruin and perdition.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
At the request of his mother the Queen received in
her arms the newborn child and offered him as a new oblation to the
eternal Father, and his Majesty, well pleased, accepted it as the
first–fruits of the Incarnation and of the divine decrees. The
most blessed child, full of the Holy Ghost, acknowledged his
sovereign Queen, showing Her not only interior, but outward reverence
by a secret inclination of his head, and again he adored the divine
Word, which was manifested to him in her womb by an especial light.
And as he also was aware, that he was privileged before all men, the
grateful child performed acts of fervent thanksgiving, humility, love
and reverence of God and of his Virgin Mother. The heavenly Queen, in
offering him to the eternal Father, pronounced this prayer for him:
“Highest Lord and Father, all holy and powerful, accept in thy
honor this offering and seasonable fruit of thy most holy Son and my
Lord. He is sanctified by the Onlybegotten and rescued from the
effects of sin and from the power of thy ancient enemies. Receive
this morning’s sacrifice, and infuse into this child the
blessings of thy holy Spirit, in order that he may be a faithful
minister to Thee and to thy Onlybegotten.” This prayer of our
Queen was efficacious in all respects, and She perceived how the Lord
enriched this child, chosen as his Precursor; and She also felt
within Herself the effects of these admirable blessings.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then they bespoke the arrangements
for the circumcision of the child, for the time appointed by the law
was approaching. Complying with the custom observed among the Jews,
especially among the more distinguished, many relatives and other
acquaintances of the house of Zacharias began to gather, in order to
resolve upon the name to be given to the child; for, in addition to
the ordinary preparations and consultations concerning the name to be
given to a son, the high position of Zacharias and Elisabeth and the
news of the miraculous fecundity of the mother naturally suggested
the existence of some great mystery to the minds of all their
relations. Zacharias was still dumb, and therefore it was necessary
that saint Elisabeth should preside at this meeting. Over and above
the high esteem which she inspired, she now exhibited such evident
signs of the exalted renewal and sanctification of her soul, which
resulted from the knowledge of the mysteries and from her
interactions with the Queen of heaven, that all her relatives and
friends noticed the change. For even in her countenance she exhibited
a kind of effulgence which made her mysteriously attractive and was
the reflection of the Divinity, in whose presence she lived.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The relatives then appealed by signs to Zacharias,
who, being unable to speak, asked for a pen and declared his will by
writing upon the tablet: “Johannes est nomen ejus.”
‘‘John is his name.’’ At the same time most
holy Mary, making use of her power over all nature, commanded the
dumbness to leave him, his tongue to be loosened, as the moment had
arrived when it should bless the Lord. At this heavenly command he
found himself freed from his affliction, and, to the astonishment and
fear of all present, he began to speak as narrated by the Evangelist.
What I say here is not adverse to the Gospel narrative; for, although
it is there related, that the angel foretold Zacharias that he should
remain mute until his message should be fulfilled, yet God, when He
reveals any decree of his will, absolutely unfailing as they are,
does not always reveal the means or the manner of their fulfillment,
foreseen by Him in his infinite foreknowledge. Thus the archangel
announced to Zacharias the punishment of his unbelief, but he did not
tell him that he should he freed from it by the intercession of most
holy Mary, although this also had been foreseen and decreed.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Therefore, just as the voice of our
Lady Mary was the instrument for the sanctification of the child John
and his mother, so her secret mandate and her intercession had the
effect of loosening the tongue of Zacharias, filling him with the
holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy. Hence he broke forth in the
words (Luke 1, 68–79):</div>
<div class="western">
1. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
because He hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
69. And hath raised up an horn of
salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
70. And he hath spoken by the mouth
of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning;</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
71. Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hands of all that hate us:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">72.</span> <span lang="en-US">To
perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
73. The oath, which he swore to
Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
74. That being delivered from the
hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
75. In holiness and justice before
him, all our days.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
76. And thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the
Lord to prepare his ways:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
77. To give knowledge of salvation to
his people: unto the remission of their sins:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
78. Through the bowels of the mercy
of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
79. To enlighten them that sit in
darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way
of peace.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In the divine canticle of the
Benedictus Zacharias embodied all of the highest mysteries, which the
ancient prophets had foretold in a more profuse manner concerning the
Divinity, Humanity and the Redemption of Christ, and in these few
words he embraces many great sacraments. He also understood them by
the grace and light, which filled his spirit, and which raised him up
in the sight of all that had come to attend the circumcision of his
son; for all of them were witnesses to the solving of his tongue and
to his divine prophecies. I will hardly be able to give an
explanation of the deep meaning of these prophecies, such as they had
in the mind of that holy priest.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
At the call of Elisabeth, the most fortunate of
husbands, saint Joseph, had come in order to attend most holy Mary on
her return to her home in Nazareth. On arriving at the house of
Zacharias he had been welcomed with indescribable reverence and
devotion by saint Elisabeth and Zacharias; for now also the holy
priest knew that he was the guardian of the sacramental treasures of
heaven, though this was yet unknown to the great patriarch saint
Joseph himself. His heavenly Spouse received him in modest and
discreet jubilation. and, kneeling before him, She, as usual,
besought his blessing, and also his pardon, for having failed to
serve him for nearly three months during her attendance upon her
cousin Elisabeth. Though She had been guilty of no fault, nor even of
an imperfection in thus devotedly fulfilling the will of God in
conformity with the wishes of her spouse, yet, by this courteous and
endearing act of humility, She wanted to repay her husband for the
want of her consoling companionship. The holy Joseph answered that as
he now again saw Her, and again enjoyed her delightful presence, he
was relieved of the pain caused by her absence. In the course of a
few days they announced the day of their departure. Thereupon the
princess Mary took leave of the priest Zacharias. As he had already
been enlightened by the Lord concerning the dignity of the Virgin
Mother, he addressed Her with the greatest reverence as the living
sanctuary of the Divinity and humanity of the eternal Word. “My
Mistress,” he said, “praise and bless eternally thy
Maker, who in his infinite mercy has chosen Thee among all his
creatures as his Mother, as the sole Keeper of all his great
blessings and sacraments. Be mindful of me, thy servant, before thy
Lord and God, that He may lead me in peace through this exile to the
security of the eternal peace which we hope for, and that through
thee I may merit the vision of his Divinity, which is the glory of
the saints. Remember also, O Lady, my house and family, and
especially my Son John, and pray to the Most High for thy people.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The whole household of Zacharias had
been sanctified by the presence of most holy Mary and of the
incarnate Word in her womb; all its inmates had been edified by her
example, instructed by her conversations and teachings, and sweetly
affected by her intercourse and modest behavior. While She had drawn
toward Herself all the hearts of that happy family, She also merited
and obtained for them from her most holy Son the plenitude of
celestial gifts. Holy Joseph was held in high veneration by
Zacharias, Elisabeth and John; for they had come to know his high
dignity before he himself was yet aware of it, The blessed Patriarch,
happy in his Treasure, the full value of which as yet he did not
know, took leave of all and departed for Nazareth: what happened on
the way I will narrate in the following chapter. But before they
began their journey most holy Mary, on bended knees, besought saint
Joseph to bless Her, as She was accustomed to do on such occasions,
and after She had received his blessing, they betook themselves on
their journey.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962794"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
For two reasons, my daughter, the
divine effects wrought through me by my Son in saint John and
Elisabeth were concealed, while those in Zacharias were manifest.
First, because Elisabeth spoke out clearly in praise of the incarnate
Word and of me; yet at the time it was not proper that either this
mystery or my dignity should be openly known; the coming of the
Messias was to be manifested by other more appropriate means.
Secondly, not all hearts were so well prepared as that of Elisabeth
for receiving such precious and unprecedented seed of divine
knowledge, nor would they have welcomed such sacramental revelation
with due reverence. On the other hand it was more becoming that
Zacharias in his priestly dignity should proclaim what was then to be
made known; for the beginnings of the heavenly light would be
accepted more readily from him than from saint Elisabeth, especially
while he was present. That which she said, was reserved to bring
forth its effects in due time. Although the words of God have their
own inherent force; yet the more sweet and acceptable manner of
communicating with the ignorant and the unskilled in divine mysteries
is by means of the priest.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Likewise it was
proper that the dignity and honor of the priesthood should receive
its due; for the Most High holds the priests in such esteem, that if
He finds them in the right disposition, He exalts them and fills them
with his Spirit in order that the world may venerate them as his
chosen and anointed ones. Moreover the wonders of the Lord run less
risk in priests. even when they are more openly revealed to them, If
they live up to their dignity, their works in comparison with those
of the other creatures, are like those of the angels and of the
seraphim. Their countenance should be resplendent, like that of
Moses, when he came forth from converse with the Lord (Exod. 34, 29).</span>
<span lang="en-US">At least they should deal with the rest of men in
such a manner that they be honored and revered as next to God. I
desire that thou understand, my dearest, that the Most High is
greatly incensed against the world in this matter: as well against
the priests as against laymen. Against the priests because,
forgetting their exalted dignity, they debase themselves by a
contemptible, degraded and scandalous life, giving bad example to the
world by mixing up with it to the neglect of their sanctification.
And against the laymen, because they act with a foolhardy presumption
toward the anointed of the Lord, whom, though imperfect and blameless
in their lives, they ought to honor and revere as taking the place of
Christ, my most holy Son, on earth.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On account of this reverence due to
the priesthood my behavior toward saint Zacharias was different from
that toward Elisabeth. For, although the Lord wished, that I should
be the instrument, by which the gifts of the holy Spirit should be
communicated to both; yet I saluted Elisabeth in such a manner, that
I at the same time showed a certain authority, exerting my power over
the original sin of her son; for at my words this sin was forgiven
him, and both mother and son were filled with the Holy Ghost. As I
had not contracted original sin and was exempt from it, I possessed
dominion over it on this occasion: I commanded as the Mistress, who
had triumphed over it by the help of the Lord (Gen. 3, 5), and who
was no slave of it, as all the sons of Adam, who sinned in him (Rom.
5, 12). Therefore the Lord desires that, in order to free John from
the slavery and chains of sin, I should command over it as one who
never was subject to its bondage. I did not salute Zacharias in this
authoritative way, but I prayed for him, observing the reverence and
decorum due to his dignity and my modesty. I would not have commanded
the tongue of the priest to be loosened, not even mentally and
secretly, if the Most High had not enjoined it upon me, intimating at
the same time, that the defect of speech hardly suited his office,
for a priest should stand ready to serve and praise the Almighty with
all his powers. In regard to the respect due to priests I will tell
thee more on another occasion; let this suffice at present for the
solution of thy doubt.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
But from my instruction today learn
especially to seek direction in the way of virtue and of eternal life
in all thy interactions with men, be they above or below thee in
dignity. Imitate therein me and my cousin Elisabeth, with due
discretion asking all to direct thee and guide thee; for in return
for such humility the Lord will provide thee with secure counsel and
divine light for exercising thy discreet and sincere love of virtue.
Drive away, or do not allow thyself to be influenced by even the
least breath of flattery and avoid the conversations which expose
thee to it; for such deceitful pleasure darkens the light and
perverts the unsuspecting mind. The Lord is so jealous of the souls
especially beloved by Him, that He will immediately turn away from
them if they find pleasure in the praises of men and seek to
recompense themselves by their flatteries; since by this levity they
become unworthy of his favors. It is not possible to unite in a soul
the adulations of the world and the caresses of the Most High. For
these latter are sincere, holy, pure, and lasting: they humiliate,
cleanse, pacify and illumine the heart; while on the other hand the
flatteries of creatures are vain, fleeting, deceitful, impure and
false, issuing from the mouths of those who are all liars (Ps. 115,
11); and whatever is deceitful is a work of the enemy.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<br /></div>
<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text3"><b> </b></span><br />
</span><span class="text"></span><br />
<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
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<span class="text3">
<b>Paragraph 5. Heaven and Earth </b></span></div>
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<span class="text3"> </span>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="325"></a><b>325</b> The Apostles' Creed professes that God is
"creator of heaven and earth". The Nicene Creed makes it explicit that
this profession includes "all that is, seen and unseen". </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="326"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">326</a></b>
The Scriptural expression "heaven and earth" means all that exists,
creation in its entirety. It also indicates the bond, deep within
creation, that both unites heaven and earth and distinguishes the one
from the other: "the earth" is the world of men, while "heaven" or "the
heavens" can designate both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our
Father in heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is
eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the
"place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.<sup>186</sup></div>
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<sup> </sup>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="327"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">327</a></b> The profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) affirms that God "from the beginning of time made at once (<i>simul</i>) out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and then (<i>deinde</i>) the human creature, who as it were shares in both orders, being composed of spirit and body."<sup>187</sup></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="I">I. THE ANGELS</a></b></div>
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<b>
</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="328"></a><b>The existence of angels - a truth of faith</b></div>
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<b> </b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>328</b> The
existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture
usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is
as clear as the unanimity of Tradition. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="329"></a><b>Who are they?</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>329</b> St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not
of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit';
if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are,
'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"<sup>188</sup> With their whole beings the angels are <i>servants </i>and
messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father
who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening
to the voice of his word".<sup>189</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="330"></a><b>330</b> As purely <i>spiritual </i>creatures angels
have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures,
surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their
glory bears witness.<sup>190</sup></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="331"></a><b> Christ "with all his angels"</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>331</b> Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are <i>his </i>angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . "<sup>191</sup> They belong to him because they were created <i>through </i>and <i>for </i>him:
"for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
authorities - all things were created through him and for him."<sup>192</sup>
They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of
his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to
serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"<sup>193</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="332"></a><b>332</b> Angels have been present since creation and
throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from
afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they
closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child;
stayed Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the
People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets,
just to cite a few examples.<sup>194</sup> Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.<sup>195</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="333"></a><b>333</b>
From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate
is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings
the firstborn into the world, he says: 'Let all God's angels worship
him.'"<sup>196</sup> Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!"<sup>197</sup>
They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen
him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them
from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been.<sup>198</sup> Again, it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection.<sup>199</sup> They will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.<sup>200</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="334"></a><b>The angels in the life of the Church</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>334</b> In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.<sup>201</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="335"></a><b>335</b>
In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the
thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy's <i>In Paradisum deducant te angeli</i>. . .["May
the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic
Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain
angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the
guardian angels). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="336"></a><b>336</b> From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.<sup>202</sup> "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."<sup>203</sup> Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="II"> II. THE VISIBLE WORLD</a>
</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="337"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">337</a></b>
God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity
and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a
succession of six days of divine "work", concluded by the "rest" of the
seventh day.<sup>204</sup> On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation,<sup>205</sup> permitting us to "recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God."<sup>206</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="338"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">338</a></b> <i>Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator</i>.
The world began when God's word drew it out of nothingness; all
existent beings, all of nature, and all human history are rooted in this
primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted
and time begun.<sup>207</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="339"></a><b>339</b> <i>Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection</i>.
For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "And God saw
that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is
endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and
laws."<sup>208</sup> Each of the various creatures, willed in its own
being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and
goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every
creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in
contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for
human beings and their environment. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="340"></a><b>340</b> God wills the <i>interdependence of creatures</i>.
The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and
the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and
inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures
exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the
service of each other. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="341"></a><b>341</b> The <i>beauty of the universe</i>:
The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity
of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man
discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the
admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite
beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of
man's intellect and will. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="342"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">342</a></b> The <i>hierarchy of creatures</i> is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect. God loves all his creatures<sup>209</sup>
and takes care of each one, even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said:
"You are of more value than many sparrows", or again: "Of how much more
value is a man than a sheep!"<sup>210</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="343"></a><b>343</b> <i>Man is the summit</i>
of the Creator's work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly
distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures.<sup>211</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="344"></a><b>344</b> There is a <i>solidarity among all creatures</i>
arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all
ordered to his glory: May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures,
especially brother sun, by whom you give us light for the day; he is
beautiful, radiating great splendor, and offering us a symbol of you,
the Most High. . .
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd><span class="text1">May you be praised, my Lord, for sister water, who is very useful and humble, precious and chaste. . .
<br /> May you be praised, my Lord, for sister earth, our mother, who
bears and feeds us, and produces the variety of fruits and dappled
flowers and grasses. . .
<br /> Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and serve him in all humility.<sup>212</sup></span></dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="345"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">345</a></b> <i>The sabbath - the end of the work of the six days</i>.
The sacred text says that "on the seventh day God finished his work
which he had done", that the "heavens and the earth were finished", and
that God "rested" on this day and sanctified and blessed it.<sup>213</sup> These inspired words are rich in profitable instruction: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="346"></a><b>346</b> <span class="text1">In
creation God laid a foundation and established laws that remain firm,
on which the believer can rely with confidence, for they are the sign
and pledge of the unshakeable faithfulness of God's covenant.<sup>214</sup> For his part man must remain faithful to this foundation, and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="347"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">347</a></b> <span class="text1">Creation
was fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship
and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in the order of creation.<sup>215</sup> As the rule of St. Benedict says, nothing should take precedence over "the work of God", that is, solemn worship.<sup>216</sup> This indicates the right order of human concerns.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="348"></a><b>348</b> <span class="text1">The
sabbath is at the heart of Israel's law. To keep the commandments is to
correspond to the wisdom and the will of God as expressed in his work
of creation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="349"></a><b>349</b> The <i>eighth day</i>.
But for us a new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection. The
seventh day completes the first creation. The eighth day begins the new
creation. Thus, the work of creation culminates in the greater work of
redemption. The first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the
new creation in Christ, the splendor of which surpasses that of the
first creation.<sup>217</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<sup> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a>
</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="350"></a><b>350</b> Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify
God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for other creatures:
"The angels work together for the benefit of us all" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I, 114, 3, <i>ad </i>3).
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="351"></a><b>351</b> The angels surround Christ their Lord. They serve him especially in the accomplishment of his saving mission to men.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="352"></a><b>352</b> The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="353"></a><b>353</b> God willed the diversity of his creatures
and their own particular goodness, their interdependence and their
order. He destined all material creatures for the good of the human
race. Man, and through him all creation, is destined for the glory of
God.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="354"></a><b>354</b> Respect for laws inscribed in creation and
the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of
wisdom and a foundation for morality. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;" width="300" />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text1">
186 <i>Ps</i> 115:16; 19:2; <i>Mt</i> 5:16.<br />
187 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800; cf. DS 3002 and Paul VI, <i>CPG</i> § 8.<br />
188 St. Augustine, <i>En. in Ps.</i> 103,1,15: PL 37,1348.<br />
189 <i>Mt</i> 18:10; <i>Ps</i> 103:20.<br />
190 Cf. Pius XII, <i>Humani generis</i>: DS 3891; <i>Lk</i> 20:36; <i>Dan</i> 10:9-12.<br />
191 <i>Mt</i> 25:31.<br />
192 <i>Col</i> 1:16.<br />
193 <i>Heb</i> 1:14.<br />
194 Cf. <i>Job</i> 38:7 (where angels are called "sons of God"); <i>Gen</i> 3:24; 19; 21:17; 22:11; <i>Acts</i> 7:53; <i>Ex</i> 23:20-23; <i>Judg</i> 13; 6:11-24; <i>Isa</i> 6:6; <i>1 Kings</i> 19:5.<br />
195 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 1:11,26.<br />
196 <i>Heb</i> 1:6.<br />
197 <i>Lk</i> 2:14.<br />
198 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 1:20; 2:13,19; 4:11; 26:53; <i>Mk</i> 1:13; <i>Lk</i> 22:43; <i>2 Macc</i> 10:29-30; 11:8.<br />
199 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 2:8-14; <i>Mk</i> 16:5-7.<br />
200 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 1:10-11; <i>Mt</i> 13:41; 24:31; <i>Lk</i> 12:8-9.<br />
201 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 5:18-20; 8:26-29; 10:3-8; 12:6-11; 27:23-25.<br />
202 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 18:10; <i>Lk</i> 16:22; <i>Ps</i> 34:7; 91:10-13; <i>Job</i> 33:23-24; <i>Zech</i> 1:12; <i>Tob</i> 12:12.<br />
203 St. Basil, <i>Adv. Eunomium</i> III, I: PG 29,656B.<br />
204 <i>Gen</i> 1:l-2:4.<br />
205 Cf. <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
206 <i>LG</i> 36 § 2.<br />
207 Cf. St. Augustine, <i>De Genesi adv. Man.</i> 1,2,4: PL 34,175.<br />
208 <i>GS</i> 36 § 1.<br />
209 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 145:9.<br />
210 <i>Lk</i> 12:6-7; <i>Mt</i> 12:12.<br />
211 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1-26.<br />
212 St. Francis of Assisi, <i>Canticle of the Creatures</i>.<br />
213 <i>Gen</i> 2:1-3.<br />
214 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 4:3-4; <i>Jer</i> 31:35-37; 33:19-26.<br />
215 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:14.<br />
216 St. Benedict, <i>Regula</i> 43,3: PL 66,675-676.<br />
217 Cf. <i>Roman Missal</i>, Easter Vigil 24, prayer after the first reading.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-90786809465005324592018-12-03T06:29:00.001-06:002018-12-03T06:29:28.128-06:00Sunday December 2, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Humility; Reading 1, Jeremiah 33:14-16; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; Reading 2, First Thessalonians 3:12--4:2; Gospel and Lectio Divina: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - Saint Andrew; Snippet I - Feast of Saint Nicholaus; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 5 though 8 The Holy Death, Assumption and Coronation of Our Blessed Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 4 - The Creator; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday December 2, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Humility; </i><i>Reading 1,</i><i> Jeremiah 33:14-16</i><i>; Responsorial Psalm, </i><i><i>Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14</i>; Reading 2,</i><i> First Thessalonians 3:12--4:2</i><i>; Gospel and Lectio Divina: </i><i>Luke 21:25-28</i><i>, 34-36</i><i>; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - </i><i>Saint Andrew;<b> </b>Snippet I - Feast of Saint Nicholaus; Snippet II - History of Advent; Snippet III- Advent Wreath; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 5 though 8 The Holy Death, Assumption and Coronation of Our Blessed Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 4 - The Creator; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 1st Sunday in Advent</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>St. Andrew Christmas Novena</b></span><br />
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“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was
born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the
piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear
my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus
Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”<br />
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Recite the St. Andrew
Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St.
Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>December 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
When you come to me, as to a mother, with a pure and
open heart, know that I am listening to you, encouraging you, consoling
you and, above all, interceding for you with my Son. I know that you
desire to have a strong faith and to express it in the right way. What
my Son asks of you is to have a sincere, strong and deep faith – then
every way in which you express it is proper. Faith is a most wonderful
mystery <span class="text_exposed_show">which is kept in the heart. It
is between the Heavenly Father and all of His children; it is recognized
by the fruits and by the love which one has towards all of God's
creatures.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Apostles of my love, my children, have trust in my Son.
Help all of my children to come to know His love. You are my hope – you
who strive to sincerely love my Son. In the name of love, for your
salvation, according to the will of the Heavenly Father and through my
Son, I am here among you. Apostles of my love, along with prayer and
sacrifice, may your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of
my Son. May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and
bring them back to my Son. I am with you.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> In a special way, I am
alongside your shepherds. With my motherly love I illuminate and
encourage them that, with the hands blessed by my Son, they may bless
the entire world. Thank you. ~Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<b>November 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
My motherly heart suffers as I am looking at my children who do not love the truth, those who are hiding it—as I look at my children who do not pray with their feelings and actions. I am sad as I am saying to my Son that many of my children no longer have faith, that they do not know Him—my Son. That is why I call you, apostles of my love: you strive to look to the very depth in human hearts and there you are certa<span class="text_exposed_show">in to find the little hidden treasure. To look in this way is mercy from the Heavenly Father. To seek the good even where there is the greatest evil—to strive to comprehend each other and not to judge—that is what my Son is asking of you. And I, as a mother, am calling you to listen to Him.</span><br />
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My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh, and, carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory.<br />
<br />
Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and, above all, in humility. Witness the truth to all those who have not come to know my Son. I will be alongside you. I will encourage you. Witness the love which never ends because it comes from the Heavenly Father who is eternal and who offers eternity to all of my children. The spirit of my Son will be alongside you.<br />
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Anew I am calling you, my children: pray for your shepherds, pray that the love of my Son may lead them. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>August 30, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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“In time, events rise and fall. When you come to Heaven and study your life, you will see that graces were always available to you. My desire for each of my followers is that they accept the grace that I send, in each moment, for peace. For those who accept my grace, peace is easily restored after periods of distress. For those who study my graces as they accept them, peace remains with them in each day and in each moment in each day. My friend, do you feel peaceful? Are you prepared to advance into the period to come? Have I done everything possible to equip my apostles to remain clear-sighted during confusing times? I believe that I have given you everything necessary. Here is another question. Do you <b>wish</b> to retain your peace? Do you <b>wish</b> to remain faithful to me and to the Church that I suffered to establish? If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’, then I am certain that you have all that you need to proceed with your time serving quietly and happily, despite sufferings that you endure. If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’ then I know that you will grow in holiness, day by day, because of your closeness to me and your decision to allow me to direct your time on Earth. I want you to be happy and full of joy. Joy is for you, my beloved apostles. Let others do what they will. Let us proceed into the world with apostolic joy and gladness. There is enormous joy available right now, in this day, because Heaven sends extraordinary graces for our Church. The most important part of your service to me is that you receive these extraordinary graces for joy in this time. If you receive them, you can offer them to others. Talk about me, please. I am so pleased that the leader I have chosen points constantly to me. He loves me and brings my love to others. Do you love me? Do you bring my love to others? Do you trust me to care for my Church tenderly and constantly? I will never abandon my Church. I am with you in the Eucharist. Do you visit me there and ask for peace? For guidance? Please. I am asking you to remain close to me and talk about me. Let others endlessly discuss the challenges of the times. I want you to talk about me. My love for my children, all of my children, means that I have hopes in you. There are little assignments today that only you can fill. Will you fill these opportunities for me? Will you listen to my gentle movements in your heart? I feel so close to you. Do you feel close to me? My beloved apostle, we walk together. We walk in fidelity to our Church and to the man I have chosen to lead it during this period. Be confident that you will understand exactly what Heaven needs from you in each day if you remain in peace with me.”</div>
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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<h2 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope at Mass: Advent is a time for purifying the faith</h2>
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At the
daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis describes Advent as a
good opportunity to understand more fully the birth of Jesus in
Bethlehem, and to cultivate a personal relationship with the Son of God.</div>
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<b>By Vatican News</b><br />
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The time of Advent has three dimensions: the past, the future, and
the present. In his homily, Pope Francis recalled that Advent, which
began on Sunday, is a good time “for purifying the spirit, for making
the faith grow with this purification.” The Pope was reflecting on the
day’s Gospel reading (Mt 8:5-11), which recounts the meeting at
Capernaum between Jesus and the centurion who asked him to heal his
servant. Even today, he explained, it can happen that faith can become a
habit for us; we can get used to it, forgetting its “liveliness.” When
the faith becomes a habit, he said, “we lose that strength of the faith,
that newness of the faith that is always renewed.”<br />
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<h2>
Christmas must not become worldly</h2>
Pope Francis emphasised that the first dimension of Advent is the
past, “the purification of memory”: We have to remember that Christmas
is not about the birth of a Christmas tree, but about the birth of Jesus
Christ:<br />
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<i>The Lord is born, the Redeemer who has come to save us. Yes, it is
a celebration… [but] we always face the danger, we will always have
within us the temptation to make Christmas mondane, worldly… When the
celebration stops being about contemplation—a beautiful family
celebration with Jesus at the centre—it begins to be a worldly
celebration: all about shopping, presents, this and that… and the Lord
remains there, forgotten. Even in our own life: yes, He is born, at
Bethlehem, but [then what?]… Advent is [a time] for purifying the memory
of this time past, of that dimension.</i><br />
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<h2>
Purifying hope</h2>
The Pope continued, saying Advent also serves to “purify hope,” preparing us “for the definitive encounter with the Lord”:<br />
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<i>Because the Lord who came then will return! He will return! He
will return to ask us: “How did your life go?” It will be a personal
encounter. We have a personal encounter with the Lord, today, in the
Eucharist; we cannot have such a personal with the Christmas of 2000
years ago: we have the memorial of that. But when He will return, we
will have that personal encounter. It is purifying hope.</i><br />
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<h2>
The Lord knocks at our heart</h2>
Finally, Pope Francis invited everyone to cultivate the daily
dimension of the faith, despite so many cares and worries, taking
“custody” of our own “interior home.” Our God, in fact, is the “God of
surprises,” and Christians must constantly discern what the heavenly
Father is saying to us today:<br />
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<i>The third dimension is more daily: purifying our watchfulness.
Vigilance and prayer are two words for Advent: Because historically the
Lord came in Bethlehem; and He will come, at the end of the world and
also at the end of our individual lives. But every day, every moment, He
comes into our hearts, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.</i><br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 12/2/18<i> </i> </li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Word</span></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - humility</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">hyoo</span>-mil-i-tee</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
<h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1275–1325;</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="middle" href="https://www.dictionary.com/middle">
Middle
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="english" href="https://www.dictionary.com/english">
English
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="humilite" href="https://www.dictionary.com/humilite">
humilite
</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="<" href="https://www.dictionary.com/<">
<
</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="latin" href="https://www.dictionary.com/latin">
Latin
</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="humilitās" href="https://www.dictionary.com/humilitās">
humilitās.</span></span></span></h4>
<div class="lr_dct_sf_h">
<i>noun</i></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="xpdxpnd vk_gy" data-mh="-1">
noun: <b>humble</b><br />
<br />
<span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="the" href="https://www.dictionary.com/the">1. the
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="quality" href="https://www.dictionary.com/quality">
quality
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="condition" href="https://www.dictionary.com/condition">
condition
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="being" href="https://www.dictionary.com/being">
being
</span> humble; <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="modest" href="https://www.dictionary.com/modest">
modest
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="opinion" href="https://www.dictionary.com/opinion">
opinion
</span> or <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="estimate" href="https://www.dictionary.com/estimate">
estimate
</span> of <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="ones" href="https://www.dictionary.com/ones">
one's
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="own" href="https://www.dictionary.com/own">
own
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="importance" href="https://www.dictionary.com/importance">
importance,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="rank" href="https://www.dictionary.com/rank">
rank,
</span> <span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="etc" href="https://www.dictionary.com/etc">
etc.
</span></span><b><br /></b></div>
<ol class="lr_dct_sf_sens"></ol>
<span class="one-click-content css-9sn2pa e1q3nk1v4"><span class="one-click" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="etc" href="https://www.dictionary.com/etc"></span></span><br />
<ol class="lr_dct_sf_sens">
<li><div class="vmod">
<div class="lr_dct_sf_sen Uekwlc XpoqFe">
<div style="margin-left: 20px;">
<div class="PNlCoe XpoqFe">
<div class="vmod">
<table class="vk_tbl vk_gy"><tbody>
<tr><td class="lr_dct_nyms_ttl" style="padding-right: 3px;"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
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<span class="dbox-roman">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ<span class="dbox-roman">▬♥▬●▬</span>ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Jeremiah 33:14-16</i></h2>
<sup>14</sup> "Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall fulfil the promise of happiness I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:<br />
<sup>15</sup> In those days and at that time, I shall make an upright Branch grow for David, who will do what is just and upright in the country.<br />
<sup>16</sup> In those days Judah will triumph and Israel live in safety. And this is the name the city will be called: Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice."<br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
<br />
<div class="luna-Ent">
<div class="dndata">
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14</i></h2>
<sup>4</sup> DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths.<br />
<sup>5</sup> ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. FOR my hope is in you all day long -- such is your generosity, Yahweh.<br />
<sup>8</sup> INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path.<br />
<sup>9</sup> JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way.<br />
<sup>10</sup> KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh's paths, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.<br />
<sup>14</sup> ONLY those who fear Yahweh have his secret and his covenant, for their understanding.<br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>First Thessalonians 3:12--4:2</i></h2>
<sup>12</sup> May the Lord increase and enrich your love for each other and for all, so that it matches ours for you.<br />
<sup>13</sup> And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.<br />
<sup>1</sup> Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus; we instructed you how to live in the way that pleases God, and you are so living; but make more progress still.<br />
<sup>2</sup> You are well aware of the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.<br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><i>Luke 21:25-28</i><i>, 34-36</i></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Manifestation of the Son of man: <br />Beginning of the new times<br />Beware! It can happen at any time! </i><i></i></div>
<i>
</i>
<br />
<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
<br />
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the
same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover
the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection. <br />
Create silence within
us so that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the
Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and
suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples
on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and
witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of
fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary,
who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
2. Mediatio</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) A key to the reading:<br /> <br /> </b>The
liturgical text of this Sunday leads us to meditate on Jesus’ discourse
on the end of the world. Today, when we speak of the end of the world,
reactions are quite varied. Some are fearful. Others are indifferent.
Others begin to take life more seriously. Others still, as soon as they
hear some terrible news say, “The end of the world is drawing near!”
What is your opinion on this matter? How is it that at the <b>beginning </b>of the liturgical year, the first Sunday of Advent, the Church confronts us with the <b>end </b>of history? <br />
Keeping these questions in mind, let us now try to read the text in such a way that it may challenge and question us. <br />
In the course of our reading we shall try to concentrate <b>not </b>on the things that are fearsome, <b>but</b> on those that give us hope.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) A division of the text to facilitate our reading:<br /> <br /> </b>Luke 21:25-26: There will be signs in sun and moon and stars.<br />
Luke 21:27: The Son of Man will come on a cloud.<br />
Luke 21:28: The rebirth of hope in our hearts.<br />
(Luke 21:29-33: The parable of the fig tree).<br />
Luke 21:34-36: An exhortation to watchfulness.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
3. The Gospel</h3>
Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon,
and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the
roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in
anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. But
when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand. “Beware that your hearts do not
become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily
life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will
assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all
times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations
that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
4. Contemplatio</h3>
<h3>
A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the text.</h3>
<br />
<b>. The context of Jesus’ discourse </b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The text of this Sunday’s Gospel (Lk
21:25-28,34-36) is part of the so-called “eschatological discourse”(Lk
21:8-36). In Luke’s Gospel, this discourse is presented as Jesus’ reply
to a question put to Him by the disciples. Looking at the beauty and
greatness of the temple of Jerusalem, Jesus had said: “Not one stone
will be left standing!” (Lk 21:5-6). The disciples were looking for more
information from Jesus regarding the destruction of the temple, and
they asked: “Master, when will this happen and what will be the signs to
show that it is about to happen?” (Lk 21:7).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The aim of the discourse: to help discern events.</i> <br />
In
Jesus’ time (year 33), many people, when faced with disasters, wars,
and persecutions, said “The end of the world is drawing near!” The
communities of Luke’s time (year 85) thought the same. During the time
of the destruction of Jerusalem (year 70) and the persecution of
Christians which had now been going on for 40 years, there were those
who said “God is no longer in control of the events of life! We are
lost!” Hence the main point of the discourse is that of helping the
disciples to discern the signs of the times so as not to be deceived by
such sayings concerning the end of the world: “Beware not to allow
yourselves to be deceived!” (Lk 21:8). The discourse presents several
signs that help us in our discernment.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Six signs to help us discern the events of life.<br /> </i>After
a short introduction (Lk 21:5), the discourse proper begins. Jesus
enumerates, in an apocalyptic style, the events that can be seen as
signs. It is important to remember that Jesus was living and speaking in
the year 33, but that the readers of Luke were living and listening to
the words of Jesus about the year 85. Many things had happened between
the years 33 and 85, for instance: the destruction of Jerusalem (year
70), persecutions and wars were everywhere, along with natural
disasters. Jesus’ discourse announces these events as taking place in
the future. But the community sees these things in the past, as having
already taken place:<br />
First sign: the false messiahs who will say, “It is I! The time is at hand!” (Lk 21:8);<br />
Second sign: war and rumors of war (Lk 21:9);<br />
Third sign: nation will rise against nation (Lk 21:10)<br />
Fourth sign: earthquakes, hunger and pestilence everywhere (Lk 21:11);<br />
Fifth sign: persecution of those who proclaim the word of God (Lk 21:12-19);<br />
Sixth sign: the siege and destruction of Jerusalem (Lk 21:20-24).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
When
they heard Jesus’ proclamation, the Christian communities of the year
85 might have come to this conclusion: “All these things have come to
pass or are in the process of happening! All this is happening according
to a plan foreseen by Jesus! Therefore, history is not slipping from
God’s hands!” Especially regarding the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> signs they could say, “This is what we are experiencing today! We have already reached the 6<sup>th</sup> sign!” Then comes the question: How many signs are there left before the end comes?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
In
Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says about all the seemingly very negative things,
“These are just the beginning of birth pangs!” (Mk 13:8) Although birth
pangs are very painful for a mother, they are not signs of death but of
life! They are no reason for fear, but for joy and hope! This way of
reading the events brings calm to all. As we shall see, Luke expresses
this same idea but in different words (Lk 21:28).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
After this first part of the discourse (Lk 21:8-24) comes the Gospel text of the Mass of the first Sunday of Advent.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>II. A commentary on the text </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 21:25-26: <i>Signs in sun and moon and stars.<br /> </i>These
two verses describe three cosmic phenomena: (1) “There will be signs in
sun and moon and stars”; (2) “The roaring of the sea and waves”; (3)
“The powers of the heavens will be shaken”. In the eighties, when Luke
was writing, these three phenomena had not taken place. The communities
could say, “This is the seventh and last sign still to come before the
end!” At first sight, this seventh sign seems more terrible than the
preceding ones, especially since Luke says that men will be fainting
with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. In truth,
in spite of their negative appearance, these cosmic images suggest
something very positive, namely, the beginning of a new creation that
will take the place of the old creation (Rev 21:1). It is the beginning
of the new heaven and the new earth, proclaimed by Isaiah (Isa 65:17).
They usher in the manifestation of the Son of God, the beginning of the
new times.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 21:27: <i>The coming of the Kingdom of God and the manifestation of the Son of Man.<br /> </i>This
image comes from Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 7:1-14). Daniel says that after
the disasters caused by the four kingdoms of this earth (Dan 7:1-8),
the Kingdom of God will come (Dan 7:9-14). The four kingdoms all have
animal features: lion, bear, panther and wild beast (Dan 7:3-7). These
are animal–like kingdoms. They take the life out of life (even to this
day!). The Kingdom of God is represented by the figure of <i>the Son of Man</i>,
that is, it has human features (Dan 7:13). It is a human kingdom. The
task of the Christian communities is to build this kingdom that
humanizes. This is the new history, the <i>new creation</i>, in whose realization we must collaborate.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 21:28: <i>A hope that grows in the heart.<br /> </i>In
Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “This is just the beginning of the birth
pangs!” (Mk 13:8) Here, in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says, “When these things
begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near!” This affirmation shows that the aim of the
discourse is not to cause fear but to raise hope and joy in a people
suffering from persecution. Jesus’ words helped (and still help) the
communities to read events from the point of view of hope. It is those
who oppress and exploit the people who must fear. They, indeed, must
know that their empire is finished.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 21:29-33: <i>The lesson of the parable of the fig tree.<br /> </i>When
Jesus invites us to look at the fig tree, He is asking us to analyze
the events taking place. It is as though He was saying, “Learn to read
the signs of the times from the fig tree and so you may discover when
and where God comes into your history!” Then He ends the lesson of the
parable with these words: “Heaven and earth will pass away; but My words
will not pass away!” By this very well known phrase, Jesus renews hope
and once more alludes to the new creation, which was already taking
place.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Luke 21:34-36: <i>An exhortation to watchfulness.<br /> </i>God
is always coming! His coming takes place when least expected. It may
happen that He comes and that people are not aware of the hour of His
coming (cf. Mt 24:37-39). Jesus advises people to be constantly
watching: (1) avoid all things that may disturb or burden the heart
(dissipations, drunkenness, and worries of life); (2) pray always,
asking for strength to go on and wait standing for the coming of the Son
of Man. In other words, the discourse asks for a double attitude: on
the one hand, the watchfulness of one who is always aware, and on the
other, the serene calmness of one who is at peace. These attitudes are
signs of great maturity, because they bring together an awareness of the
seriousness of the task and an awareness of the relativity of all
things.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>III. Further information for a better understanding of the text </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) When the end of the world will come<br /> <br /> </b>When we say “The end of the world”, <b>what </b>world are we talking about? Is it the end of the world of which the Bible speaks or the end of <b><i>this </i></b>world,
where the power of evil that drives away and oppresses life reigns?
This world of injustice will come to an end. No one knows what the new
world will look like, because no one can imagine what God has prepared
for those who love Him (1 Cor 2:9). The new world of life without death
(Rev 21:4) surpasses all things just as the tree surpasses its seed (1
Cor 15:35-38). The early Christians were anxious and wanted to know the
when of this end (2 Thess 2:2; Acts 1:11). But “it is not for you to
know the times and the hour that the Father has set with His authority”
(Acts 1:7). The only way to contribute to the end is to witness to the
Gospel in every moment and action even to the ends of the earth (Acts
1:8).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) Our time! God’s time!<br /> <br /> </b>“For
no one knows the day or the hour: not even the angels of heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13:32; Mt 24:36). God sets the time
for the end. God’s time cannot be measured by the clock or calendar. For
God, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day
(Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8). God’s time runs independently of us. We cannot
interfere with that, but we must be prepared for the moment when the
hour of God comes into our time. Our security does not lie in knowing
the hour of the end of the world, but in the Word of Jesus present in
our lives. The world will pass away, but His word will not pass away
(Isa 40:7-8).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>c) The context of our text in Luke’s Gospel<br /> <br /> </b>For us 21<sup>st</sup>
century people, apocalyptic language seems strange, difficult and
confused. But for the people of those times it was the common way of
speaking and all understood. It expressed the strong certitude of the
faith of the little ones. In spite of all and against all appearances,
they continued to believe that God is the Lord of history. The main
purpose of apocalyptic language is to foster the faith and hope of the
poor. In Luke’s time, many of the people of the communities thought that
the end of the world was close at hand and that Jesus would have come
back. That is why there were those who stopped working: “Why work, if
Jesus was returning?” (cf 2 Thess 3:11). Others stared at heaven,
waiting for the return of Jesus on the clouds (cf Acts 1:11). Jesus’
discourse shows that no one knows the hour of the final coming. Today we
have the same thing! Some await the coming of Jesus so much that they
do not see His presence among us in our daily concerns and events.</div>
<br />
<h3>
5. Psalm 46 (45 Paraphrased)</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>God is our strength</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
God is our refuge and strength, <br />
a very present help in time of trouble. <br />
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, <br />
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; <br />
though its waters roar and foam,<br />
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, <br />
the holy habitation of the Most High.<br />
God is in the midst of her, <br />
she shall not be moved; <br />
God will help her.<br />
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;<br />
He utters His voice, the earth melts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Lord of hosts is with us; <br />
the God of Jacob is our refuge.<br />
Come, behold the works of the Lord,<br />
how He has wrought desolation on the earth.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; <br />
He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, <br />
He burns the chariots with fire!<br />
"Be still, and know that I am God. <br />
I am exalted among the nations; <br />
I am exalted in the earth!"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Lord of hosts is with us; <br />
the God of Jacob is our refuge.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
6. Final Prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and
grant us the strength to practice that which Your Word has revealed to
us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice
the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the
Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
</div>
<br />
</span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span><span style="font-size: small;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●<b> </b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="color: #660000;">
</h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><b>Saint Andrew, the apostle</b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: November 30<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: Fishermen<br />
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4DODZLRz4M/ULkiBDZFE8I/AAAAAAAAFzA/QIvZCxDiz-Y/s1600/250px-St_Andrew_the_Apostle_-_Bulgarian_icon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4DODZLRz4M/ULkiBDZFE8I/AAAAAAAAFzA/QIvZCxDiz-Y/s320/250px-St_Andrew_the_Apostle_-_Bulgarian_icon.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<b>Saint Andrew</b> (Greek: <span lang="el">Ἀνδρέας, <i>Andreas</i></span>; from the early 1st century – mid to late 1st century <small>AD</small>), called in the Orthodox tradition <i>Prōtoklētos</i>, or the <i>First-called</i>, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, <i>Andreia</i>,
"manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common
among the Jews, Christians, and other Hellenized people of the region.
No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. He is considered the
founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is
consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople.<br />
<br />
The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,by
which it is inferred that he was likewise a son of John, or Jonah. He
was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Both he and his brother
Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called
them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of
men" (Greek: <span lang="grc">ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων</span>, <i>halieĩs anthrōpōn</i>). At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum.<br />
<br />
The Gospel of John states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist,
whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the
Baptist to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.
Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent
occasion, prior to the final call to the Apostolate, they were called
to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow
Jesus.<br />
<br />
In the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some
important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to
Jesus,
Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8),
with Philip told Jesus about the Greeks seeking Him, and was one of four
(the others being Peter, James, and John) to hear Jesus' teaching about
what would soon happen.<br />
<br />
<br />
Eusebius
quotes Origen as saying Andrew preached along the Black Sea and the
Dnieper and Volga rivers as far as Kiev and Novgorod. Hence he became a
patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he
founded the See of Byzantium (Constantinople) in AD 38, installing
Stachys as bishop. According to Hippolytus of Rome, he preached in
Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is also mentioned in the
apocryphal Acts of Andrew, written in the 2nd century; Basil of Seleucia
also knew of Apostle Andrew's mission in Thrace, as well as Scythia and
Achaia. This diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Andrew is recognized as its patron saint.<br />
<br />
Andrew
is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras
(Patræ) in Achaea, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. Early
texts, such as the <i>Acts of Andrew</i> known to Gregory of Tours,
describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on
which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed
that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called <i>Crux decussata</i>
(X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's
Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy
to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.
"The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound
to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the
later Middle Ages," Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the
materials studied by Louis Réau.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Acts_of_Andrew">The <i>Acts of Andrew</i></span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Martyrdom_of_andrew.jpg/220px-Martyrdom_of_andrew.jpg" height="334" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Crucifixion of St. Andrew.</div>
</div>
</div>
The apocryphal <i>Acts of Andrew,</i> mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of <i>Acts</i> of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts (...) belong to the third century: <i>ca.</i> A.D. 260," was the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924.<br />
<br />
The <i>Acts</i>, as well as a <i>Gospel of St Andrew</i>, appear among rejected books in the <i>Decretum Gelasianum</i> connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The <i>Acts of Andrew</i> was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the <i>Acta Apostolorum apocrypha</i> (Leipzig,
1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical
professional readership.<br />
<br />
Another version of the Andrew legend is found
in the <i>Passio Andreae</i>, published by Max Bonnet (<i>Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi</i>, Paris, 1895).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Relics">Relics</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Saint_Andreas.jpg/220px-Saint_Andreas.jpg" height="293" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
The statue of Saint Andrew in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City; the relic of his cross was kept directly above this.</div>
</div>
</div>
Relics
of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of St Andrew in Patras,
Greece; the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, Amalfi, Italy; St Mary's Roman
Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland; and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw, Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world.<br />
<br />
St
Jerome wrote that the relics of St Andrew were taken from Patras to
Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357
and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles. The head of Andrew was
given by the Byzantine despot Thomas Palaeologus to Pope Pius II in
1461. It was enshrined in one of the four central piers of St Peter's
Basilica in the Vatican.<br />
<br />
In September 1964, Pope Paul
VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered
that all of the relics of St Andrew that were in Vatican City
be sent back to Patras. The relics, which consist of the small finger,
part of the top of the cranium of Andrew, and small portions of the
cross on which he was martyred, have since that time been kept in the
Church of St Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a
special ceremony every November 30, his feast day.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Amalfi">Amalfi</span></h2>
In 1208,
following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of St Andrew and St
Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy, by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. The Amalfi cathedral (<i>Duomo</i>),
dedicated to St Andrew (as is the town itself), contains a tomb in its
crypt that it maintains still contains the rest of the relics of the
apostle. On 8 May 2008 the relic believed to be Andrew's head was
returned to Amalfi Cathedral.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Traditions_and_legends">Traditions and legends</span></h2>
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Georgia">Georgia</span></h3>
The church
tradition of Georgia regards St. Andrew as the first
preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder
of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently derived from the
Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who
asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians,
and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north
and south."
The version was adopted by the 10th-11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics
and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian
Chronicles.
The story of St. Andrew’s mission in the Georgian lands endowed the
Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defense argument
to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian
church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another
Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling St.
Andrew’s story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of
Georgians by St. Nino
and explaining the necessity of the “second Christening” by Nino. The
thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Cyprus">Cyprus</span></h3>
Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint
Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew
struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing
waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had
been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place
of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th
century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart.
In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The
main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century.<br />
<br />
Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895,
the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint
Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's
return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the
crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. Telling her story during the
journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest became more and
more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he
stripped off his cloths to reveal the same marks and mother and son were
thus reunited.<br />
<br />
<b>Apostolos Andreas Monastery</b> (Greek: <span lang="el">Απόστολος Ανδρέας</span>)
is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape
Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-eastern most point of the island
of Cyprus,in Rizokarpason in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an
important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an
organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer
priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities
consider the monastery a holy place. As such it is visited by many
people for votive prayers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Malta">Malta</span></h3>
The first reference regarding the first small chapel at Luqa
dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. This chapel contained three altars,
one of them dedicated to Andrew. The painting showing "Mary with Saints
Andrew and Paul" was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli. At
one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be
the main reason behind choosing Andrew as patron saint. The statue of
Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue
underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by
the Maltese artist Abraham Gatt. The <i>Martyrdom of Saint Andrew</i> on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Romania">Romania</span></h3>
The
official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached
the Gospel to the Daco-Romans in the province of Dobrogea (Scythia
Minor),
whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. There have been some
ancient Christian symbols found carved in a cave called Basarabi, near
Constanţa harbor. This have been used for propaganda purposes in the
communist era as part of the protochronism ideology, which purports that
the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian
people for all of its history. This theory is largely dismissed by scholars and researchers including George Alexandrou<br />
<br />
According to Alexandrou research, St. Andrew spent 20 years on the
Dacian territories preaching and teaching. Alexandrou also supposed that
St. Andrews felt very close to the Dacians because they were
monotheists. During that period St.Andrews traveled around the Danube
territories and along the coast of the Black Sea, but mostly he was in
and around his cave in Dobrogea, in South East Romania. St. Andrew’s
cave is still kept as a holy place. Later, John Cassian (360-435),
Dionysius Exiguus(470-574) and Joannes Maxentius (leader of the
so-called Scythian monks) lived in the same area known as Scythia Minor
or Dobrogea, in South East Romania<br />
<br />
There are many traditions without religious meaning connected to St.
Andrew day, some of them having their origin on the Roman celebrations
of Saturn. The Dacian New Year took place from the 14th of November
until the 7th of December, this was the interval when time began its
course.
One of the elements that came from the Roman and Thracian celebrations
was one about wolves. During this night, the wolves are allowed to eat
all the animals they want. It is said that they can speak, too, but
anyone that hears them will die soon. Early on St. Andrew’s day, the
mothers go into the garden and pick tree branches, especially from apple
trees, pear trees, cherry trees, but also rosebush branches. They make a
bunch of branches for each family member. The one whose bunch will
bloom by New Years day will be lucky and healthy next year. The best
known tradition connected to this night is the one about matrimony and
premonitory dreams. Single girls must put under their pillow a branch of
sweet basil. If someone takes the plants in their dreams, that means
the girl will marry soon. They can also plant wheat in a dish and water
it until New Year’s day. The nicer the wheat looks that day, the better
the year to come. All these traditions have no religious meaning, but
they are approached during St.Andrew day.,<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Ukraine.2C_Romania.2C_and_Russia">Ukraine, Romania, and Russia</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Predskazanie_Kiev_sv_Andrey.jpg/220px-Predskazanie_Kiev_sv_Andrey.jpg" height="163" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St Andrew's prophecy of Kiev depicted in Radzivill Chronicle.</div>
</div>
</div>
Early
Christian History in Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew is said to
have preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the
Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and
reached the future location of Kiev, where he erected a cross on the
site where the St. Andrew's Church of Kiev currently stands, and
prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city, Jerusalem of the
Russian/Ukrainian land.<br />
<br />
It was in the obvious interest of Kievan Rus' and its later Russian
and Ukraninian successors, striving in numerous ways to link themselves
with the political and religious heritage of Byzantium, to claim such a
direct visit from the famous. Claiming direct lineage from St. Andrew
also had the effect of disregarding any theological leanings of Greek Orthodoxy
over which disagreement arose, since the actual "indirect"
proselytising via Byzantium was bypassed altogether. Still, as the same
source quotes, Andrew only preached to the southern shore of the
Black Sea (current Turkey).<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Scotland">Scotland</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 162px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/St._Andrew_carving%2C_c.1500.JPG/160px-St._Andrew_carving%2C_c.1500.JPG" height="248" width="160" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St. Andrew carving c.1500 in the National Museum of Scotland</div>
</div>
</div>
About
the middle of the 10th century, Andrew became the patron saint of
Scotland. Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought
by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern
town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, <i>Cill Rìmhinn</i>).<br />
<br />
The
oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts
collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France,
now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other in the Harleian Mss
in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew
were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa
(729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) (whose name is
preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from
Ireland with Saint Columba;
his dates, however, are c 573 – 600. There are good reasons for
supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca,
bishop of Hexham,
who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c.
732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but
on the site of St Andrews. The connection made with Regulus is,
therefore, due in all probability to the desire to date the foundation
of the church at St Andrews as early as possible.<br />
<br />
According
to legend, in 832 AD, Óengus II led an army of Picts and Scots into
battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day
Athelstaneford, East Lothian.
The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst
engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted
victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland.
On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were
said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by
this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being
inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud
phenomenon as representing the <i>crux decussata</i> upon which Saint
Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly
appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white
saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been
adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend. However, there is evidence Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.<br />
<br />
Andrew's
connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod
of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked"
by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher ranking patron.
The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to
Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish
churches in the Church of Scotland
and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named
after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome,
Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to St Andrew.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/81547416-SLD-001-0031.jpg/220px-81547416-SLD-001-0031.jpg" height="146" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St. Andrew's cross carved in fireplace to prevent witches from entering a house</div>
</div>
</div>
A
local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the
fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from
flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By
placing the St Andrew's cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels,
witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case,
it is similar to the use of a witch ball,
although the cross will activily prevent witches from entering, and the
witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap
it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
Andrew is the
patron saint of Barbados, Scotland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Patras in
Greece, Amalfi in Italy, Luqa in Malta, and Esgueira in Portugal. He
was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden
Fleece. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag which also
features on the flags of Australia, New Zealand and the arms and flag
of Nova Scotia) feature St Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also
the flag of Tenerife, the flag of Galicia and the naval jack of Russia.
The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a
St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles,
said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would
not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Florida and
Alabama flags also show that device. Andrew is also the patron saint of
the U.S. Army Rangers.<br />
<br />
The feast of Andrew is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day
of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic
Church, the feast of St. Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of
Saints.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ul>
<li><span class="citation book">Metzger, Bruce M. (ed); , Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). <i>The Oxford Companion to the Bible</i>. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5.</span></li>
<li>Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. <i>The Penguin Dictionary of Saints</i>. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
</li>
<li>The Life and Miracles of St. Andrew The Apostle</li>
<li>Andreas: The Legend of St. Andrew translated by Robert Kilburn Root, 1899, from Project Gutenberg</li>
<li>Paintings and Statues of Saint Andrew in Malta and around the world</li>
<li>National Shrine to St Andrew in Edinburgh Scotland</li>
<li>Scottish Government Celebrations of St. Andrew's Day</li>
<li>Grimm's Saga No. 150 about St. Andrew</li>
<li>St. Andrew page at <i>Christian Iconography</i></li>
<li>"The Life of St. Andrew" from Caxton's translation of the <i>Golden Legend</i></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #660000;"> <span dir="auto"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span></span></span><b>Feast of Saint Nicholaus</b></h2>
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<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: December 6<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: <sup> </sup>Children, coopers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxUaWJHMtBE/UMK30_tLk-I/AAAAAAAAGAs/49j7Of7yN80/s1600/st-nicholas-1563.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TxUaWJHMtBE/UMK30_tLk-I/AAAAAAAAGAs/49j7Of7yN80/s320/st-nicholas-1563.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>St Nicholas</b></td></tr>
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<b>Saint Nicholas</b> (Greek: <span lang="el">Ἅγιος Νικόλαος</span>, <span class="Unicode" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;" title="Greek transliteration"><i>Hagios Nikólaos</i></span> ["Saint", literally "Holy", Latin: <span lang="la"><i>Sanctus</i></span>] <span class="Unicode" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;" title="Greek transliteration"><i>Nicolaus</i></span> ["victory of the people"]) (270 – 6 December 343),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> also called <b>Nikolaos of Myra</b>, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup>
Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia. Because of
the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as <b>Nikolaos the Wonderworker</b> (<span lang="el">Νικόλαος ὁ Θαυματουργός</span>, <span class="Unicode" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;" title="Greek transliteration"><i>Nikolaos ho Thaumaturgos</i></span>).<br />
<br />
He
had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the
shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model
for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas,
itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration
of "Saint Nikolaos". His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was
common for early Christian saints.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
In 1087, part of the relics (about half of the bones) were furtively
translated to Bari, in southeastern Italy; for this reason, he is also
known as <b>Nikolaos of Bari</b>. The remaining bones were taken to Venice in 1100. His feast day is 6 December <small>[O.S. 19 December]</small>.<br />
<br />
<br />
The historical Saint Nicholas is commemorated and revered among Anglican<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup>, Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. In addition, some Baptist,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup> Methodist,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup> Presbyterian,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> and Reformed churches have been named in honor Saint Nicholas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup>
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers,
thieves, children, pawnbrokers and students in various countries in the
Balkans and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia), as well as in parts of Western
Europe (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal). He is also the
patron saint of Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Barranquilla, Bari, Burgas, Beit
Jala, Fribourg, Huguenots, Kozani, Liverpool, Paternopoli, Sassari,
Siggiewi, and Lorraine. He was also a patron of the Varangian Guard of
the Byzantine emperors, who protected his relics in Bari.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Life">Life</span></h2>
Nicholas was born a Greek<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24_14-0">[14]</sup> in Asia Minor during the third century in the city of Patara (Lycia et Pamphylia),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-0">[16]</sup> which was a port on the Mediterranean Sea,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-1">[16]</sup> and lived in Myra, Lycia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> (part of modern-day Demre, Turkey), at a time when the region was Greek in its heritage,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-2">[16]</sup> culture, and outlook and politically part of the Roman diocese of Asia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-3">[16]</sup> He was the only son of wealthy Christian parents named Epiphanius (<span lang="el">Ἐπιφάνιος</span>) and Johanna (<span lang="el">Ἰωάννα</span>) according to some accounts<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> and Theophanes (<span lang="el">Θεοφάνης</span>) and Nonna (<span lang="el">Νόννα</span>) according to others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121_16-4">[16]</sup> He was very religious from an early age<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24_14-1">[14]</sup>
and according to legend, Nicholas was said to have rigorously observed
the canonical fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays. His wealthy parents
died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young and he was raised by
his uncle—also named Nicholas—who was the bishop of Patara. He
tonsured the young Nicholas as a reader, and later ordained him a
presbyter (priest).<br />
<br />
<br />
In 325, he was one of
many Bishops to answer the request of Constantine and appear at the
Council of Nicaea. There, Nicolas was a staunch anti-Arian and defender
of the Orthodox Christian position, and one of the Bishops who signed
the Nicene Creed. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup>
Church tradition holds that during the proceedings at Nicaea, Nicolas
became so angry at the position of Arius - that Jesus Christ was a
created being and not fully God - that he walked up to Arius and slapped
him in the face.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Translation_of_the_relics">Translation of the relics</span></h2>
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/San_Nicolo_al_Lido_1.jpg/150px-San_Nicolo_al_Lido_1.jpg" height="200" width="150" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
The church of San Nicolò al Lido (Venice), hosts half of Nicolas' relics</div>
</div>
</div>
On
26 August 1071 Romanus IV, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (reigned
1068–1071), faced Sultan Alp Arslan of the Seljuk Turks (reigned
1059–1072) in the Battle of Manzikert. The battle ended in humiliating
defeat and capture for Romanus. As a result the Empire temporarily lost
control over most of Asia Minor to the invading Seljuk Turks. The
Byzantines would regain its control over Asia Minor during the reign of
Alexius I Comnenus (reigned 1081–1118). But early in his reign Myra
was overtaken by the Islamic invaders. Taking advantage of the
confusion, sailors from Bari in Apulia seized part of the remains of
the saint from his burial church in Myra, over the objections of the
Orthodox monks. Returning to Bari, they brought the remains with them
and cared for them. The remains arrived on 9 May 1087. There are
numerous variations of this account. In some versions those taking the
relics are characterized as thieves or pirates, in others they are said
to have taken them in response to a vision wherein Saint Nicholas
himself appeared and commanded that his relics be moved in order to
preserve them from the impending Muslim conquest. Currently at Bari,
there are two churches at his shrine, one Roman Catholic and one
Orthodox.<br />
<br />
Sailors from Bari collected just half of
Nicholas' skeleton, leaving all the minor fragments in the grave. These
were collected by Venetian sailors during the first crusade and
brought to Venice, where a church to St. Nicholas, the patron of
sailors, was built on the Lido. This tradition was confirmed in two
scientific investigations of the relics in Bari and Venice, which
revealed that the relics in the two cities belong to the same skeleton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup><br />
<br />
According
to a local legend, some of his remains were brought by three pilgrims
to a church in what is now Nikolausberg in the vicinity of the city of
Göttingen, Germany, giving the church and village its name.<br />
<br />
It
is said that in Myra the relics of Saint Nicholas each year exuded a
clear watery liquid which smells like rose water, called manna (or
myrrh), which is believed by the faithful to possess miraculous powers.
After the relics were brought to Bari, they continued to do so, much
to the joy of the new owners. Vials of myrrh from his relics have been
taken all over the world for centuries, and can still be obtained from
his church in Bari. Even up to the present day, a flask of manna is
extracted from the tomb of Saint Nicholas every year on 6 December (the
Saint's feast day) by the clergy of the basilica. The myrrh is
collected from a sarcophagus which is located in the basilica vault and
could be obtained in the shop nearby. The liquid gradually seeps out
of the tomb, but it is unclear whether it originates from the body
within the tomb, or from the marble itself; since the town of Bari is a
harbor, and the tomb is below sea level, there are several natural
explanations for the manna fluid, including the transfer of seawater to
the tomb by capillary action.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup><br />
<br />
In
1993 a grave was found on the small Turkish island of Gemile, east of
Rhodes, which historians believe is the grave of Saint Nicholas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup><sup> </sup>On
28 December 2009, the Turkish Government announced that it would be
formally requesting the return of St Nicholas's bones to Turkey from
the Italian government.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup>
Turkish authorities have cited the fact that St Nicolas himself wanted
to be and actually got buried at his episcopal town. They also state
that his remains were illegally removed from his homeland.<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
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</div>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legends_and_folklore">Legends and folklore</span></h2>
Another legend<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup>
tells how a terrible famine struck the island and a malicious butcher
lured three little children into his house, where he slaughtered and
butchered them, placing their remains in a barrel to cure, planning to
sell them off as ham. Saint Nicholas, visiting the region to care for
the hungry, not only saw through the butcher's horrific crime but also
resurrected the three boys from the barrel by his prayers. Another
version of this story, possibly formed around the eleventh century,
claims that the butcher's victims were instead three clerks who wished
to stay the night. The man murdered them, and was advised by his wife
to dispose of them by turning them into meat pies. The Saint saw
through this and brought the men back to life.<br />
<br />
In his most famous exploit,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup>
a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for
them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in
absence of any other possible employment, would have to become
prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help
him, but being too modest to help the man in public (or to save the
man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under
the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter)
filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house.<br />
<br />
One
version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights.
Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time
the night before one of the daughters comes of age. Invariably, the
third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of
their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to
have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone.
In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops
the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the
daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the
embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking.<br />
<br />
The
legends with the most likely historical basis are the stories of
Nicholas helping three girls and stories of Nicholas helping sailors.
Others, especially the legend of the three murdered children, are much
later additions to Nicholas lore, historian Dr. Adam English concludes<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[28]</sup>
in a new biography of Nicholas for Baylor University Press based on a
four-year study of current historical research into Nicholas of Myra.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Miracle_of_wheat_multiplication">Miracle of wheat multiplication</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Nikolaus_von_Myra.jpg/150px-Nikolaus_von_Myra.jpg" height="176" width="150" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A key ring with the image of Nikolaos of Myra as patron of the sailors</div>
</div>
</div>
During
a great famine that Myra experienced in 311-312, a ship was in the
port at anchor, which was loaded with wheat for the Emperor in
Constantinople. Nicholas invited the sailors to unload a part of the
wheat to help in time of need.<i><sup> </sup></i>The sailors at first
disliked the request, because the wheat had to be weighed accurately
and delivered to the Emperor. Only when Nicholas promised them that
they would not suffer any loss for their consideration, the sailors
agreed. When they arrived later in the capital, they made a surprising
find: the weight of the load had not changed, although the wheat
removed in Myra was enough for two full years and could even be used
for sowing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whereas
the devotional importance of relics and the economics associated with
pilgrimages caused the remains of most saints to be divided up and
spread over numerous churches in several countries, St. Nicholas is
unusual in that most of his bones have been preserved in one spot: his
grave crypt in Bari. Even with the still-continuing miracle of the
manna, the archdiocese of Bari has allowed for one scientific survey of
the bones. In the late 1950s, during a restoration of the chapel, it
allowed a team of hand-picked scientists to photograph and measure the
contents of the crypt grave.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 2005, the
report of these measurements was sent to a forensic laboratory in
England. The review of the data revealed that the historical St.
Nicholas was barely five feet in height and had a broken nose.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Formal_veneration">Formal veneration</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d5/St._Nicholas_Bari.jpg/220px-St._Nicholas_Bari.jpg" height="165" width="220" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy where some of the relics of St. Nicholas are kept today.</div>
</div>
</div>
Among
the Greeks and Italians he is a favorite of sailors, fishermen, ships
and sailing. As such he has become over time the patron saint of
several cities maintaining harbors. In centuries of Greek folklore,
Nicholas was seen as "The Lord of the Sea", often described by modern
Greek scholars as a kind of Christianized version of Poseidon. In
modern Greece, he is still easily among the most recognizable saints
and 6 December finds many cities celebrating their patron saint. He is
also the patron saint of all of Greece.<br />
<br />
In the Eastern
Orthodox Church, Saint Nicholas' memory is celebrated on most every
Thursday of the year (together with the Apostles) with special hymns to
him which are found in the liturgical book known as the Octoechos. Soon
after the transfer of Saint Nicholas' relics from Myra to Bari, a
Russian version of his Life and an account of the transfer of his relics
were written by a contemporary to this event.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup>
Devotional akathists and canons have been composed in his honour, and
are frequently chanted by the faithful as they ask for his
intercession. He is mentioned in the Liturgy of Preparation during the
Divine Liturgy (Eastern Orthodox Eucharist) and during the All-Night
Vigil. Many Orthodox churches will have his icon, even if they are not
named after him.<br />
<br />
In late medieval England, on Saint
Nicholas' Day parishes held Yuletide "boy bishop" celebrations. As part
of this celebration, youths performed the functions of priests and
bishops, and exercised rule over their elders. Today, Saint Nicholas is
still celebrated as a great gift-giver in several Western European
countries. According to one source, in medieval times nuns used the
night of 6 December to deposit baskets of food and clothes anonymously
at the doorsteps of the needy. According to another source, on 6
December every sailor or ex-sailor of the Low Countries (which at that
time was virtually all of the male population) would descend to the
harbour towns to participate in a church celebration for their patron
saint. On the way back they would stop at one of the various <i>Nicholas fairs</i>
to buy some hard-to-come-by goods, gifts for their loved ones and
invariably some little presents for their children. While the real
gifts would only be presented at Christmas, the little presents for the
children were given right away, courtesy of Saint Nicholas. This and
his miracle of him resurrecting the three butchered children made Saint
Nicholas a patron saint of children and later students as well.<br />
<br />
Among
Albanians, Saint Nicholas is known as Shen'Kollë and is venerated by
most Catholic families, even those from villages that are devoted to
other saints. The Feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated on the eve of 5
December, known as Shen'Kolli i Dimnit (Saint Nicholas of Winter), as
well as on the commemoration of the interring of his bones in Bari, the
eve of 8 May, known as Shen'Kolli i Majit (Saint Nicholas of May).
Albanian Catholics often swear by Saint Nicholas, saying "Pasha Shejnti
Shen'Kollin!" ("May I see Holy Saint Nicholas!"), indicating the
importance of this saint in Albanian culture, especially among the
Albanians of Malësia. On the eve of his feast day, Albanians will light a
candle and abstain from meat, preparing a feast of roasted lamb and
pork, to be served to guests after midnight. Guests will greet each
other, saying, "Nata e Shen'Kollit ju nihmoftë!" ("May the Night of
Saint Nicholas help you!") and other such blessings. The bones of
Albania's greatest hero, George Kastrioti, were also interred in the
Church of Saint Nicholas in Lezha, Albania, upon his death.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Iconography">Iconography</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Ferapontov.jpg/220px-Ferapontov.jpg" height="147" width="220" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Russian merchants. Fresco by Dionisius from the Ferapontov Monastery.</div>
</div>
</div>
Saint
Nicholas is a popular subject portrayed on countless Eastern Orthodox
icons, particularly Russian ones. He is depicted as an Orthodox bishop,
wearing the omophorion and holding a Gospel Book. Sometimes he is
depicted wearing the Eastern Orthodox mitre, sometimes he is
bareheaded. Iconographically, Nicholas is depicted as an elderly man
with a short, full white beard and balding head. In commemoration of
the miracle attributed to him by tradition at the Ecumenical Council of
Nicea, he is sometimes depicted with Christ over his left shoulder
holding out a Gospel Book to him and the Theotokos over his right
shoulder holding the omophorion. Because of his patronage of mariners,
occasionally Saint Nicholas will be shown standing in a boat or
rescuing a drowning sailor.<br />
<br />
In Roman Catholic
iconography, Saint Nicholas is depicted as a bishop, wearing the
insignia of this dignity: a red bishop's cloak, a red miter and a
bishop's crozier. The episode with the three dowries is commemorated by
showing him holding in his hand either three purses, three coins or
three balls of gold. Depending on whether he is depicted as patron
saint of children or sailors, his images will be completed by a
background showing ships, children or three figures climbing out of a
wooden barrel (the three slaughtered children he resurrected).<br />
<br />
In
a strange twist, the three gold balls referring to the dowry affair
are sometimes metaphorically interpreted as being oranges or other
fruits. As in the Low Countries in medieval times oranges most
frequently came from Spain, this led to the belief that the Saint lives
in Spain and comes to visit every winter bringing them oranges, other
'wintry' fruits and tales of magical creatures.<br />
<br />
Saint
Nicholas Day is on December 6th. Many children and thier families will
put out bowls or shoes and recieve from Saint Nicholas Cookies and a
special present just for the child. This is a major event in Europe and
in U.S.A is a minorly celebrated feast.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="In_music">In music</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><i>San Nicola di Bari</i>, an oratorio composed by Giovanni Battista Bononcini (1693).</li>
<li><i>St. Nicolas</i>, a choral song for male choir by Edward Purcell (1730).</li>
<li><i>Saint Nicolas</i>, a Christmas cantata by Benjamin Britten (1948).</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Operetta_St._Nicholas_arrives"> </span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Operetta_St._Nicholas_arrives">Operetta <i>St. Nicholas arrives</i></span></h3>
Salesian priest Jerko Gržinčič wrote a Christmas operetta in three acts entitled <i>Miklavž prihaja</i> (<i>St. Nicholas arrives</i>). The premiere took place before World War II in the Union Hostel in Ljubljana (now in Slovenia) with great success.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Metamorphosis_in_Demre">Metamorphosis in Demre</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Demre_Noel_Baba_op_Plein.JPG/220px-Demre_Noel_Baba_op_Plein.JPG" height="165" width="220" /> <br />
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<i>Noel Baba</i> at the square in front of the church in Demre.</div>
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The
evolution of Saint Nicholas into the more commercially lucrative
Santa Claus—which took centuries in Europe and America—has recently been
re-enacted in the saint's home town of Demre, Turkey. The modern city
is built near the ruins of ancient Myra, and attracts many Russian
tourists as St. Nicholas is a very popular Orthodox saint. Restoration
on Saint Nicholas' original church is currently underway, with the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2007 permitting Divine Liturgy to be
celebrated at the site, and contributing 40,000 Turkish Lira to the
project.<br />
<br />
A solemn bronze statue of the saint by Russian
sculptor Gregory Pototsky was donated by the Russian government in
2000, and was given a prominent place in the square fronting the
medieval Church of St. Nicholas. In 2005, mayor Süleyman Topçu had the
statue replaced by a red-suited plastic Santa Claus statue, because he
wanted an image more recognisable to foreign visitors. Protests from the
Russian government against this were successful, and the bronze statue
was returned (albeit without its original high pedestal) to a corner
nearer the church.</div>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist references-column-width" style="-moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><i>Book of Martyrs</i>. Catholic Book Publishing. 1948.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Serbia". Saint Nicholas Center<span class="printonly">. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=494</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 4 April 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Who is St. Nicholas?". St. Nicholas Center<span class="printonly">. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 7 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Nicholas". Orthodox America<span class="printonly">. http://www.roca.org/OA/5/5m.htm</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 7 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Cunningham, Lawrence (2005). <i>A brief history of saints</i>.
Wiley-Blackwell. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4051-1402-8. "The fourth-century
Saint Nikolaos of Myra (in present-day Turkey) spread to Europe through
the port city of Bari in southern Italy…Devotion to the saint in the
Low countries became blended with Nordic folktales, transforming this
early Greek bishop into that Christmas icon, Santa Claus’."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Jones, Charles W. (1978). <i>Saint Nikolaos of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend</i>. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-40700-5.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">St. Nicholas Bethel Bethel Baptist Church</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">St. Nicholas United Methodist Church - Church Gazetteer</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">St Nicholas' Cardonald Parish Church - Church Gazetteer</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">New York’s Dutch Cathedral: The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, Fifth Avenue</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Domenico, Roy Palmer (2002). <i>The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture</i>.
Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 21. ISBN 0-313-30733-4. "Saint Nicholas
(Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of the city…A
Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth century."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Burman, Edward (1991). <i>Emperor to emperor: Italy before the Renaissance</i>.
Constable. p. 126. ISBN 0-09-469490-7. "For although he is the patron
saint of Russia, and the model for a northern invention such as Santa
Glaus, Nicholas of Myra was a Greek."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ingram.2C_W._Scott.3B_Ingram.2C_Asher_2004_24-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Ingram, W. Scott; Ingram, Asher, Scott; Robert (2004). <i>Greek Immigrants</i>.
Infobase Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 0-8160-5689-7, 9780816056897. "Saint
Nicholas The original Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, was a Greek born in
Turkey in the fourth century. He was very religious from an early age
and devoted his life to Christianity."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Lanzi, Gioia (2004). <i>Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images</i>.
Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. "Nicholas was born
around 270 in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Collins.2C_Ace_2009_121-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Collins, Ace (2009). <i>Stories Behind Men of Faith</i>. Zondervan. p. 121. ISBN 0-310-56456-5, 9780310564560<span class="printonly">.
http://books.google.com/books?id=HVPYqrdGhGEC&q=Nicholas+born+Greek+city+of+Patara+270+AD#v=snippet&q=Nicholas%20born%20Greek%20city%20of%20Patara%20270%20AD&f=false</span>.
"Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son
of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child’s
earliest years were spent in Myra…As a port on the Mediterranean Sea, in
the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra
was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned
by the spirit of both the city’s Greek heritage and the ruling Roman
government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were
mainstays of everyday life."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Faber, Paul (2006). <i>Sinterklaas overseas: the adventures of a globetrotting saint</i>.
KIT Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 90-6832-437-3, 9789068324372. "The
historical figure that served as model for the Dutch Sinterklaas was
born around 270 CE in the port of Patara in the Greek province of Lycia
in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). His Greek name Nikolaos means
something along the lines of “victor of the people”."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Lanzi, Gioia (2004). <i>Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images</i>.
Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. "Nicholas was born
around 270 in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey; his
parents were Epiphanius and Joanna."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">name="
Davis, Leo Donald; 1990 58 ">{{cite book |author= Davis, Leo Donald
|title= The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787) Their History
and Theology |publisher= Liturgical Press |year= 1990 |page=58 |isbn=
0-8146-5616-1</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ci sono ossa di san Nicola anche a Venezia? (in Italian)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Are all the bones in Bari? (in Italian)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Girling, Richard, 2004-12-12, Talking Point: Now do you believe in Santa Claus?, The Times</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Santa's tomb is found off Turkey <i>The Independent</i>, 17 Dec 1993. Retrieved on 10 Jun 2012.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news">"Turks want Santa's bones returned". <i>BBC News</i>. 28 December 2009<span class="printonly">. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8432314.stm</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 23 May 2010</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">‘Santa Claus’s bones must be brought back to Turkey from Italy’</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=409 <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Dutch)</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Bennett, William J. (2009). <i>The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas</i>. Howard Books. pp. 14–17. ISBN 978-1-4165-6746-2.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">English, Adam, and Crumm, David (2 December 2012). "Adam English digging back into the real St. Nicholas". <i>ReadTheSpirit online magazine</i><span class="printonly">. http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/2012/12/2/adam-english-digging-back-to-the-real-st-nicholas.html</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Le Saux, Françoise Hazel Marie (2005). <i>A companion to Wace</i>. D.S.Brewer. ISBN 978-1-84384-043-5.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Feasts and Saints, Commemorated on May 9". Orthodox Church in America<span class="printonly">. http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101336</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 4 April 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">This operetta is translated in Croatian as: "Sveti Nikola dolazi" and partly in Hungarian: "Jön a Mikulás".</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></span></div>
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Snippet II: <b>History of Advent</b> </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished </span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span> <br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says: </span></div>
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<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">We are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His being born. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span> <br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i> Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;"> It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span> </li>
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<b>Today's Snippet II</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
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The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup> It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century.<br />
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Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup> Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.</div>
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In Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
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Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
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In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches. Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010).</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 160px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 5</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">SAINT
GABRIEL BRINGS NOTICE OF DEATH</span></h2>
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In writing of what still remains of
the history of our Lady, of our only and heavenly Phoenix, the
blessed Mary, it is no more than right that our hearts be filled with
tenderness and our eyes with tears at the sweet and touching marvels
of the last years of her life. I should wish to exhort the devout
faithful not to read of them nor consider them as past and absent,
since the powerful virtue of faith can make these truths present to
the mind; and if we look upon them with the proper piety and
Christian devotion, without a doubt we shall gather the sweetest
fruit, and our hearts shall feel the effects and rejoice in the good,
which our eyes cannot see.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most holy Mary had arrived at the
age sixty–seven years without having tarried in her career,
ceased in her flight, mitigated the flame of her love, or lessened
the increase of her merits from the first instant of her Conception.
As all this had continued to grow in each moment of her life, the
ineffable gifts, benefits and favors of the Lord had made Her
entirely godlike and spiritual; the affectionate ardors and desires
of her most chaste heart did not allow Her any rest outside the
centre of her love; the bounds of the flesh were most violently
irksome; the overwhelming attraction of the Divinity to unite Itself
with Her with eternal and most close bonds, (according to our mode of
speaking) had attained the summit of power in Her; and the earth
itself, made unworthy by the sins of mortals to contain the Treasure
of heaven, could no longer bear the strain of withholding Her from
her true Lord. The eternal Father desired his only and true Daughter;
the Son his beloved and most loving Mother; and the Holy Ghost the
embraces of his most beautiful Spouse. The angels longed for their
Queen, the saints for their great Lady; and all the heavens mutely
awaited the presence of their Empress who should fill them with
glory, with her beauty and delight. All that could be alleged in
favor of Her still remaining in the world and in the Church, was the
need of such a Mother and Mistress, and the love, which God himself
had for the miserable children of Adam.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
But as some term and end was to be
placed to the career of our Queen, the divine consistory (according
to our mode of understanding), conferred upon the manner of
glorifying the most blessed Mother and established the kind of loving
reward due to Her for having so copiously fulfilled all the designs
of the divine mercy among the children of Adam during the many years
in which She had been the Foundress and Teacher of his holy Church.
The Almighty therefore resolved to delight and console Her by giving
Her definite notice of the term still remaining of her life and
revealing to Her the day and hour of the longed for end of her
earthly banishment. For this purpose the most blessed Trinity
despatched the archangel Gabriel with many others of the celestial
hierarchies, who should announce to the Queen when and how her mortal
life should come to an end and pass over into the eternal.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The holy prince descended with the rest to the
Cenacle in Jerusalem and entered the oratory of the great Lady where
they found Her prostrate on the ground in the form of a cross, asking
mercy for sinners. But hearing the sound of their music and
perceiving them present, She rose to her knees in order to hear the
message and show respect to the ambassador of heaven and his
companions, who in white and refulgent garments surrounded Her with
wonderful delight and reverence. All of them had come with crowns and
palms in their hands, each one with a different one; but all of them
represented the diverse premiums and rewards of inestimable beauty
and value to be conferred upon their great Queen and Lady. Gabriel
saluted Her with the Ave Maria, and added thereto: “Our Empress
and Lady, the Omnipotent and the Holy of the holy sends us from his
heavenly court to announce to Thee in his name the most happy end of
thy pilgrimage and banishment upon earth in mortal life. Soon, O
Lady, is that day and hour approaching which, according to thy
longing desires, Thou shalt pass through natural death to the
possession of the eternal and immortal life, which awaits Thee in the
glory and at the right hand of thy divine Son, our God. Exactly three
years from today Thou shalt be taken up and received into the
everlasting joy of the Lord, where all its inhabitants await Thee,
longing for thy presence.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The most holy Mary heard this message with
ineffable jubilee of her purest and most loving spirit, prostrating
herself again upon the earth, She answered in the same words as at
the incarnation of the Word: “Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi
secundum verbum tuum.” “Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done according to thy word” (Luke 1, 38). Then She asked
the holy angels and ministers of the Most High to help Her give
thanks for this welcome and joyful news. The blessed Mother
alternately with the seraphim and other angels sang the responses of
a canticle that lasted for two hours. Although by their nature and
supernatural gifts the angelic spirits are so subtle, wise and
excellent, they were nevertheless excelled in all this by their Queen
and Lady, as vassals are by their sovereign; for in Her, grace and
wisdom abounded as in a Teacher, in them, only as in disciples.
Having finished this canticle and humiliating herself anew, She
charged the supernal spirits to beseech the Lord to prepare Her for
her passage from mortal to eternal life, and to ask all the other
angels and saints in heaven to pray for the same favor. They offered
to obey Her in all things, and therewith saint Gabriel took leave and
returned with all his company to the empyrean heaven.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The great Queen
and Lady of all the universe remained alone in her oratory, and amid
tears of humble joy prostrated Herself upon the earth, embraced it as
the common mother of us all, saying: “Earth, I give thee thanks
as I ought, because without my merit thou hast sustained me
sixty–seven years. Thou art a creature of the Most High and by
his will thou hast sustained me until now.</span> <span lang="en-US">I
ask thee now to help me during the rest of my</span> <span lang="en-US">dwelling
upon thee, so that, just as I have been created of thee and upon
thee, I may through thee and from thee be raised to the blessed
vision of my Maker.’’ She addressed also other creatures,
saying: “Ye heavens, planets, stars and elements, created by
the powerful hands of my Beloved, faithful witnesses and proclaimers
of his greatness and beauty, you also I thank for the preservation of
my life; help me then from today on, that, with the divine favor, I
may begin anew to perfect my life during the time left of my career,
in order that I may show myself thankful to my and your Creator.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The devout Queen resolved to take
leave of the holy places before her departure into heaven, and having
obtained the consent of saint John She left the house with him and
with the thousand angels of her guard. Although these sovereign
princes had always served and accompanied Her in all her errands,
occupations and journeys, without having absented themselves for one
moment since the instant of her birth; yet on this occasion they
manifested themselves to Her with greater beauty and refulgence, as
if they felt special joy in seeing themselves already at the
beginning of her last journey into heaven. The heavenly Princess,
setting aside human occupations in order to enter upon her journey to
the real and true fatherland, visited all the memorable places of our
Redemption, marking each with the sweet abundance of her tears,
recalling the sorrowful memories of what her Son there suffered, and
fervently renewing its effects by most fervent acts of love, clamors
and petitions for all the faithful, who should devoutly and
reverently visit these holy places during the future ages of the
Church. On Calvary She remained a longer time, asking of her divine
Son the full effects of his redeeming Death for all the multitudes of
souls there snatched from destruction. The ardor of her ineffable
charity during this prayer rose to such a pitch, that it would have
destroyed her life, if it had not been sustained by divine power.</div>
<div class="western">
The Queen asked also the angels of the sanctuaries
and the Evangelist to give Her their blessing in this last
leave–taking; and therewith She returned to her oratory
shedding tears of tenderest affection for what She loved so much upon
earth. There She prostrated Herself with her face upon the earth and
poured forth another long and most fervent prayer for the Church; and
She persevered in it, until in an abstractive vision of the Divinity,
the Lord had given Her assurance that He had heard and conceded her
petitions at the throne of His mercy. In order to give the last touch
of holiness to her works, She asked permission of the Lord to take
leave of the holy Church, saying: “Exalted and most high God,
Redeemer of the world, head of the saints and the predestined,
Justifier and Glorifier of souls, I am a child of the holy Church,
planted and acquired by thy blood. Give me, O Lord, permission to
take leave of such a loving Mother, and of all my brethren, thy
children, belonging to it.” She was made aware of the consent
of the Lord and therefore turned to the mystical body of the Church,
addressing it in sweet tears as follows:</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Holy
Catholic Church, which in the coming ages shall be called the Roman,
my mother and Mistress, true treasure of my soul, thou hast been the
only consolation of my banishment; the refuge and ease of my labors;
my recreation, my joy and my hope ; thou hast sustained me in my
course; in thee have I lived as a pilgrim to the Fatherland and thou
hast nourished me after I had received in thee my existence in grace
through thy head, Christ Jesus, my Son and my Lord. In thee are the
treasures and the riches of his infinite merits; thou shalt be for
his faithful children the secure way to the promised land, and thou
shalt safeguard them on their dangerous and difficult pilgrimage.
Thou shalt be the mistress of the nations to whom all owe reverence;
in thee are the rich and inestimable jewels of the anxieties, labors,
affronts, hardships, torments, of the cross and of death, which are
all consecrated by those of my Lord, thy Progenitor, thy Master, thy
Chief, and are reserved for his more distinguished servants and his
dearest friends. Thou hast adorned and enriched me with thy jewels in
order that I might enter in the nuptials of the Spouse; thou hast
made me wealthy, prosperous and happy, and thou containest within
thee thy Author in the most holy Sacrament. My happy Mother, Church
militant, rich art thou and abundant in treasures! For thee have I
always reserved my heart and my solicitude; but now is the time come
to part from thee and leave thy sweet companionship, in order to
reach the end of my course. Make me partaker of thy great goods;
bathe me copiously in the sacred liquor of the blood of the Lamb,
preserved in thee as a powerful means of sanctifying many worlds. At
the cost of my life a thousand times would I bring to thee all the
nations and tribes of mortals, that they might enjoy thy treasures.
My beloved Church, my honor and my glory, I am about to leave thee in
mortal life; but in the eternal life I will find thee joyful in an
existence which includes all good. From that place I shall look upon
thee with love, and pray always for thy increase, thy prosperity and
thy progress.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
This was the parting of the most blessed Mary from
the mystical body of the holy Roman Catholic Church, the mother of
the faithful, in order that all who should hear of Her, might know by
her sweet tears and endearments, in what veneration, love and esteem
She held that holy Church. After thus taking leave, the great
Mistress, as the Mother of Wisdom, prepared to make her testament and
last Will. When She manifested this most prudent wish to the Lord, He
deigned to approve of it by his own royal presence. For this purpose,
with myriads of attending angels, the three Persons of the most
blessed Trinity descended to the oratory of their Daughter and
Spouse, and when the Queen had adored the infinite Being of God, She
heard a voice speaking to Her: “Our chosen Spouse, make thy
last will as thou desirest, for We shall confirm it and execute it
entirely by our infinite power.’’ The most prudent Mother
remained for some time lost in the profoundness of her humility,
seeking to know first the will of the Most High before She should
manifest her own. The Lord responded to her modest desires and the
person of the Father said to Her: “My Daughter, thy will shall
be pleasing and acceptable to Me; for thou art not wanting in the
merits of good works in parting from this mortal life, that I should
not satisfy thy desires.” The same encouragement was given to
her by the Son and the Holy Ghost. Therewith the most blessed Mary
made her will in this form:</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
‘‘<span lang="en-US">Highest
Lord and eternal God, I, a vile wormlet of the earth, confess and
adore Thee with all the reverence of my inmost soul as the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost, three Persons distinct in one undivided
and eternal essence, one substance, one in infinite majesty of
attributes and perfection. I confess Thee as the one true Creator and
Preserver of all that has being. In thy kingly presence I declare and
say, that my last will is this: Of the goods of mortal life and of
the world in which I live, I possess none that I can leave; for never
have I possessed or loved anything beside Thee, who art my good and
all my possession. To the heavens, the stars and planets, to the
elements and all creatures in them I give thanks, because according
to thy will they have sustained me without my merit, and lovingly I
desire and ask them to serve and praise Thee in the offices and
ministries assigned to them, and that they continue to sustain and
benefit my brethren and fellowmen. In order that they may do it so
much the better, I renounce and assign to mankind the possession, and
as far as possible, the dominion of them, which thy Majesty has given
me over these irrational creatures, so that they may now serve and
sustain my fellowmen. Two tunics and a cloak, which served to cover
me, I leave to John for his disposal, since I hold him as a son. My
body I ask the earth to receive again for thy service, since it is
the common mother and serves Thee as thy creature; my soul, despoiled
of its body and of all visible things, O my God, I resign into thy
hands, in order that it may love and magnify Thee through all thy
eternities. My merits and all the treasures, which with thy grace
through my works and exertions I have acquired, I leave to the holy
Church, my mother and my mistress, as my residuary heiress, and with
thy permission I there deposit them, wishing them to be much greater.
And I desire before all else they redound to the exaltation of thy
holy name and procure the fulfillment of thy will earth as it is done
in heaven, and that all the nations come to the knowledge, love and
veneration of Thee, the true God.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">In the
second place I offer these merits for my masters the Apostles and
priests, of the present and of the future ages, so that in view of
them thy ineffable clemency may make them apt ministers, worthy of
their office and state, filled with wisdom, virtue and holiness by
which they may edify and sanctify the souls by thy blood. In the
third place I offer them for the spiritual good of my devoted
servants, who invoke and call upon me, in order that they may receive
thy protection and grace, and afterwards eternal life. In the fourth
place I desire that my services and labors may move Thee to mercy
toward all the sinning children of Adam, in order that they may
withdraw from their sinful state. From this hour on I propose and
desire to continue my prayers for them in thy divine presence, as
long as the world shall last. This, Lord and my God, is my last will,
always subject to thy own.” At the conclusion of this testament
of the Queen, the most blessed Trinity approved and confirmed it; and
Christ the Redeemer, as if authorizing it all, witnessed it by
writing in the heart of his Mother these words: “Let it be done
as thou wishest and ordainest.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
If all we children of Adam, and
especially we who are born in the law of grace, had no other
obligation toward the most blessed Mary than this of having been
constituted heirs of her immense merits and of all that is mentioned
in this short and mysterious testament, we could never repay our
debt, even if in return we should offer our lives and endure all the
sufferings of the most courageous martyrs and saints.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962874"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Among the absurd fallacies introduced
by the demon into the world none is greater or more pernicious than
the forgetfulness of the hour of death and of what is to happen at
the court of the rigorous Judge. Consider, my daughter, that through
this portal sin entered into the world; for the serpent sought to
convince the first woman principally, that she would not die and need
not think of that matter (Gen. 11, 4). Thus continually deceived,
there are uncountable fools who live without thought of death and who
die forgetful of the unhappy lot that awaits them. In order that thou
mayest not be seized by this human perversity, begin to convince
thyself now that thou must die irrevocably; that thou hast received
much and paid little; that the account shall be so much the more
rigorous, as the Judge has been more liberal in the gifts and talents
lavished upon thee in thy sphere. I do not ask of thee more, and also
not less, than what thou owest to thy Spouse and to thy Lord, which
is always to operate the best in all places, times and occasions,
without permitting any forgetfulness, intermission or carelessness.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962875"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 6</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
GLORIOUS TRANSITION OF THE VIRGIN MARY</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
And now, according to the decree of
the divine will, the day was approaching in which the true and living
Ark of the covenant was to be placed in the temple of the celestial
Jerusalem, with a greater glory and higher jubilee than its prophetic
figure was installed by Solomon in the sanctuary beneath the wings of
the cherubim (III King 8, 8). Three days before the most happy
Transition of the great Lady the Apostles and disciples were gathered
in Jerusalem and in the Cenacle. The first one to arrive was saint
Peter, who was transported from Rome by the hands of an angel. At
that place the angel appeared to him and told him that the passing
away of the most blessed Mary was imminent and the Lord commanded him
to go to Jerusalem in order to be present at that event. Thereupon
the angel took him and brought him from Italy to the Cenacle. Thither
the Queen of the world had retired, somewhat weakened in body by the
force of her divine love; for since She was so near to her end, She
was subjected more completely to love’s effects.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The great Lady
came to the entrance of her oratory in order to receive the vicar of
Christ our Savior. Kneeling at his feet She asked his blessing and
said: “I give thanks and praise to the Almighty, that He
brought to me the holy Father for assisting me in the hour of my
death.’’ Then came saint Paul, to whom the Queen showed
the same reverence with similar tokens of her pleasure at seeing him.
The Apostles saluted Her as the Mother of God, as their Queen and as
Mistress of all creation; but with a sorrow equal to their reverence,
because they knew that they had come to witness her passing away.
After these Apostles came the</span> <span lang="en-US">others and
the disciples still living. Three days after, they were all assembled
in the Cenacle. The heavenly Mother received them all with profound
humility, reverence and love, asking each one to bless Her. All of
them complied, and saluted Her with admirable reverence. By orders of
the Lady given to saint John, and with the assistance of saint James
the less, they were all hospitably entertained and accommodated.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Some of the Apostles who had been transported by
the angels and informed by them of the purpose of their coming, were
seized with tenderest grief and shed abundant tears at the thought of
losing their only protection and consolation. Others were as yet
ignorant of their approaching loss, especially the disciples, who had
not been positively informed by the angels, but were moved by
interior inspirations and a sweet and forcible intimation of God’s
will to come to Jerusalem. They immediately conferred with saint
Peter, desirous of knowing the occasion of their meeting; for all of
them were convinced, that if there had been no special occasion, the
Lord would not have urged them so strongly to come. The apostle saint
Peter, as the head of the Church, called them all together in order
to tell them of the cause of their coming, and spoke to the assembly:
“My dearest children and brethren, the Lord has called and
brought us to Jerusalem from remote regions not without a cause most
urgent and sorrowful to us. The Most High wishes now to raise up to
the throne of eternal glory his most blessed Mother, our Mistress,
our consolation and protection. His divine decree is that we all be
present at her most happy and glorious Transition. When our Master
and Redeemer ascended to the right hand of his Father, although He
left us orphaned of his most delightful presence, we still retained
his most blessed Mother and our light now leaves us what shall we do?
What help or hope have we to encourage us on our pilgrimage? I find
none except the hope that we all shall follow Her in due time.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Saint Peter could speak no farther, because
uncontrollable tears and sighs interrupted him. Neither could the
rest of the Apostles answer for a long time during which, amid
copious and tenderest tears, they gave vent to the groans of their
inmost heart. After some time the vicar of Christ recovered himself
and added: “My children, let us seek the presence of our Mother
and Lady. Let us spend the time left of her life in her company and
ask Her to bless us.” They all betook themselves to the oratory
of the great Queen and found Her kneeling upon a couch, on which She
was wont to recline for a short rest. They saw Her full of beauty and
celestial light, surrounded by the thousand angels of her guard.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The natural condition and appearance of her sacred
and virginal body were the same as at her thirty–third year;
for, as I have already stated, from that age onward it experienced no
change. It was not affected by the passing years, showing no signs of
age, no wrinkles in her face or body, nor giving signs of weakening
or fading, as in other children of Adam, who gradually fall away and
drop from the natural perfection of early man or womanhood. This
unchangeableness was the privilege of the most blessed Mary alone, as
well because it consorted with the stability of her purest soul, as
because it was the natural consequence of her immunity from the sin
of Adam, the effects of which in this regard touched neither her
sacred body nor her purest soul. The Apostles and disciples, and some
of the other faithful occupied her chamber, all of them preserving
the utmost order in her presence. Saint Peter and saint John placed
themselves at the head of the couch. The great Lady looked upon them
all with her accustomed modesty and reverence and spoke to them as
follows: “My dearest children, give permission to your servant
to speak in your presence and to disclose my humble desires.”
Saint Peter answered that all listened with attention and would obey
Her in all things; and He begged Her to seat Herself upon the couch,
while speaking to them. It seemed to saint Peter that She was
exhausted from kneeling so long and that She had taken that position
in order to pray to the Lord, and that in speaking to them, it was
proper She should be seated as their Queen.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
But She, who was the Teacher of humility and
obedience unto death, practiced both these virtues in that hour. She
answered that She would obey in asking of their blessing, and
besought them to afford Her this consolation. With the permission of
saint Peter She left the couch and, kneeling before the Apostle, said
to him: “My lord, I beseech thee, as the universal pastor and
head of the holy Church, to give me thy blessing in thy own and in
its name. Pardon me thy handmaid for the smallness of the service I
have rendered in my life. Grant that John dispose of my vestments,
giving them to the two poor maidens, who have always obliged me by
their charity.” She then prostrated Herself and kissed the feet
of saint Peter as the vicar of Christ, by her abundant tears
eliciting not less the admiration than the tears of the Apostle and
of all the bystanders. From saint Peter She went to saint John,
kneeling likewise at his feet, said: “Pardon, my son and my
master, my not having fulfilled toward thee the duties of a Mother as
I ought and as the Lord had commanded me, when from the Cross He
appointed thee as my son and me as thy mother (John 19, 27). I humbly
and from my heart thank thee for the kindness which thou hast shown
me as a son. Give me thy benediction for entering into the vision and
company of Him who created me.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The sweetest
Mother proceeded in her leave–taking, speaking to each of the
Apostles in particular and to some of the disciples; and then to all
the assembly together; for there were a great number. She rose to her
feet and addressed them all, saying: “Dearest children and my
masters, always have I kept you in my soul and written in my heart. I
have loved you with that tender love and charity, which was given to
me by my divine Son, whom I have seen in you, his chosen friends. In
obedience to his holy and eternal will, I now go to the eternal
mansions, where I promise you as a Mother I will look upon you by the
clearest light of the Divinity, the vision of which my soul hopes and
desires in security. I commend unto you my mother, the Church, the
exaltation of the name of the Most High, the spread of the
evangelical law, the honor and veneration for the words</span> <span lang="en-US">of
my divine Son, the memory of his Passion and Death, the practice of
his doctrine. My children, love the Church, and love one another with
that bond of charity which your Master has always inculcated upon you
(John 13, 34). To thee, Peter, holy Pontiff, I commend my son John
and all the rest.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The words of the
most blessed Mary, like arrows of a divine fire, penetrated the
hearts of all the Apostles and hearers, and as She ceased speaking,
all of them were dissolved in streams of tears and, seized with
irreparable sorrow, cast themselves upon the ground with sighs and
groans sufficient to move to compassion the very earth. All of them
wept, and with them wept also the sweetest Mary, who could not resist
this bitter and well–founded sorrow of her children. After some
time She spoke to them again, and asked them to pray with Her and for
Her in silence, which they did. During this quietness the incarnate
Word descended from heaven on a throne of ineffable glory,
accompanied by all the saints and innumerable angels, and the house
of the Cenacle was filled with glory. The most blessed Mary adored
the Lord and kissed his feet. Prostrate before Him She made the last
and most profound act faith and humility in her mortal life. On this
occasion the most pure Creature, the Queen of the heavens, shrank
within Herself and lowered Herself to the earth more profoundly than
all men together ever have or ever will humiliate themselves for all
their sins. Her divine Son gave Her His blessing and in the presence
of the courtiers of heaven spoke to Her these words: “My
dearest Mother, whom I have chosen for my dwelling–place, the
hour is come in which thou art to pass from the life of this death
and of the world into the glory of my</span> <span lang="en-US">Father
and Mine, where thou shalt possess the throne prepared for thee at my
right hand and enjoy it through all eternity. And since, by my power
and as my Mother have caused thee to enter the world free and exempt
from sin, therefore also death shall have no right or permission to
touch thee at thy exit from this world. If thou wishest not to pass
through it come with Me now to partake of my glory, which thou hast
merited.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the
feet of her Son and with a joyous countenance answered: “My Son
and my Lord, I beseech Thee let thy mother and thy servant enter into
eternal life by the common portal of natural death, like the other
children of Adam. Thou, who art my true God, hast suffered death
without being obliged to do so; it is proper that as I have followed
Thee in life, so I follow Thee also in death.’’ Christ
the Savior approved of the decision and the sacrifice of his most
blessed Mother, and consented to its fulfillment. Then all the angels
began to sing in celestial harmony some of the verses of the
Canticles of Solomon and other new ones. Although only saint John and
some of the Apostles were enlightened as to the presence of Christ
the Savior, yet the others felt in their interior its divine and
powerful effects; but the music was heard as well by the Apostles and
disciples, as by many others of the faithful there present. A divine
fragrance also spread about, which penetrated to the street. The
house of the Cenacle was filled with a wonderful effulgence, visible
to all, and the Lord ordained that multitudes of the people of
Jerusalem gathered in the streets as witnesses to this new miracle.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
When the angels began their music, the most
blessed Mary reclined back upon her couch or bed. Her tunic was
folded about her sacred body, her hands joined and her eyes fixed
upon her divine Son, and She was entirely inflamed with the fire of
divine love. And as the angels intoned those verses of the second of
the Canticles: “Surge, propera, amica mea,” that is to
say: “Arise, haste, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and
come, the winter has passed,” etc., She pronounced those words
of her Son on the Cross: “Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my
spirit.” Then She closed her virginal eyes and expired. The
sickness which took away her life was love, without any other
weakness or accidental intervention of whatever kind. She died at the
moment when the divine power suspended the assistance, which until
then had counteracted the sensible ardors of her burning love of God.
As soon as this miraculous assistance was withdrawn, the fire of her
love consumed the life–humors of her heart and thus caused the
cessation of her earthly existence.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Then this most pure Soul passed from her virginal
body to be placed in boundless glory, on the throne at the right hand
of her divine Son. Immediately the music of the angels seemed to
withdraw to the upper air; for that whole procession of angels and
saints accompanied the King and Queen to the empyrean heavens. The
sacred body of the most blessed Mary, which been the temple and
sanctuary of God in life, continued to shine with an effulgent light
and breathed forth such a wonderful and unheard of fragrance, that
all the bystanders were filled with interior and exterior sweetness.
The thousand angels of her guard remained to watch over the
inestimable treasure of her virginal body. The Apostles and
disciples, amid the tears and the joy of the wonders they had seen,
were absorbed in admiration for some time, and then sang many hymns
and psalms in honor of the most blessed Mary now departed. This
glorious Transition of the great Queen took place in the hour in
which her divine Son had died, at three o’clock on a Friday,
the thirteenth day of August, she being seventy years of age, less
the twenty–six days intervening between the thirteenth day of
August, on which She died, and the eighth of September, the day of
her birth. The heavenly Mother had survived the death of Christ the
Savior twenty–one years, four months and nineteen days; and his
virginal birth, fifty–five years. This reckoning can be easily
made in the following manner: when Christ our Savior was born, his
virginal Mother was fifteen years, three months and seventeen days of
age. The Lord lived thirty–three years and three months; so
that at the time of his sacred Passion the most blessed Lady was
forty–eight years, six months and seventeen days old; adding to
these another twenty–one years, four months and nineteen days,
we ascertain her age as seventy years, less twenty–five or
twenty–six days. *(Age at death, 69 years, 11 months, 5 or 6
days.)</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Great wonders and prodigies happened
at the precious death of the Queen; for the sun was eclipsed (as I
have mentioned above) and its light was hidden in sorrow for some
hours. Many birds of different kinds gathered around the Cenacle, and
by their sorrowful clamors and groans for a while caused the
bystanders themselves to weep. All Jerusalem was in commotion, and
many of the inhabitants collected in astonished crowds, confessing
loudly the power of God and the greatness of his works. Others were
astounded and as if beside themselves. The Apostles and disciples
with others of the faithful broke forth in tears and sighs. Many sick
persons came who all were cured. The souls in purgatory were
released. But the greatest miracle was that three persons, a man in
Jerusalem and two women living in the immediate neighborhood of the
Cenacle, died in sin and impenitent in that same hour, subject to
eternal damnation; but when their cause came before the tribunal of
Christ, His sweetest Mother interceded for them and they were
restored to life. They so mended their conduct, that afterwards they
died in grace and were saved. This privilege was not extended to
others that died on that day in the world, but was restricted to
those three who happened to die in that hour in Jerusalem. What
festivities were celebrated on that occasion in heaven I will
describe in another chapter, lest heavenly things be mixed up with
the sacred things of earth.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962876"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, besides what thou hast
understood and written of my glorious Transition, I wish to inform
thee of another privilege, which was conceded to me by my divine Son
in that hour. Thou hast already recorded, that the Lord offered me
the choice of entering into beatific vision either with or without
passing through the portals of death. If I had preferred not to die,
the Most High would have conceded this favor, because sin had no part
in me, and hence also not its punishment, which is death. Thus it
would also have been with my divine Son, and with a greater right, if
He had not taken upon Himself the satisfaction of the divine justice
for men through his Passion and Death. Hence I chose death freely in
order to imitate and follow Him, as also I did during his grievous
passion. Since I had seen my Son and true God die, I would not have
satisfied the love I owe Him, if I had refused death, and I would
have left a great gap in my conformity to and my imitation of my Lord
the Godman, whereas He wished me to bear a great likeness to Him in
his most sacred humanity. As I would thereafter never be able to make
up for such a defect, my soul would not enjoy the plenitude of the
delight of having died as did my Lord and God.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Hence my choosing to die was so
pleasing to Him, and my prudent love therein obliged Him to such an
extent, that in return He immediately conceded to me a singular favor
for the benefit of the children of the Church and conformable to my
wishes. It was this, all those devoted to me, who should call upon me
at the hour of death, constituting me as their Advocate in memory of
my happy Transition and of my desiring to imitate Him in death, shall
be under my special protection in that hour, shall have me as a
defense against demons, as a help and protection, and shall be
presented by me before the tribunal of his mercy and there experience
my intercession. In consequence the Lord gave me a new power and
commission and He promised to confer great helps of His grace for a
good death and for a purer life on all those who in veneration of
this mystery of my precious death, should invoke my aid. Hence I
desire thee, my beloved daughter, from this day on to keep in thy
inmost heart a devout and loving memory of this mystery, and to
bless, praise, and magnify the Omnipotent, because he wrought such
sacred miracles for me and for the mortals. By this solicitude thou
wilt oblige the Lord and me to come to thy aid in that last hour.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
And since death follows upon life and
ordinarily corresponds with it, therefore the surest pledge of a good
death is a good life; a life in which the heart is freed and detached
from earthly love. For this it is, which in that last hour afflicts
and oppresses the soul and which is like a heavy chain restraining
its liberty and preventing it from rising above the things loved in
this world. O my daughter! How greatly do mortals misunderstand this
truth, and how far they err from it in their actions! The Lord gives
them life in order that they may free themselves from the effects of
original sin, so as to be unhampered by them at the hour of their
death; and the ignorant and miserable children of Adam spend all
their life in loading upon themselves new burdens and fetters, so
that they die captives of their passions and in the tyranny of their
hellish foes. I had no share in original sin and none of its effects
had any power over my faculties; nevertheless I lived in the greatest
constraint, in poverty and detached from earthly things, most perfect
and holy; and this holy freedom I did indeed experience at the hour
of my death. Consider then, my daughter, and be mindful of this
living example; free thy heart more and more each day, so that with
advancing years thou mayest find thyself more free, more detached and
averted from visible things, and so that when the Spouse shall call
thee to his nuptials, thou wilt not need to seek in vain the required
freedom and prudence.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962877"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 7</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">BURIAL
AND ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order that the Apostles, the
disciples, and many others of the faithful might not be too deeply
oppressed by sorrow, and in order that some of them may not die of
grief caused by the passing away of the blessed Mary, it was
necessary that the divine power, by an especial providence, furnish
them with consolation and dilate their heart for new influences in
their incomparable affliction. For the feeling, that their loss was
irretrievable in the present life, could not be repressed; the
privation of such a Treasure could never find recompense; and as the
most sweet, loving and amiable interactions and conversation of their
great Queen had ravished the heart of each one, the ceasing of her
protection and company left them as it were without the breath of
life. But the Lord, who well knew how to estimate the just cause of
their sorrow, secretly upheld them by his encouragements and so they
set about the fitting burial of the sacred body and whatever the
occasion demanded.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Accordingly the holy Apostles, on
whom this duty specially devolved, held a conference concerning the
burial of the most sacred body of their Queen and Lady. They selected
for that purpose a new sepulchre, which had been prepared
mysteriously by the providence of her divine Son. As they remembered,
that, according to the custom of the Jews at burial, the deified body
of the Master had been anointed with precious ointments and spices
and wrapped in the sacred burial cloths; they thought not of doing
otherwise with the virginal body of His most holy Mother. Accordingly
they called the two maidens, who had assisted the Queen during her
life and who had been designated as the heiresses of her tunics, and
instructed them to anoint the body of the Mother of God with highest
reverence and modesty and wrap it in the winding–sheets before
it should be placed in the casket. With great reverence and fear the
two maidens entered the room, where the body of the blessed Lady lay
upon its couch; but the refulgence issuing from it barred and blinded
them in such a manner that they could neither see nor touch the body,
nor even ascertain in what particular place it rested.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In fear and reverence still greater than on their
entrance, the maidens left the room; and in great excitement and
wonder they told the Apostles what had happened. They, not without
divine inspiration, came to the conclusion, that this sacred Ark of
the covenant was not to be touched or handled in the common way. Then
saint Peter and saint John entered the oratory and perceived the
effulgence, and at the same time they heard the celestial music of
the angels who were singing: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee.” Others responded: “A Virgin before
childbirth, in childbirth and after childbirth.” From that time
on many of the faithful expressed their devotion toward the most
blessed Mary in these words of praise; and from them they were handed
down to be repeated by us with the approbation of the holy Church.
The two holy Apostles, saint Peter and saint John, were for a time
lost in admiration at what they saw and heard of their Queen; and in
order to decide what to do, they sank on their knees, beseeching the
Lord to make it known. Then they heard a voice saying: “Let not
the sacred body be either uncovered or touched.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having thus been informed of the will
of God they brought a bier, and, the effulgence having diminished
somewhat, they approached the couch and with their own hands
reverently took hold of the tunic at the two ends. Thus, without
changing its posture, they raised the sacred and virginal Treasure
and place it on the bier in the same position as it had occupied on
the couch. They could easily do this, because they felt no more
weight than that of the tunic. On this bier the former effulgence of
the body moderated still more, and all of them, by disposition of the
Lord and for the consolation of all those present, could now perceive
and study the beauty of that virginal countenance and of her hands.
As for the rest, the omnipotence of God protected this His heavenly
dwelling, so that neither in life nor in death anyone should behold
any other part except what is common in ordinary conversation, her
most inspiring countenance, by which She had been known, and her
hands, by which She had labored.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
So great was the care and solicitude
for His most blessed Mother, that in this particular He used not so
much precaution in regard to his own body, as that of the most pure
Virgin. In her Immaculate Conception He made Her like to Himself;
likewise at her birth, in as far as it did not take place in the
common and natural manner of other men. He preserved Her also from
impure temptations and thoughts. But, as He was man and the Redeemer
of the world through his Passion and Death, He permitted with his own
body, what He would not allow with Hers, as that of a woman, and
therefore He kept her virginal body entirely concealed; in fact the
most pure Lady during her life had herself asked that no one should
be permitted to look upon it in death; which petition He fulfilled.
Then the Apostles consulted further about her burial. Their decision
becoming known among the multitudes of the faithful in Jerusalem,
they brought many candles to be lighted at the bier, and it happened
that all the lights burned through that day and the two following
days without any of the candles being consumed or wasted in any shape
or manner.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order that this and many other
miracles wrought by the power of God on this occasion might become
better known to the world, the Lord himself inspired all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to be present at the burial of his most
blessed Mother, so that there was scarcely any person in Jerusalem,
even of the Jews or the gentiles, who were not attracted by the
novelty of this spectacle. The Apostles took upon their shoulders the
sacred body and the tabernacle of God and, as priests of the
evangelical law, bore the Propitiatory of the divine oracles and
blessings in orderly procession from the Cenacle in the city to the
valley of Josaphat. This was the visible accompaniment of the
dwellers of Jerusalem.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In the midst of this celestial and
earthly accompaniment, visible and invisible, the Apostles bore along
the sacred body, and on the way happened great miracles, which would
take much time to relate. In particular all the sick, of which there
were many of the different kinds, were entirely cured. Many of the
possessed were freed from the demons; for the evil spirits did not
dare to wait until the sacred body came near the persons thus
afflicted. Greater still were the miracles of conversions wrought
among many Jews and gentiles, for on this occasion were opened up the
treasures of divine mercy, so that many souls came to the knowledge
of Christ our Savior and loudly confessed Him as the true God and
Redeemer, demanding Baptism. Many days thereafter the Apostles and
disciples labored hard in catechizing and baptising those, who on
that day had been converted to the holy faith. The Apostles in
carrying the sacred body felt wonderful effects of divine light and
consolation, which the disciples shared according to their measure.
All the multitudes of the people were seized with astonishment at the
fragrance diffused about, the sweet music and the other prodigies.
They proclaimed God great and powerful in this Creature and in
testimony of their acknowledgment, they struck their breasts in
sorrow and compunction.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When the procession came to the holy
sepulchre in the valley of Josaphat, the same two Apostles, saint
Peter and saint John, who had laid the celestial Treasure from the
couch onto the bier, with joyful reverence placed it in the sepulchre
and covered it with a linen cloth, the hands of the angels performing
more of these last rites than the hands of the Apostles. They closed
up the sepulchre with a large stone, according to custom at other
burials. The celestial courtiers returned to heaven, while the
thousand angels of the Queen continued their watch, guarding the
sacred body and keeping up the music as at her burial. The concourse
of the people lessened and the holy Apostles and disciples, dissolved
in tender tears, returned to the Cenacle. During a whole year the
exquisite fragrance exhaled by the body of Queen was noticeable
throughout the Cenacle, and in her oratory, for many years. This
sanctuary remain a place of refuge for all those that were burdened
with labor and difficulties; all found miraculous assistance, as well
in sickness as in hardships and necessities of other kind. After
these miracles had continued for some years in Jerusalem, the sins of
Jerusalem and of its inhabitants drew upon this city, among other
punishments, that of being deprived of this inestimable blessing.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having again gathered in the Cenacle,
the Apostles came to the conclusion that some of them and of the
disciples should watch at the sepulchre of their Queen as long as
they should hear the celestial music, for all of them were wondering
when the end of that miracle should be. Accordingly some of them
attended to the affairs of the Church in catechizing and baptizing
the new converts; and others immediately returned to the sepulchre,
while all of them paid frequent visits to it during the next three
days. Saint Peter and saint John, however, were more zealous in their
attendance, coming only a few times to the Cenacle and immediately
returning to where was laid the treasure of their heart.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
If on this account the glory even of
the least of the saints is ineffable, what shall we say of the glory
of the most blessed Mary, since among the saints She is the most holy
and She by Herself is more like to her Son than all the saints
together, and since her grace and glory exceed those of all the rest,
as those of an empress or sovereign over her vassals? This truth can
and should be believed; but in mortal life it cannot be understood,
or the least part of it be explained; for the inadequacy and
deficiency of our words and expressions rather tend to obscure than
to set forth its greatness. Let us in this life apply our labor, not
in seeking to comprehend it, but in seeking to merit its
manifestation in glory, where we shall experience more or less of
this happiness according to our works.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Our Redeemer Jesus entered heaven conducting the
purest soul of his Mother at his right hand. She alone of all the
mortals deserved exemption from particular judgment; hence for Her
there was none; no account was asked or demanded of Her for what She
had received; for such was the promise that had been given to Her,
when She was exempted from the common guilt and chosen as the Queen
privileged above the laws of the children of Adam. For the same
reason, instead of being judged with the rest, She shall be seated at
the right hand of the Judge to judge with Him all the creatures. If
in the first instant of her Conception She was the brightest Aurora,
effulgent with the rays of the sun of the Divinity beyond all the
brightness of the most exalted seraphim, and if afterwards She was
still further illumined by the contact of the hypostatic Word, who
derived his humanity from her purest substance, it necessarily
follows that She should be His Companion for all eternity, possessing
such a likeness to Him, that none greater can be possible between a
Godman and a creature. In this light the Redeemer himself presented
Her before the throne of the Divinity; and speaking to the eternal
Father in the presence of all the blessed, who were ravished at this
wonder, the most sacred humanity uttered these words: “Eternal
Father, my most beloved Mother, thy beloved Daughter and the
cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, now comes to take possession of
the crown and glory, which We have prepared as a reward for her
merit. She is the one who was born as the rose among thorns,
untouched, pure and beautiful, worthy of being embraced by Us and
being placed upon a throne to which none of our creatures can ever
attain, and to which those conceived in sin cannot aspire. This is
our chosen and our only One, distinguished above all else, to whom We
communicated our grace and our perfections beyond the measure
accorded to other creatures; in whom We have deposited the treasure
of our incomprehensible Divinity and its gifts; who most faithfully
preserved and made fruitful the talents, which We gave Her; who never
swerved from our will, and who found grace and pleasure in our eyes.
My Father, most equitous is the tribunal of our justice and mercy,
and in it the services of our friends are repaid in the most
superabundant manner. It is right that to my Mother be given the
reward of a Mother; and if during her whole life and in all her works
She was as like to Me as is possible for a creature to be, let Her
also be as like to Me in glory and on the throne of our Majesty; so
that where holiness is in essence, there it may also be found in its
highest participation.’’</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This decree of the incarnate Word was
approved by the Father and the Holy Ghost. The most holy soul of Mary
was immediately raised to the right hand of her Son and true God, and
placed on the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, which neither
men, nor angels nor the seraphim themselves attain, and will not
attain for all eternity. This is the most exalted and supereminent
privilege of our Queen and Lady, that She is seated on the throne
with the three divine Persons and holds her place as Empress, while
all the rest are set as servants and ministers to the highest King.
To the eminence and majesty of that position, inaccessible to all
other creatures, correspond her gifts of glory, comprehension, vision
and fruition; because She enjoys, above all and more than all, that
infinite Object, which the other blessed enjoy in an endless variety
of degrees. She knows, penetrates and understands much deeper the
eternal Being and its infinite attributes; She lovingly delights in
its mysteries and most hidden secrets, more than all the rest of the
blessed.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Just as little can be explained the
extra joy, which the blessed experienced on that day in singing the
new songs of praise to the Omnipotent and in celebrating the glory of
his Daughter, Mother and Spouse; for in Her He had exalted all the
works of his right hand. Although to the Lord himself could come no
new or essential glory because He possessed and possesses it
immutably infinite through all eternity; yet the exterior
manifestations of His pleasure and satisfaction at the fulfillment of
his eternal decrees were greater on that day.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the third day after the most pure
soul of Mary had taken possession of this glory never to leave it,
the Lord manifested to the saints His divine will, that She should
return to the world, resuscitate her sacred body and unite Herself
with it, so that She might in body and soul be again raised to the
right hand of her divine Son without waiting for the general
resurrection of the dead. The appropriateness of this favor, its
accordance with the others received by the most blessed Queen and
with her supereminent dignity, the saints could not but see; since
even to mortals it is so credible, that even if the Church had not
certified it, we would judge those impious and foolish, who would
dare deny it. But the blessed saw it with greater clearness, together
with the determined time and hour as manifested to them in God
himself. When the time for this wonder had arrived, Christ our Savior
himself descended from heaven bringing with Him at His right hand the
soul of his most blessed Mother and accompanied by many legions of
the Angels, the Patriarchs and ancient Prophets. They came to the
sepulchre in the valley of Josaphat, and all being gathered in sight
of the virginal temple, the Lord spoke the following words to the
saints.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">My Mother
was conceived without stain of sin, in order that from Her virginal
substance I might stainlessly clothe Myself in the humanity in which
I came to the world and redeemed it from sin. My flesh is her flesh;
She co–operated with Me in the works of the Redemption; hence I
must raise Her, just as I rose from the dead, and this shall be at
the same time and hour. For I wish to make Her like Me in all
things.” All the ancient saints of the human race then gave
thanks for this new favor in songs of praise and glory to the Lord.
Those that especially distinguished themselves in their thanksgiving
were our first parents Adam and Eve, saint Anne, saint Joachim and
saint Joseph, as being the more close partakers in this miracle of
his Omnipotence. Then the purest soul of the Queen, at the command of
the Lord, entered the virginal body, reanimated it and raised it up,
giving it a new life of immortality and glory and communicating to it
the four gifts of clearness, impassibility, agility and subtlety,
corresponding to those of the soul and overflowing from it into the
body.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Endowed with these gifts the most
blessed Mary issued from the tomb in body and soul, without raising
the stone cover and without disturbing the position of the tunic and
the mantle that had enveloped her sacred body. Since it is impossible
to describe her beauty and refulgent glory, I will not make the
attempt. It is sufficient to say, that just as the heavenly Mother
had given to her divine Son in her womb the form of man, pure,
unstained and sinless, for the Redemption of the world, so in return
the Lord, in this resurrection and new regeneration, gave to Her a
glory and beauty similar to his own. In this mysterious and divine
interchange each One did what was possible: most holy Mary engendered
Christ, assimilating Him as much as possible to Herself, and Christ
resuscitated Her, communicating to Her of his glory as far as She was
capable as a creature.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then from the sepulchre was started a
most solemn procession, moving with celestial music through the
regions of the air and toward the empyrean heaven. This happened in
the hour immediately after midnight, which also the Lord had risen
from the grave; and therefore not all of the Apostles were witness of
this prodigy, but only some of them, who were present and watching at
the sepulchre. The saints and angels entered in the order in which
they had started; and in the last place came Christ our Savior and at
his right hand the Queen, clothed in the gold of variety (as David
says Ps. 44, 10), and so beautiful that She was the admiration of the
heavenly court. All of them turned toward Her to look upon Her and
bless Her with new jubilee and songs of praise. Thus were heard those
mysterious eulogies recorded by Solomon: Come, daughters of Sion, to
your Queen, who is praised by the morning stars and celebrated by the
sons of the Most High. Who is She that comes from the desert, like a
column of all aromatic perfumes? Who is She, that rises like the
aurora, more beautiful than the moon, elect as the sun, terrible as
many serried armies? Who is She that comes up from the desert resting
upon her Beloved and spreading forth abundant delights? (Cant. 3,6–9;
8,5). Who is She in whom the Deity itself finds so much pleasure and
delight above all other creatures and whom He exalts above them all
in the heavens! O novelty worthy of the infinite Wisdom! O prodigy of
his Omnipotence, which so magnifies and exalts Her!</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Amid this glory the most blessed Mary arrived body
and soul at the throne of the most blessed Trinity. And the three
divine Persons received Her on it with an embrace eternally
undissoluble. The eternal Father said Her: “Ascend higher, my
Daughter and my Dove.” The incarnate Word spoke: “My
Mother, of whom I received human being and full return of my work in
thy perfect imitation, receive now from my hand the reward thou hast
merited.” The Holy Ghost said: “My most beloved Spouse,
enter into the eternal joy, which corresponds to the most faithful
love; do Thou now enjoy thy love without solicitude; for past is the
winter of suffering for Thou hast arrived at our eternal embraces.”
There the most blessed Mary was absorbed in the contemplation of the
three divine Persons and as it were overwhelmed in the boundless
ocean and abyss of the Divinity, while the saints were filled with
wonder and new accidental delight. Since, at the occasion of this
work of the Omnipotent happened other wonders, I shall speak of them
as far as possible in the following chapter.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962878"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, lamentable and
inexcusable is the ignorance of men in so knowingly forgetting the
eternal glory, which God has prepared for those who dispose
themselves to merit it. I wish that thou bitterly bewail and deplore
this pernicious forgetfulness; for there is no doubt, that whoever
wilfully forgets the eternal glory and happiness is in evident danger
of losing it. No one is free from this guilt, not only because men do
not apply much labor or effort in seeking and retaining the
remembrance of this happiness; but they labor with all their powers
in things that make them forget the end for which they were created.
Undoubtedly this forgetfulness arises from their entangling
themselves in the pride of life, the covetousness of the eyes, and
the desires of the flesh (John 2, 16); for employing therein all the
forces and faculties of their soul during the whole time of their
life, they have no leisure, care or attention for the thoughts of
eternal felicity. Let men acknowledge and confess, whether this
recollection costs them more labor than to follow their blind
passions, seeking after honors, possessions or the transitory
pleasures, all of which have an end with this life, and which, after
much striving and labor, many men do not, and can never attain.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
This is a sorrow beyond all sorrows, and a
misfortune without equal and without remedy. Afflict thyself, lament
and grieve without consolation over this ruin of so many souls bought
by the blood of my divine Son. I assure thee, my dearest, that, if
men would not make themselves so unworthy of it, my charity would
urge me, in the celestial glory where thou knowest me to be, to send
forth a voice through the whole world exclaiming: “Mortal and
deceived men, what are you doing? For what purpose are you living? Do
you realize what it is to see God face to face, and to participate in
his eternal glory and share his company? Of what are you thinking?
Who has thus disturbed and fascinated your judgment? What will you
seek, if once you have lost this true blessing and happiness, since
there is no other? The labor is short, the reward is infinite glory,
and the punishment is eternal.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962879"></a>
Book 8, Chapter 8<br /><br />THE CORONATION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD</h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
We call that the throne of the
Divinity, from which God manifests Himself to the saints as the
principal cause of their glory and as the infinite, eternal God,
independent of all things and on whose will all creatures depend,
from which He manifests Himself as the Lord, as the King, as the
Judge and Master of all that is in existence. This dignity Christ the
Redeemer possesses, in as far as He is God, essentially, and as far
as He is man, through the hypostatic union, by which He communicates
his Godhead to the humanity. Hence in heaven He is the King, the Lord
and supreme Judge; and the saints, though their glory exceeds all
human calculation, are as servants and inferiors of this inaccessible
Majesty. In this the most holy Mary participates in a degree next
inferior and in a manner otherwise ineffable and proportionate to a
mere creature so closely related to the Godman; and therefore She
assists forever at the right hand of her Son as Queen (Ps. 44, 10),
Lady and Mistress of all creation, her dominion extending as far as
that of her divine Son, although in a different manner.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
After placing the most blessed Mary on this
exalted and supereminent throne, the Lord declared to the courtiers
of heaven all the privileges She should enjoy in virtue of this
participation in his majesty. The Person of the eternal Father, as
the first principle of all things, speaking to the angels and saints,
said to them: “Our Daughter Mary was chosen according to our
pleasure from amongst all creatures, the first one to delight Us, and
who never fell from the title and position of a Daughter, such as We
had given Her in our divine mind; She has a claim on our dominion,
which We shall recognize by crowning Her as the legitimate and
peerless Lady and Sovereign.” The incarnate Word said: “To
my true and natural Mother belong all the creatures which were
created and redeemed by Me; and of all things over which I am King,
She too shall be the legitimate and supreme Queen.” The Holy
Ghost said: “Since She is called my beloved and chosen Spouse,
She deserves to be crowned as Queen for all eternity.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Having thus spoken the three divine Persons placed
upon the head of the most blessed Mary a crown of such new splendor
and value, that the like has been seen neither before nor after by
any mere creature. At the same time a voice sounded from the throne
saying: “My Beloved, chosen among the creatures, our kingdom is
Thine; Thou shalt be the Lady and the Sovereign of the seraphim, of
all the ministering spirits, the angels and of the entire universe of
creatures. Attend, proceed and govern prosperously over them, for in
our supreme consistory We give Thee power, majesty and sovereignty.
Being filled with grace beyond all the rest, Thou hast humiliated
Thyself in thy own estimation to the lowest place; receive now the
supreme dignity deserved by Thee and, as a participation in our
Divinity, the dominion over all the creatures of our Omnipotence.
From thy royal throne to the centre of the earth Thou shalt reign;
and by the power We now give Thee Thou shalt subject hell with all
its demons and inhabitants. Let all of them fear Thee as the supreme
Empress and Mistress of those caverns and dwelling–places of
our enemies. In thy hands and at thy pleasure We place the influences
and forces of the heavens, the moisture of the clouds, the growths of
the earth; and of all of them do Thou distribute according to thy
will, and our own will shall be at thy disposal for the execution of
thy wishes. Thou shalt be the Empress and Mistress of the militant
Church, its Protectress, its Advocate, its Mother and Teacher. Thou
shalt be the special Patroness of the Catholic countries; and
whenever they, or the faithful, or any of the children of Adam call
upon Thee from their heart, serve or oblige Thee, Thou shalt relieve
and help them in their labors and necessities. Thou shalt be the
Friend, the Defender and the Chieftainess of all the just and of our
friends; all of them Thou shalt comfort, console and fill with
blessings according to their devotion to Thee. In view of all this We
make Thee the Depositary of our riches, the Treasurer of our goods;
we place into thy hands the helps and blessings of our grace for
distribution; nothing do We wish to be given to the world, which does
not pass through thy hands; and nothing do We deny, which Thou
wishest to concede to men. Grace shall be diffused in thy lips for
obtaining all that Thou wishest and ordainest in heaven and on earth,
and everywhere shall angels and men obey Thee; because whatever is
ours shall be thine, just as Thou hast always been ours; and Thou
shalt reign with Us forever.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In the execution of this decree and
privilege conceded to the Mistress of the world, the Almighty
commanded all the courtiers of heaven, angels and men, to show Her
obedience and recognize Her as their Queen and Lady. There was
another mystery concealed in this wonder, namely, it was a recompense
for the worship and veneration, which, as is clear from this history,
the most blessed Mary, notwithstanding that She was the Mother of
God, full of grace and holiness above the angels and saints, had
bestowed upon the saints during her mortal pilgrimage. Although
during the time when they were comprehensors and She yet a pilgrim,
it was for her greater merit, that She should humble Herself beneath
them all according to the ordainment of the Lord; yet now, when She
was in possession of the kingdom, it was just, that She should be
venerated, worshipped and extolled by them as her inferiors and
vassals. This they also did in that most blessed state, in which all
things are reduced to their proper proportion and order. Both the
angelic spirits and the blessed souls, while rendering their
adoration to the Lord with fear and worshipful reverence, rendered a
like homage in its proportion to His most blessed Mother; and the
saints who were there in their bodies prostrated themselves and gave
bodily signs of their worship. All these demonstrations at the
coronation of the Empress of heaven redounded wonderfully to her
glory, to the new joy and jubilee of the saints and to the pleasure
of the most blessed Trinity. Altogether festive was this day, and it
produced new accidental glory in all the heavens. Those that partook
more especially therein were her most fortunate spouse saint Joseph,
saint Joachim and Anne and all the other relatives of the Queen,
together with the thousand angels of her guard.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Within the glorious body of the
Queen, over her heart, was visible to the saints a small globe or
monstrance of singular beauty and splendor, which particularly roused
and rouses their admiration and joy. It was there in testimony and
reward of her having afforded to the sacramental Word an acceptable
resting–place and sanctuary, and of her having received holy
Communion so worthily, purely and holily, without any defect or
imperfection, and with a devotion, love and reverence attained by
none other of the saints. In regard to the other rewards and crowns
corresponding to her peerless works and virtues, nothing that can be
said could give any idea; and therefore I refer it to the beatific
vision, where each one shall perceive them in proportion as his
doings and his devotion shall have merited.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962880"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, if anything could lessen
the enjoyment of the highest felicity and glory which I possess, and
if, in it, I could be capable of any sorrow, without a doubt I would
be grieved to see the holy Church and the rest of the world in its
present state of labor, notwithstanding that men know me to be their
Mother, Advocate and Protectress in heaven, ready to guide and assist
them to eternal life. In this state of affairs, when the Almighty has
granted me so many privileges as his Mother and when there are so
many sources of help placed in my hands solely for the benefit of
mortals and belonging to me as the Mother of clemency, it is a great
cause of sorrow to me to see mortals force me to remain idle, and
that, for want of calling upon me, so many souls should be lost. But
if I cannot experience grief now, I may justly complain of men, that
they load themselves with eternal damnation and refuse me the glory
of saving their souls.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962896"></a>
How much my intercession and the power I have in heaven are worth has
never been hidden in the Church, for I have demonstrated my ability
to save all by so many thousands of miracles, prodigies and favors
operated in behalf of those devoted to me. With those who have called
upon me in their needs I have always shown myself liberal, and the
Lord has shown himself liberal to them on my account. The Most High
still wishes to give liberally of his infinite treasures and resolves
to favor those who know how to gain my intercession before God. This
is the secure way and the powerful means of advancing the Church, of
improving the Catholic reigns, of spreading the faith, of furthering
the welfare of families and of states, of bringing the souls to grace
and to the friendship of God.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text3"><b> </b></span><br />
</span><span class="text"></span><br />
<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="text">
<span class="text3">
Paragraph 4. The Creator </span></span></h4>
<span class="text"><span class="text3"> </span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="279"></a><b>279</b> "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."<sup>116</sup>
Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. The profession of faith
takes them up when it confesses that God the Father almighty is "Creator
of heaven and earth" (<i>Apostles' Creed</i>), "of all that is, seen and unseen" (<i>Nicene Creed</i>).
We shall speak first of the Creator, then of creation and finally of
the fall into sin from which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to raise
us up again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="280"></a><b>280</b> Creation is the foundation of "all God's saving plans," the "beginning of the history of salvation"<sup>117</sup>
that culminates in Christ. Conversely, the mystery of Christ casts
conclusive light on the mystery of creation and reveals the end for
which "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth": from the
beginning, God envisaged the glory of the new creation in Christ.<sup>118</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="281"></a><b>281</b> <span class="text1">And
so the readings of the Easter Vigil, the celebration of the new
creation in Christ, begin with the creation account; likewise in the
Byzantine liturgy, the account of creation always constitutes the first
reading at the vigils of the great feasts of the Lord. According to
ancient witnesses the instruction of catechumens for Baptism followed
the same itinerary.<sup>119</sup></span><br />
<br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span>
<br />
<b>
I. CATECHESIS ON CREATION
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="282"></a><b>282</b>
Catechesis on creation is of major importance. It concerns the very
foundations of human and Christian life: for it makes explicit the
response of the Christian faith to the basic question that men of all
times have asked themselves:<sup>120</sup> "Where do we come from?"
"Where are we going?" "What is our origin?" "What is our end?" "Where
does everything that exists come from and where is it going?" The two
questions, the first about the origin and the second about the end, are
inseparable. They are decisive for the meaning and orientation of our
life and actions.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="283"></a><b>283</b> <span class="text1">The
question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object
of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge
of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms
and the appearance of man. These discoveries invite us to even greater
admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him
thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives
to scholars and researchers. With Solomon they can say: "It is he who
gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the
world and the activity of the elements. . . for wisdom, the fashioner of
all things, taught me."<sup>121</sup></span><br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="284"></a><b>284</b> <span class="text1">The great interest
accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of
another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural
sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe
arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the
meaning of such an origin: is the universe governed by chance, blind
fate, anonymous necessity, or by a transcendent, intelligent and good
Being called "God"? And if the world does come from God's wisdom and
goodness, why is there evil? Where does it come from? Who is responsible
for it? Is there any liberation from it?</span><br />
<span class="text1"> </span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="285"></a><b>285</b> <span class="text1">Since
the beginning the Christian faith has been challenged by responses to
the question of origins that differ from its own. Ancient religions and
cultures produced many myths concerning origins. Some philosophers have
said that everything is God, that the world is God, or that the
development of the world is the development of God (Pantheism). Others
have said that the world is a necessary emanation arising from God and
returning to him. Still others have affirmed the existence of two
eternal principles, Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, locked, in
permanent conflict (Dualism, Manichaeism). According to some of these
conceptions, the world (at least the physical world) is evil, the
product of a fall, and is thus to be rejected or left behind
(Gnosticism). Some admit that the world was made by God, but as by a
watch-maker who, once he has made a watch, abandons it to itself
(Deism). Finally, others reject any transcendent origin for the world,
but see it as merely the interplay of matter that has always existed
(Materialism). All these attempts bear witness to the permanence and
universality of the question of origins. This inquiry is distinctively
human.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="286"></a><b>286</b>
Human intelligence is surely already capable of finding a response to
the question of origins. The existence of God the Creator can be known
with certainty through his works, by the light of human reason,<sup>122</sup>
even if this knowledge is often obscured and disfigured by error. This
is why faith comes to confirm and enlighten reason in the correct
understanding of this truth: "By faith we understand that the world was
created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things
which do not appear."<sup>123</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="287"></a><b>287</b>
The truth about creation is so important for all of human life that God
in his tenderness wanted to reveal to his People everything that is
salutary to know on the subject. Beyond the natural knowledge that every
man can have of the Creator,<sup>124</sup> God progressively revealed
to Israel the mystery of creation. He who chose the patriarchs, who
brought Israel out of Egypt, and who by choosing Israel created and
formed it, this same God reveals himself as the One to whom belong all
the peoples of the earth, and the whole earth itself; he is the One who
alone "made heaven and earth".<sup>125</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="288"></a><b>288</b>
Thus the revelation of creation is inseparable from the revelation and
forging of the covenant of the one God with his People. Creation is
revealed as the first step towards this covenant, the first and
universal witness to God's all-powerful love.<sup>126</sup> And so, the
truth of creation is also expressed with growing vigor in the message
of the prophets, the prayer of the psalms and the liturgy, and in the
wisdom sayings of the Chosen People.<sup>127</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="289"></a><b>289</b>
Among all the Scriptural texts about creation, the first three chapters
of Genesis occupy a unique place. From a literary standpoint
these texts may have had diverse sources. The inspired authors have
placed them at the beginning of Scripture to express in their solemn
language the truths of creation - its origin and its end in God, its
order and goodness, the vocation of man, and finally the drama of sin
and the hope of salvation. Read in the light of Christ, within the unity
of Sacred Scripture and in the living Tradition of the Church, these
texts remain the principal source for catechesis on the mysteries of the
"beginning": creation, fall, and promise of salvation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
II. CREATION - WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="290"></a><b>290</b> "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth":<sup>128</sup>
three things are affirmed in these first words of Scripture: the
eternal God gave a beginning to all that exists outside of himself; he
alone is Creator (the verb "create" - Hebrew <i>bara</i> - always has
God for its subject). The totality of what exists (expressed by the
formula "the heavens and the earth") depends on the One who gives it
being.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="291"></a><b>291</b>
"In the beginning was the Word. . . and the Word was God. . . all
things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that
was made."<sup>129</sup> The New Testament reveals that God created
everything by the eternal Word, his beloved Son. In him "all things were
created, in heaven and on earth.. . all things were created through him
and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together."<sup>130</sup> The Church's faith likewise confesses the creative action of the Holy Spirit, the "giver of life", "the Creator Spirit" (<i>Veni, Creator Spiritus</i>), the "source of every good".<sup>131</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="292"></a><b>292</b> The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit,<sup>132</sup>
inseparably one with that of the Father. This creative co-operation is
clearly affirmed in the Church's rule of faith: "There exists but one
God. . . he is the Father, God, the Creator, the author, the giver of
order. He made all things by <i>himself</i>, that is, by his Word and by his Wisdom", "by the Son and the Spirit" who, so to speak, are "his hands".<sup>133</sup> Creation is the common work of the Holy Trinity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
III. "THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR THE GLORY OF GOD"
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="293"></a><b>293</b> Scripture and Tradition never cease to teach and celebrate this fundamental truth: "The world was made for the glory of God."<sup>134</sup> St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things "not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it",<sup>135</sup>
for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness:
"Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand."<sup>136</sup> The First Vatican Council explains:
<br />
<span class="text1"></span>
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text">This one, true God, of his own
goodness and "almighty power", not for increasing his own beatitude, nor
for attaining his perfection, but in order to manifest this perfection
through the benefits which he bestows on creatures, with absolute
freedom of counsel "and from the beginning of time, made out of nothing
both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal. . ."<sup>137</sup></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text">
</span>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="294"></a><b>294</b>
The glory of God consists in the realization of this manifestation and
communication of his goodness, for which the world was created. God made
us "to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of
his will, <i>to the praise of his glorious grace</i>",<sup>138</sup> for
"the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man's life is the vision
of God: if God's revelation through creation has already obtained life
for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word's
manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God."<sup>139</sup>
The ultimate purpose of creation is that God "who is the creator of all
things may at last become "all in all", thus simultaneously assuring
his own glory and our beatitude."<sup>140</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b>
IV. THE MYSTERY OF CREATION
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="295"></a><b>God creates by wisdom and love</b>
<br />
<b>295</b> We believe that God created the world according to his wisdom.<sup>141</sup>
It is not the product of any necessity whatever, nor of blind fate or
chance. We believe that it proceeds from God's free will; he wanted to
make his creatures share in his being, wisdom and goodness: "For you
created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."<sup>142</sup>
Therefore the Psalmist exclaims: "O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all"; and "The LORD is good to all, and his
compassion is over all that he has made."<sup>143</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="296"></a><b>God creates "out of nothing"</b>
<br />
<b>296</b> We believe
that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create,
nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine
substance.<sup>144</sup> God creates freely "out of nothing":<sup>145</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">If God had drawn the world from
pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human
artisan makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows
his power by starting from nothing to make all he wants.<sup>146</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="297"></a><b>297</b>
Scripture bears witness to faith in creation "out of nothing" as a
truth full of promise and hope. Thus the mother of seven sons encourages
them for martyrdom:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">I do not know how you came into being in
my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in
order the elements within each of you. Therefore the Creator of the
world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all
things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since
you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws. . . Look at the
heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and recognize
that God did not make them out of things that existed. Thus also mankind
comes into being.<sup>147</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="298"></a><b>298</b>
Since God could create everything out of nothing, he can also, through
the Holy Spirit, give spiritual life to sinners by creating a pure heart
in them,<sup>148</sup> and bodily life to the dead through the
Resurrection. God "gives life to the dead and calls into existence the
things that do not exist."<sup>149</sup> And since God was able to make
light shine in darkness by his Word, he can also give the light of faith
to those who do not yet know him.<sup>150</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="299"></a><b>God creates an ordered and good world</b>
<br />
<b>299</b> Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight."<sup>151</sup>
The universe, created in and by the eternal Word, the "image of the
invisible God", is destined for and addressed to man, himself created in
the "image of God" and called to a personal relationship with God.<sup>152</sup>
Our human understanding, which shares in the light of the divine
intellect, can understand what God tells us by means of his creation,
though not without great effort and only in a spirit of humility and
respect before the Creator and his work.<sup>153</sup> Because creation comes forth from God's goodness, it shares in that goodness - "And God saw that it was good. . . very good"<sup>154</sup>-
for God willed creation as a gift addressed to man, an inheritance
destined for and entrusted to him. On many occasions the Church has had
to defend the goodness of creation, including that of the physical
world.<sup>155</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="300"></a><b>God transcends creation and is present to it.</b>
<br />
<b>300</b> God is infinitely greater than all his works: "You have set your glory above the heavens."<sup>156</sup> Indeed, God's "greatness is unsearchable".<sup>157</sup>
But because he is the free and sovereign Creator, the first cause of
all that exists, God is present to his creatures' inmost being: "In him
we live and move and have our being."<sup>158</sup> In the words of St. Augustine, God is "higher than my highest and more inward than my innermost self".<sup>159</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="301"></a><b>God upholds and sustains creation.</b>
<br />
<b>301</b> With
creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only
gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds
and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their
final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the
Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">For you love all things that exist, and
detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have
made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if
you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you
have been preserved? You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord,
you who love the living.<sup>160</sup></span></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<b>
V. GOD CARRIES OUT HIS PLAN: DIVINE PROVIDENCE
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="302"></a><b>302</b> Creation has its own goodness and proper
perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the
Creator. The universe was created "in a state of journeying" (<i>in statu viae</i>)
toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has
destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God
guides his creation toward this perfection:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">By his providence God protects and
governs all things which he has made, "reaching mightily from one end of
the earth to the other, and ordering all things well". For "all are
open and laid bare to his eyes", even those things which are yet to come
into existence through the free action of creatures.<sup>161</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="303"></a><b>303</b>
The witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine
providence is concrete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least
things to the great events of the world and its history. The sacred
books powerfully affirm God's absolute sovereignty over the course of
events: "Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases."<sup>162</sup> And so it is with Christ, "who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens".<sup>163</sup>
As the book of Proverbs states: "Many are the plans in the mind of a
man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established."<sup>164</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="304"></a><b>304</b> <span class="text1">And
so we see the Holy Spirit, the principal author of Sacred Scripture,
often attributing actions to God without mentioning any secondary
causes. This is not a "primitive mode of speech", but a profound way of
recalling God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the
world,<sup>165</sup> and so of educating his people to trust in him. The prayer of the Psalms is the great school of this trust.<sup>166</sup></span><br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="305"></a><b>305</b>
Jesus asks for childlike abandonment to the providence of our heavenly
Father who takes care of his children's smallest needs: "Therefore do
not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we
drink?". . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be
yours as well."<sup>167</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="306"></a><b>Providence and secondary causes</b>
<br />
<b>306</b> God is the
sovereign master of his plan. But to carry it out he also makes use of
his creatures' co-operation. This use is not a sign of weakness, but
rather a token of almighty God's greatness and goodness. For God grants
his creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting
on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and thus of
co-operating in the accomplishment of his plan.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="307"></a><b>307</b>
To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his
providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing" the
earth and having dominion over it.<sup>168</sup> God thus enables men to
be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of
creation, to perfect its harmony for their own good and that of their
neighbors. Though often unconscious collaborators with God's will, they
can also enter deliberately into the divine plan by their actions, their
prayers and their sufferings.<sup>169</sup> They then fully become "God's fellow workers" and co-workers for his kingdom.<sup>170</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="308"></a><b>308</b>
The truth that God is at work in all the actions of his creatures is
inseparable from faith in God the Creator. God is the first cause who
operates in and through secondary causes: "For God is at work in you,
both to will and to work for his good pleasure."<sup>171</sup> Far from
diminishing the creature's dignity, this truth enhances it. Drawn from
nothingness by God's power, wisdom and goodness, it can do nothing if it
is cut off from its origin, for "without a Creator the creature
vanishes."<sup>172</sup> Still less can a creature attain its ultimate end without the help of God's grace.<sup>173</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="309"></a><b>Providence and the scandal of evil.</b>
<br />
<b>309</b> If God the
Father almighty, the Creator of the ordered and good world, cares for
all his creatures, why does evil exist? To this question, as pressing
as it is unavoidable and as painful as it is mysterious, no quick answer
will suffice. Only Christian faith as a whole constitutes the answer
to this question: the goodness of creation, the drama of sin and the
patient love of God who comes to meet man by his covenants, the
redemptive Incarnation of his Son, his gift of the Spirit, his gathering
of the Church, the power of the sacraments and his call to a blessed
life to which free creatures are invited to consent in advance, but
from which, by a terrible mystery, they can also turn away in advance. <i>There is not a single aspect of the Christian message that is not in part an answer to the question of evil.</i><br />
<i> </i>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="310"></a><b>310</b>
But why did God not create a world so perfect that no evil could exist
in it? With infinite power God could always create something better.<sup>174</sup>
But with infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a
world "in a state of journeying" towards its ultimate perfection. In
God's plan this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain
beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more
perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and destructive
forces of nature. With physical good there exists also <i>physical evil</i> as long as creation has not reached perfection.<sup>175</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="311"></a><b>311</b>
Angels and men, as intelligent and free creatures, have to journey
toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and preferential
love. They can therefore go astray. Indeed, they have sinned. Thus has <i>moral evil</i>,
incommensurably more harmful than physical evil, entered the world. God
is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil.<sup>176</sup> He permits it, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">For almighty God. . ., because he is
supremely good, would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in his
works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge
from evil itself.<sup>177</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="312"></a><b>312</b>
In time we can discover that God in his almighty providence can bring a
good from the consequences of an evil, even a moral evil, caused by his
creatures: "It was not you", said Joseph to his brothers, "who sent me
here, but God. . . You meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive."<sup>178</sup>
From the greatest moral evil ever committed - the rejection and murder
of God's only Son, caused by the sins of all men - God, by his grace
that "abounded all the more",<sup>179</sup> brought the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our redemption. But for all that, evil never becomes a good.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="313"></a><b>313</b> "We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him."<sup>180</sup> The constant witness of the saints confirms this truth:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">St. Catherine of Siena said to "those
who are scandalized and rebel against what happens to them": "Everything
comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does
nothing without this goal in mind."<sup>181</sup>
St. Thomas More, shortly before his martyrdom, consoled his daughter:
"Nothing can come but that that God wills. And I make me very sure that
whatsoever that be, seem it never so bad in sight, it shall indeed be
the best."<sup>182</sup>
<br />
Dame Julian of Norwich: "Here I was taught by the grace of God that I
should steadfastly keep me in the faith. . . and that at the same time I
should take my stand on and earnestly believe in what our Lord shewed
in this time - that 'all manner [of] thing shall be well.'"<sup>183</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="314"></a><b>314</b>
We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history.
But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end,
when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God "face to face",<sup>184</sup>
will we fully know the ways by which - even through the dramas of evil
and sin - God has guided his creation to that definitive sabbath rest<sup>185</sup> for which he created heaven and earth.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
IN BRIEF
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="315"></a><b>315</b> In the creation of the world and of man,
God gave the first and universal witness to his almighty love and his
wisdom, the first proclamation of the "plan of his loving goodness",
which finds its goal in the new creation in Christ.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="316"></a><b>316</b> Though the work of creation is attributed
to the Father in particular, it is equally a truth of faith that the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit together are the one, indivisible principle
of creation.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="317"></a><b>317</b> God alone created the universe, freely, directly and without any help.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="318"></a><b>318</b> No creature has the infinite power
necessary to "create" in the proper sense of the word, that is, to
produce and give being to that which had in no way possessed it (to call
into existence "out of nothing") (cf DS 3624).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="319"></a><b>319</b> God created the world to show forth and
communicate his glory. That his creatures should share in his truth,
goodness and beauty - this is the glory for which God created them.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="320"></a><b>320</b> God created the universe and keeps it in existence by his Word, the Son "upholding the universe by his word of power" (<i>Heb</i> 1:3), and by his Creator Spirit, the giver of life.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="321"></a><b>321</b> Divine providence consists of the
dispositions by which God guides all his creatures with wisdom and love
to their ultimate end.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="322"></a><b>322</b> Christ invites us to filial trust in the providence of our heavenly Father (cf. <i>Mt </i>6:26-34), and St. Peter the apostle repeats: "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you" (I <i>Pt </i>5:7; cf. <i>Ps</i> 55:23).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="323"></a><b>323</b> Divine providence works also through the
actions of creatures. To human beings God grants the ability to
cooperate freely with his plans.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="324"></a><b>324</b> The fact that God permits physical and even
moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ
who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that
God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from
that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text1">
116 <i>Gen</i> 1:1.<br />
117 <i>GCD</i> 51.<br />
118 <i>Gen</i> 1:1; cf. <i>Rom</i> 8:18-23.<br />
119 Cf. Egeria, <i>Peregrinatio at loca sancta</i>, 46: PLS 1,1047; St. Augustine, <i>De catechizantis rudibus</i> 3,5: PL 40,256.<br />
120 Cf. <i>NA</i> 2. <br />
121 <i>Wis</i> 7:17-22.<br />
122 Cf. Vatican Council I, can. 2 § I: DS 3026. <br />
123 <i>Heb</i> 11:3.<br />
124 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 17:24-29; <i>Rom</i> 1:19-20.<br />
125 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 43:1; <i>Ps</i> 115:15; 124:8; 134:3.<br />
126 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 15:5; <i>Jer</i> 33:19-26.<br />
127 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 44:24; <i>Ps</i> 104; <i>Prov</i> 8:22-31.<br />
128 <i>Gen</i> 1:1.<br />
129 <i>Jn</i> 1:1-3.<br />
130 <i>Col</i> 1:16-17.<br />
131 Cf. Nicene Creed: DS 150; Hymn <i>"Veni, Creator Spiritus"</i>; Byzantine Troparion of Pentecost Vespers, <i>"O heavenly King, Consoler"</i>.<br />
132 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 33:6; 104:30; <i>Gen</i> 1:2-3.<br />
133 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 2,30,9; 4,20,I: PG 7/1,822,1032.<br />
134 <i>Dei Filius</i>, can. § 5: DS 3025.<br />
135 St. Bonaventure, <i>In II Sent.</i> I,2,2,1.<br />
136 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>Sent.</i> II, Prol.<br />
137 <i>Dei Filius</i>, I: DS 3002; cf. Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800.<br />
138 <i>Eph</i> 1:5-6.<br />
139 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 4,20,7: PG 7/1,1037.<br />
140 <i>AG</i> 2; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 15:28.<br />
141 Cf. <i>Wis</i> 9:9.<br />
142 <i>Rev</i> 4:11.<br />
143 <i>Ps</i> 104:24; 145:9.<br />
144 Cf. <i>Dei Filius</i>, can. 2-4: DS 3022-3024.<br />
145 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800; cf. DS 3025.<br />
146 St. Theophilus of Antioch, <i>Ad Autolycum </i>II, 4: PG 6,1052.<br />
147 <i>2 Macc</i> 7:22-21,28.<br />
148 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 51:12.<br />
149 <i>Rom</i> 4:17. <br />
150 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:3; <i>2 Cor</i> 4:6.<br />
151 <i>Wis</i> 11:20.<br />
152 <i>Col</i> 1:15, <i>Gen</i> 1:26. <br />
153 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 19:2-5; <i>Job</i> 42:3.<br />
154 <i>Gen</i> 1:4,10,12,18,21,31.<br />
155 Cf. DS 286; 455-463; 800; 1333; 3002.<br />
156 <i>Ps</i> 8:1; cf. <i>Sir</i> 43:28.<br />
157 <i>Ps</i> 145:3.<br />
158 <i>Acts</i> 17:28.<br />
159 St. Augustine, <i>Conf</i>. 3,6,11: PL 32,688.<br />
160 <i>Wis</i> 11:24-26.<br />
161 Vatican Council I, <i>Dei Filius</i> 1: DS 3003; cf. <i>Wis</i> 8:1; <i>Heb</i> 4:13.<br />
162 <i>Ps</i> 115:3.<br />
163 <i>Rev</i> 3:7.<br />
164 <i>Prov</i> 19:21.<br />
165 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 10:5-15; 45:51; <i>Deut</i> 32:39; <i>Sir</i> 11:14.<br />
166 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 22; 32; 35; 103; 138; <i>et al.</i><br />
167 <i>Mt</i> 6:31-33; cf. 10:29-31.<br />
168 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:26-28.<br />
169 Cf. <i>Col</i> 1:24.<br />
170 <i>1 Cor</i> 3:9; <i>1 Thes</i> 3:2; <i>Col</i> 4:11.<br />
171 <i>Phil</i> 2:13; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 12:6.<br />
172 <i>GS</i> 36 § 3.<br />
173 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 19:26; <i>Jn</i> 15:5; 14:13<br />
174 Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I,25,6.<br />
175 Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>SCG</i> III,71.<br />
176 Cf. St. Augustine, <i>De libero arbitrio</i> 1,1,2: PL 32,1221-1223; St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I-II,79,1.<br />
177 St. Augustine, <i>Enchiridion</i> 3,11: PL 40,236.<br />
178 <i>Gen</i> 45:8; 50:20; cf. <i>Tob</i> 2:12 (Vulg.).<br />
179 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 5:20.<br />
180 <i>Rom</i> 8:28.<br />
181 St. Catherine of Siena, <i>Dialogue On Providence</i>, ch. IV, 138.<br />
182 <i>The Correspondence of Sir Thomas More</i>, ed. Elizabeth F. Rogers (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1947), letter 206, lines 661-663.<br />
183 Julian of Norwich, <i>The Revelations of Divine Love</i>, tr. James Walshe SJ (London: 1961), ch. 32,99-100.<br />
184 <i>1 Cor</i> 13:12.<br />
185 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 2:2.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-63882524403862179112018-11-24T12:40:00.000-06:002018-11-24T12:40:24.073-06:00Sunday November 25, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Faith; Reading 1, Daniel 7:13-14; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5; Reading 2, Revelation 1:5-8; Gospel and Lectio Divina: John 18:33-37; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - Saint Catherine of Alexandria; Snippet I -Feast of Christ the King; Snippet II - Mount Sinai; Snippet III- Saint Catherine's Monastery; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 3 and 4 The Gospels and Our Lady's Devotion to the Passion of Christ , The Holy Eucharist; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Aricle One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 3 - The Almighty; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday November 25, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Faith; </i><i>Reading 1, </i><i><i>Daniel 7:13-14</i>; Responsorial Psalm, </i><i><i>Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5</i>; Reading 2, </i><i><i>Revelation 1:5-8</i>; Gospel and Lectio Divina: </i><i><i>John 18:33-37</i>; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - </i><i>Saint Catherine of Alexandria;<b> </b>Snippet I -Feast of Christ the King; Snippet II - Mount Sinai; Snippet III- Saint Catherine's Monastery; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 3 and 4 The Gospels and Our Lady's Devotion to the Passion of Christ , The Holy Eucharist; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - Chapter One - The Creeds - Article One - I Believe in God - Paragraph 3 - The Almighty; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<b>November 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
My motherly heart suffers as I am looking at my children who do not love the truth, those who are hiding it—as I look at my children who do not pray with their feelings and actions. I am sad as I am saying to my Son that many of my children no longer have faith, that they do not know Him—my Son. That is why I call you, apostles of my love: you strive to look to the very depth in human hearts and there you are certa<span class="text_exposed_show">in to find the little hidden treasure. To look in this way is mercy from the Heavenly Father. To seek the good even where there is the greatest evil—to strive to comprehend each other and not to judge—that is what my Son is asking of you. And I, as a mother, am calling you to listen to Him.</span><br />
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My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh, and, carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory.<br />
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Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and, above all, in humility. Witness the truth to all those who have not come to know my Son. I will be alongside you. I will encourage you. Witness the love which never ends because it comes from the Heavenly Father who is eternal and who offers eternity to all of my children. The spirit of my Son will be alongside you.<br />
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Anew I am calling you, my children: pray for your shepherds, pray that the love of my Son may lead them. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>August 30, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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“In time, events rise and fall. When you come to Heaven and study your life, you will see that graces were always available to you. My desire for each of my followers is that they accept the grace that I send, in each moment, for peace. For those who accept my grace, peace is easily restored after periods of distress. For those who study my graces as they accept them, peace remains with them in each day and in each moment in each day. My friend, do you feel peaceful? Are you prepared to advance into the period to come? Have I done everything possible to equip my apostles to remain clear-sighted during confusing times? I believe that I have given you everything necessary. Here is another question. Do you <b>wish</b> to retain your peace? Do you <b>wish</b> to remain faithful to me and to the Church that I suffered to establish? If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’, then I am certain that you have all that you need to proceed with your time serving quietly and happily, despite sufferings that you endure. If your answer to those questions is ‘yes’ then I know that you will grow in holiness, day by day, because of your closeness to me and your decision to allow me to direct your time on Earth. I want you to be happy and full of joy. Joy is for you, my beloved apostles. Let others do what they will. Let us proceed into the world with apostolic joy and gladness. There is enormous joy available right now, in this day, because Heaven sends extraordinary graces for our Church. The most important part of your service to me is that you receive these extraordinary graces for joy in this time. If you receive them, you can offer them to others. Talk about me, please. I am so pleased that the leader I have chosen points constantly to me. He loves me and brings my love to others. Do you love me? Do you bring my love to others? Do you trust me to care for my Church tenderly and constantly? I will never abandon my Church. I am with you in the Eucharist. Do you visit me there and ask for peace? For guidance? Please. I am asking you to remain close to me and talk about me. Let others endlessly discuss the challenges of the times. I want you to talk about me. My love for my children, all of my children, means that I have hopes in you. There are little assignments today that only you can fill. Will you fill these opportunities for me? Will you listen to my gentle movements in your heart? I feel so close to you. Do you feel close to me? My beloved apostle, we walk together. We walk in fidelity to our Church and to the man I have chosen to lead it during this period. Be confident that you will understand exactly what Heaven needs from you in each day if you remain in peace with me.”</div>
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- A Guide to Comtemplative Prayer </span></div>
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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<h2 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope to Choirs: ‘Help community sing, not replace its voice'</h2>
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<b>By Devin Watkins</b><br />
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“You’ve awoken the Vatican!”<br />
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With those joyful words, Pope Francis expressed his appreciation for the musical art shown by participants in the 3<sup>rd</sup> International Meeting of Choirs, during a Saturday audience in the Paul VI Hall.<br />
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“Your music and song are truly an instrument of evangelization to the extent that you bear witness to the depth of the Word of God, which touches people’s hearts, and to the extent that you assist in the celebration of the Sacraments, in particular the Holy Eucharist, allowing us to perceive the beauty of Paradise.”<br />
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Some 7,000 musicians and singers are participating in the Meeting of Choirs, a three-day event organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.<br />
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<h2>
<b>Liturgical animators</b></h2>
The Pope encouraged the choristers to continue giving voice to the emotions that lie at the heart of the Church community.<br />
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“Music and song can often make certain moments unique in a person’s life, because they become a precious memory that marked their lives.”<br />
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Pope Francis warned choirs against the temptation of letting their talent outshine the Church community, discouraging the people in the pews from actively participating during Mass.<br />
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“You are the musical animators of the whole congregation. Don’t take its place, depriving the people of God of the chance to sing with you and bear witness to the Church’s communal prayer.”<br />
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The Holy Father commended the choral singers for studying ways to “promote prayer in liturgical celebrations.”<br />
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<h2>
<b>Popular piety</b></h2>
Pope Francis also invited them to give space to more popular forms of religious expression. “Feasts of patron saints, processions, dances, and the religious songs of our peoples are themselves a real heritage of religiosity that is worth appreciating and supporting, because they are nonetheless an action of the Holy Spirit at the heart of the Church.”<br />
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Finally, Pope Francis said music should act as an instrument for promoting unity. He said music can help “make the Gospel efficacious in today’s world, through a beauty that still holds its charm and makes it possible to believe, entrusting ourselves to the love of the Father".<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - <b>11</b>/23/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Word</span></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - faith</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">ven</span>-<span class="italic">uh</span>-reyt</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
<h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1200–50;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Middle English: from Old French <i>feid</i>, from Latin <i>fides</i> .</span></h4>
<div class="lr_dct_sf_h">
<i>noun</i></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="xpdxpnd vk_gy" data-mh="-1">
noun: <b>faith</b></div>
<ol class="lr_dct_sf_sens">
<li><div class="vmod">
<div class="lr_dct_sf_sen Uekwlc XpoqFe">
<div style="float: left;">
1. </div>
<div style="margin-left: 20px;">
<div class="PNlCoe XpoqFe">
<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
complete trust or confidence in someone or something.</div>
<span class="vmod"></span><br />
<div class="vk_gy">
<span class="vmod">"this restores one's faith in politicians"</span></div>
<span class="vmod"> </span> <br />
<div class="vmod">
<table class="vk_tbl vk_gy"><tbody>
<tr><td class="lr_dct_nyms_ttl" style="padding-right: 3px;">synonyms:</td><td><span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="trust" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQCg" role="link" tabindex="0">trust</span>, <span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="belief" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQCw" role="link" tabindex="0">belief</span>, <span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="confidence" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQDA" role="link" tabindex="0">confidence</span>, <span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="conviction" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQDQ" role="link" tabindex="0">conviction</span>; <span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click"><span class="lr_dct_more_btn" style="margin-left: 4px;">More</span></span><br />
<div style="display: inline;">
<div style="display: inline;">
<div aria-hidden="true" class="lr_dct_more_txt xpdxpnd xpdnoxpnd" data-mh="-1">
<span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click"><span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="optimism" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQDw" role="link" tabindex="0">optimism</span>, hopefulness, <span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="hope" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQEA" role="link" tabindex="0">hope</span> </span></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="lr_dct_more_txt xpdxpnd xpdnoxpnd" data-mh="-1">
<span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click"></span><br />
<div class="vk_gy">
<span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click">"he justified his boss's faith in him"</span></div>
<span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span data-log-string="synonyms-more-click"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="xpdxpnd" data-mh="-1">
<table class="vk_tbl vk_gy"><tbody>
<tr><td class="lr_dct_nyms_ttl" style="padding-right: 3px;">antonyms:</td><td><span class="SDZsVb" data-term-for-update="mistrust" data-ved="2ahUKEwia5c-Nme3eAhWHmeAKHWbBBc4Q_SowAHoECAIQEQ" role="link" tabindex="0">mistrust</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="vmod">
<div class="lr_dct_sf_sen Uekwlc XpoqFe">
<div style="float: left;">
2. </div>
<div style="margin-left: 20px;">
<div class="PNlCoe XpoqFe">
<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Daniel 7:13-14</i></h2>
<sup>13</sup> I was gazing into the visions of the night, when I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, as it were a son of man. He came to the One most venerable and was led into his presence.<br />
<sup>14</sup> On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> Yahweh is king, robed in majesty, robed is Yahweh and girded with power.<br />
<sup>2</sup> The world is indeed set firm, it can never be shaken; your throne is set firm from of old, from all eternity you exist.<br />
<sup>5</sup> Your decrees stand firm, unshakeable, holiness is the beauty of your house, Yahweh, for all time to come.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>Revelation 1:5-8</i></h2>
<sup>5</sup> and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the highest of earthly kings. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood,<br />
<sup>6</sup> and made us a Kingdom of Priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.<br />
<sup>7</sup> Look, he is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. Indeed this shall be so. Amen.<br />
<sup>8</sup> 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><i><i>John 18:33-37</i></i></h2>
<i><i>Jesus is the Messiah King</i></i><i><br />
</i><i><i>He takes us with Him into His kingdom of the world to come</i></i><i><br />
</i><i><i>We listen to the truth, standing by His throne, </i></i><i><br />
</i><i><i>which is the cross</i></i><i><br />
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1. Opening prayer</h3>
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Father, Your Word knocked at my door in the night. He was captured, bound, and yet He was still speaking, still calling, and as always He was saying to me, “Arise, hurry up and follow Me!” At dawn, I saw Him a prisoner of Pilate and, in spite of all the suffering of the passion, of the forsakenness He felt, He knew me and waited for me. Father, let me go with Him into the Praetorium where He is accused, condemned to die. This is my life today, my interior world. Yes, every time Your Word invites me, it is a little like going into the Praetorium of my heart, a contaminated and contaminating place, awaiting the purifying presence of Jesus. You know that I am afraid, but Jesus is with me, I must not fear any more. I stay, Father, and listen attentively to the truth of Your Son speaking to me. I watch and contemplate His actions, His steps. I follow Him, such as I am, throughout the life You have given me. Enfold and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.<br />
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2. Mediatio</h3>
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<b>a) Placing this passage in its context:</b></div>
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These few verses help us to understand better the story of the Passion and lead us almost into an intimate relationship with Jesus, in a closed place, set apart, where He is alone, facing Pilate: the Praetorium. He is questioned, He answers, in turn asks, continues to reveal His mystery of salvation and to invite people to come to Him. It is here that Jesus shows that He is king and shepherd; He is bound and crowned while under sentence of death. Here He leads us to the green pastures of His words of truth. This passage is part of a larger section, vv. 28–40, which tells us about the trial of Jesus before the governor. After a whole night of interrogation, beatings, jeers and betrayals, Jesus is handed over to the Roman authorities and is condemned to death. But it is in this very death that He reveals Himself as Lord, the One who came to give His life, the just One for us unjust, the innocent One for us sinners.</div>
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<b>b) An aid to the reading of the passage:</b></div>
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<b>vv.33-34</b>: Pilate goes back into the Praetorium and begins to question Jesus. His first question is, “Are You the king of the Jews?” Jesus does not reply directly but draws Pilate into making it absolutely clear what he means by such kingship. He leads Pilate to think further. King of the Jews means the Messiah, and it is as Messiah that Jesus is judged and sentenced.<br />
<b>v.35</b>: In his reply, Pilate seems to despise the Jews, who are clearly the ones accusing Jesus, the high priests and the people, each bearing responsibility, as we read in the prologue: “He came to His own domain, and His own people did not accept Him” (Jn 1:11). Then comes Pilate’s second question to Jesus, “What have You done?”, but He does not get a reply to this question.<br />
<b>v.36</b>: In Jesus’ reply to Pilate’s first question, three times He uses the expression “My kingdom”. Here we have a wonderful explanation as to what really is the kingdom and the kingship of Jesus: it is not of this world, but <i>of the world to come.</i> He does not have <i>guards or servants</i> to <i>fight for Him</i>, only the loving <i>commitment</i> of His life into His Father’s hands.<br />
<b>v.37</b>: The questioning comes back to the first question, and Jesus still answers in the affirmative: “Yes, I am a king”, but goes on to explain His origin and His mission. Jesus was born for us. He was sent for us, to reveal the truth of the Father from whom we have salvation and allow us to listen to His voice and to follow Him by being faithful to Him all our life.</div>
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3. The Gospel</h3>
Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" <img height="282" rel="lightbox" src="https://ocarm.org/en/sites/default/files/images/33sunday.png" style="float: right;" width="218" /> Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."<br />
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4. Contemplatio</h3>
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A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the text.</h3>
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<b>Jesus, the bound King handed over</b></div>
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In these lines a strong verb stands out, repeated again and again from the beginning of the story of the Passion: it is the verb <i>to hand over</i>, said, here first by Pilate and then by Jesus. The “<i>handing over of the Christ</i>” is a theological reality, yet at the same time vital, of supreme importance, because it leads us on a journey of wisdom and excellent training. It might be useful to seek out this verb in the pages of Scripture. It first appears that the Father Himself handed over Jesus His Son as a gift for all and for all time. In Romans 8:32 we read, “Since God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that He will not refuse anything He can give.” However, I also see that Jesus Himself, in the most intimate of fusions with the will of the Father, hands Himself over, offers His life for us, in an act of supreme freely given love. St. Paul says, “Follow Christ by loving as He loved you, giving Himself up in our place…” (Eph 5:2-25), and I also recall the words of Jesus: “I lay down My life for My sheep… No one takes it from Me; I lay it down of My own free will” (Jn 10:15-18). Thus, above and beyond all handing over lies this voluntary handing over, which is purely a gift of love. In the Gospels we see the evil handing over of Judas, properly called the traitor, that is, the one who “hands over”, the one who said to the high priests, “What are you prepared to give me if I hand Him over to you?” (Mt 26:15); see also Jn 12:4; 18:2-5. Then it is the Jews who hand Jesus over to Pilate: “If He were not a criminal, we should not be handing Him over to you” (Jn 18:30-35) and it is Pilate who represents the Gentiles, as Jesus had said before: “The Son of Man… will be handed over to the Gentiles” (Mk 10:33). Finally Pilate hands Him over to the Jews to be crucified (Jn 19:16). I contemplate these passages, I see my King bound, chained, as John the Evangelist tells me in 18:12 and 18:24. I go down on my knees, I bow before Him and ask the Lord for the courage to follow these dramatic yet wonderful passages that are like a hymn of the love of Jesus for us, His “yes” repeated to infinity for our salvation. The Gospel takes me gently into this unique night, when Jesus is handed over for me, as Bread, as Life made flesh, as entirely love. “On the same night He was betrayed [handed over], the Lord Jesus took some bread… and He said: This is My body, which is for you” (1 Cor 11:23). Then I begin to understand that happiness for me is hidden even in these chains, these knots, with Jesus, with the great King, and that it is hidden in these passages, which speak of one handing over after another, to the will of God and to the love of my Father.</div>
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<b>Jesus, the Messiah King</b></div>
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The dialogue between Jesus and Pilate: in this strange and mysterious questioning, what stands out is that, at first, Pilate calls Jesus “King of the Jews” and later only “king”, as though there was a process, whereby he comes to a fuller and truer understanding of the Lord Jesus. “King of the Jews” is a formula used with a very rich meaning by the Jewish people of that time, and it contains the basis, the nucleus of the faith in the expectation of Israel: it clearly signifies the Messiah. Jesus is questioned and judged on whether He is or is not the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah of the Lord, His Anointed, His Consecrated. He is the servant sent into the world for this, to fulfill in His person and in His life all that the prophets, the law and the psalms had said concerning Him. Words that speak of persecution, of suffering, of weeping, wounds and blood, words of death for Jesus, for the Anointed of the Lord, for the one who is our breath and in whose shadow we shall live among the nations, as the prophet Jeremiah says in Lam 4:20; words that speak of pitfalls, of insurrections, conspiracies (Ps 2: 2) and snares. We see Him disfigured, as a man of suffering, unrecognizable except by that love, which, like Him, knows suffering only too well. “For this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ!” (Acts 2:36). Yes, my king is a bound king, a king handed over, cast aside, despised; He is a king anointed for battle, but anointed to lose, to sacrifice Himself, to be crucified, to be immolated like a lamb. This is the Messiah: the King whose throne is the cross, whose purple is His blood poured out, whose palace is the hearts of men and women, poor like Him, but made rich and consoled by a continuous resurrection. These are our times, the times of consolation by the Lord, when He sends the Lord Jesus all the time, the Jesus whom He destined to be our Messiah.</div>
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<b>Jesus, the martyr King</b></div>
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“I came to witness to the truth”, says Jesus, using a very strong term, which, in Greek, contains the meaning of martyrdom. A witness is a martyr, one who affirms by his life, his blood, everything that he is and has, the truth that he believes. Jesus witnesses to the truth, which is the Word of the Father (Jn 17:17) and He gives His life for this Word. Life for life, word for word, love for love. Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation (Rev 3:14); in Him there is only “yes”, forever and from the beginning, and in this “yes” He offers us the whole truth of the Father, of Himself, of the Spirit, and in this truth, in this light, He makes of us His kingdom. “They who trust in Him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with Him in love” (Wis 3:8-9). I do not seek further words. I only stay near the Lord, on His breast, like John on that night. Thus He becomes my breath, my sight, my “yes” pronounced to the Father, to my brothers and sisters, in witness of my love. He is the faithful one, the one present, the Truth that I listen to and by whom I let myself be transformed.</div>
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5. Psalm 21 (20)</h3>
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<b>A hymn of thanksgiving for the victory, </b><b><br />
<b>which comes from God</b></b></div>
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<i>Refrain: Great is Your love for us, Lord!</i></div>
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In Thy strength the king rejoices, O Lord;<br />
and in Thy help how greatly he exults!<br />
Thou hast given him his heart's desire,<br />
and hast not withheld the request of his lips.</div>
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For Thou dost meet him with goodly blessings;<br />
Thou dost set a crown of fine gold upon his head.<br />
He asked life of Thee; Thou gavest it to him,<br />
length of days for ever and ever.</div>
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His glory is great through Thy help;<br />
splendor and majesty Thou dost bestow upon him.<br />
Yea, Thou dost make him most blessed for ever;<br />
Thou dost make him glad with the joy of Thy presence.</div>
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For the king trusts in the Lord;<br />
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.<br />
Be exalted, O Lord, in Thy strength!<br />
We will sing and praise Thy power.</div>
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6. Final Prayer</h3>
Father, I praise You, I bless You, I thank You that You have led me together with Your Son, Jesus, into Pilate’s Praetorium, into this foreign and hostile land, and yet a land of revelation and of light. Only You, in Your infinite love, can transform every distance and every darkness into a place of encounter and life.<br />
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I thank You for bringing about the time of consolation, when You sent Your Lamb, seated on the throne, a sacrificed yet living king. His blood is life-giving dewdrops, anointing of salvation. I thank You because He always speaks and sings to me Your truth, which is all love and mercy. I would like to be an instrument in the hands of my king, Jesus, to pass on to all the consoling notes of Your Word.<br />
Father, today I have listened to You in this Gospel. Please grant that my ears may never tire of listening to You, to Your Son, to Your Spirit. Grant that I may be born again from truth so that I may give witness to truth.<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><b>Saint Catherine of Alexandria</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: November 25<br />
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<b>Patron Saint</b>: Unmarried girls, Aalsum; apologists; craftsmen who work with a wheel (potters, spinners); archivists; dying people; educators; female students; girls; jurists; knife sharpeners; lawyers; librarians; libraries; Balliol College; Massey College; maidens; mechanics; millers; milliners; hat-makers; nurses; philosophers; preachers; scholars; schoolchildren; scribes; secretaries; spinsters; stenographers; students; tanners; theologians; University of Oviedo; University of Paris; haberdashers; wheelwrights; Żejtun, Malta; Żurrieq, Malta; Pagbilao, Quezon, Philippines; Carcar City, Cebu, Philippines; Katerini, Greece, Porac, Pampanga, Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines, Dumaguete City, Philippines, Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental, Philippines, Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, Tayum, Abra, Diocese of Dumaguete, University of Santo Tomas<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Catherine of Alexandria 1530</td></tr>
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<b>Saint Catherine of Alexandria</b>, also known as <b>Saint Catherine of the Wheel</b> and <b>The Great Martyr Saint Catherine</b> (Greek: <span lang="grc">ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνα ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς</span>) is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius.</div>
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According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar, who became a Christian around the age of fourteen, and converted hundreds of people to Christianity. Over 1,100 years following her martyrdom, St. Joan of Arc identified Catherine as one of the Saints who appeared to her and counseled her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-joan_3-0">[3]</sup></div>
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The Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr, and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November (depending on the local tradition). In the Catholic Church she is traditionally revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In 1969 the Catholic Church removed her feast day from the General Roman Calendar;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> however, she continued to be commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on November 25.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> In 2002, her feast was restored to the General Roman Calendar as an optional memorial.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Life">Life</span></h2>
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According to the traditional narrative, Catherine was the beautiful daughter of the pagan King Costus and Queen Sabinella, who governed Alexandria. Her superior intelligence combined with diligent study left her exceedingly well-versed in all the arts and sciences, and in philosophy. Having decided to remain a virgin all her life, she announced that she would only marry someone who surpassed her in beauty, intelligence, wealth, and dignity. This has been interpreted as an early foreshadowing of her eventual discovery of Christ. "His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-orthodox_1-1">[1]</sup> Though raised a pagan, she became an ardent Christian in her teenage years, having received a vision in which the Blessed Virgin Mary gave her to Christ in mystical marriage.<br />
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As a young adult, she visited her contemporary, the Roman Emperor Maxentius, and attempted to convince him of the moral error in persecuting Christians for not worshipping idols. The emperor arranged for a plethora of the best pagan philosophers and orators to dispute with her, hoping that they would refute her pro-Christian arguments, but Catherine won the debate. Several of her adversaries, conquered by her eloquence, declared themselves Christians and were at once put to death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-clugnet_6-0">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Torture_and_martyrdom">Torture and martyrdom</span></h3>
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Catherine was then scourged and imprisoned, during which time over 200 people came to see her, including Maxentius' wife, the Empress; all converted to Christianity and were subsequently martyred.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Britannica_7-0">[7]</sup> Upon the failure of Maxentius to make Catherine yield by way of torture, he tried to win the beautiful and wise princess over by proposing marriage. The saint refused, declaring that her spouse was Jesus Christ, to whom she had consecrated her virginity. The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on the spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, this instrument of torture was miraculously destroyed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-clugnet_6-1">[6]</sup> Maxentius finally had her beheaded.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Burial">Burial</span></h3>
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A tradition dating to about 800 states that angels carried her corpse to Mount Sinai,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_8-0">[8]</sup> where, in the 6th century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian had established what is now Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt (which is in fact dedicated to the Transfiguration). The main church was built between 548 and 565, and the monastery became a major pilgrimage site for devotees of Catherine and the other relics and sacred sites there. Saint Catherine's Monastery survives, and is a famous repository of early Christian art, architecture and illuminated manuscripts that remains open to tourists and visiting scholars.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Historicity">Historicity</span></h2>
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Donald Attwater dismisses the "legend" of St. Catherine, citing the lack of any "positive evidence that she ever existed outside the mind of some Greek writer who first composed what he intended to be simply an edifying romance."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Azevedo2005_9-0">[9] </sup> Harold T. Davis confirms that "assiduous research has failed to identify Catherine with any historical personage" and has theorized that Catherine was an invention inspired to provide a counterpart to the story of the slightly later pagan philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (c. AD 350–370–March 415).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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Another possibility for the inspiration of St. Catherine, comes from the writer, Eusebius, who wrote around the year 320, that the Emperor had ordered a young Christian woman, Dorothea of Alexandria, to come to his palace to become his mistress, and when she refused, he had her punished, by having her banished, and her estates confiscated.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup></div>
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The earliest surviving account of St. Catherine's life comes over 500 years after the traditional date of her martyrdom, in the <i>menologium</i> attributed to Emperor Basil I (866), although the rediscovery of her relics at Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai was about 800,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ArdeeneDobson_13-0">[13]</sup> and presumably implies an existing cult at that date (the common name of the monastery developed after the discovery). The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527-565), enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush ordered to be built by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, at the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the burning bush; the living bush on the grounds is purportedly the original. It is also referred to as "St. Helen's Chapel." The site is sacred to Christianity and Islam.</div>
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In her book <i>The Cult of St Katherine of Alexandria in Early Medieval Europe</i> (Ashgate 2007), Christine Walsh devotes Chapter 2, "The Historical Katherine", to the question of Katherine's historical existence. In Chapter 8, "Conclusion", she writes in summary "As we have seen, the cult of St Katherine of Alexandria probably originated in oral traditions from the 4th-century Diocletianic Persecutions of Christians in Alexandria. There is no evidence that Katherine herself was a historical figure and she may well have been a composite drawn from memories of women persecuted for their faith. Many aspects of her <i>Passio</i> are clearly legendary and conform to well-known hagiographical topoi."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ChristineWalsh_14-0">[14]</sup></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Medieval_cult">Medieval cult</span></h2>
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Saint Catherine was one of the most important saints in the religious culture of the late Middle Ages, and arguably considered the most important of the virgin martyrs, a group including Saint Agnes, Margaret of Antioch, Saint Barbara, Saint Lucy, Valerie of Limoges and many others. Her power as an intercessor was renowned and firmly established in most versions of her hagiography, in which she specifically entreats Christ at the moment of her death to answer the prayers of those who remember her martyrdom and invoke her name.</div>
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The development of her medieval cult was spurred by the reported rediscovery of her body around the year 800 at Mount Sinai, with hair still growing and a constant stream of healing oil issuing from her body.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ArdeeneDobson_13-1">[13]</sup> There are several pilgrimage narratives that chronicle the journey to Mount Sinai, most notably those of John Mandeville and Friar Felix Fabri.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> However, the monastery at Mount Sinai was the best-known site of Catherine pilgrimage, but was also the most difficult to reach. The most prominent Western shrine was the monastery in Rouen that claimed to house Catherine's fingers. It was not alone in the west, however, accompanied by many, scattered shrines and altars dedicated to Catherine, which existed throughout France and England. Some were better known sites, such as Canterbury and Westminster, which claimed a phial of her oil, brought back from Mount Sinai by Edward the Confessor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup> Other shrines, such as St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire were the focus of generally local pilgrimage, many of which are only identified by brief mentions to them in various texts, rather than by physical evidence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup></div>
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St. Catharine's College, Cambridge was founded on St Catharine’s Day (November 25) 1473 by Robert Woodlark (the then-provost of King's College Cambridge) who sought to create a small community of scholars who would study exclusively theology and philosophy.</div>
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Wodelarke may have chosen the name in homage to Catherine of Valois, mother of Henry VI of England, although it is more likely that it was named as part of the Renaissance cult of St Catharine, who was a patron saint of learning. At any rate, the college was ready for habitation and formally founded on St Catharine’s Day, 1473</div>
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Saint Catherine also had a large female following, whose devotion was less likely to be expressed through pilgrimage. The importance of the virgin martyrs as the focus of devotion and models for proper feminine behavior increased during the late middle ages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> Among these, St. Catherine in particular was used as an exemplar for women, a status which at times superseded her intercessory role.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup> Both Christine de Pizan and Geoffrey de la Tour Landry point to Catherine as a paragon for young women, emphasizing her model of virginity and "wifely chastity."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup> From the early 14th century the Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine first appears in hagiographical literature and, soon after, in art. In the Western church, concerns over the authenticity of her legend began to reduce her importance in the 18th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup></div>
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Her principal symbol is the spiked wheel, which has become known as the Catherine wheel, and her feast day is celebrated on 25 November by most Christian churches. However, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates it on 24 November. The exact origin of this tradition is not known. In 11th-century Kyivan-Rus, the feast day was celebrated on 25 November. Saint Dimitry of Rostov in his <i>Kniga zhyttia sviatykh</i> (<i>Book of the Lives of the Saints</i>), T.1 (1689) places the date of celebration on 24 November. A story that Empress Catherine the Great did not wish to share her patronal feast with the Leavetaking of the feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos and hence changed the date is not supported by historical evidence. One of the first Roman Catholic churches to be built in Russia, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, was named after Catherine of Alexandria because she was Catherine the Great's patron.</div>
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The 1908 <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i> describes her historical importance as follows:</div>
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Ranked with St Margaret and St Barbara as one of the fourteen most helpful saints in heaven, she was unceasingly praised by preachers and sung by poets. It is believed that Jacques-Benigne Bossuet dedicated to her one of his most beautiful panegyrics and that Adam of St. Victor wrote a magnificent poem in her honour: <i>Vox Sonora nostri chori</i>.</blockquote>
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In many places her feast was celebrated with the utmost solemnity, servile work being suppressed and the devotions being attended by great numbers of people. In several dioceses of France it was observed as a Holy Day of Obligation up to the beginning of the 17th century, the splendour of its ceremonial eclipsing that of the feasts of some of the Apostles. Numberless chapels were placed under her patronage and her statue was found in nearly all churches, representing her according to medieval iconography with a wheel, her instrument of torture.</div>
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Meanwhile, owing to several circumstances in his life, Saint Nicholas of Myra was considered the patron of young bachelors and students, and Saint Catherine became the patroness of young maidens and female students. Looked upon as the holiest and most illustrious of the virgins of Christ after the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was natural that she, of all others, should be worthy to watch over the virgins of the cloister and the young women of the world. The spiked wheel having become emblematic of the saint, wheelwrights and mechanics placed themselves under her patronage. Finally, as according to tradition, she not only remained a virgin by governing her passions and conquered her executioners by wearying their patience, but triumphed in science by closing the mouths of sophists, her intercession was implored by theologians, apologists, pulpit orators, and philosophers. Before studying, writing, or preaching, they besought her to illumine their minds, guide their pens, and impart eloquence to their words. This devotion to St. Catherine which assumed such vast proportions in Europe after the Crusades, received additional éclat in France in the beginning of the 15th century, when it was rumoured that she had spoken to Joan of Arc and, together with St. Margaret, had been divinely appointed Joan's adviser.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-clugnet_6-2">[6]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
Her principal symbol is the spiked wheel, which has become known as the Catherine wheel, and her feast day is celebrated on 25 November by most Christian churches. However, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates it on 24 November. The exact origin of this tradition is not known. In 11th-century Kyivan-Rus, the feast day was celebrated on 25 November. Saint Dimitry of Rostov in his <i>Kniga zhyttia sviatykh</i> (<i>Book of the Lives of the Saints</i>), T.1 (1689) places the date of celebration on 24 November. A story that Empress Catherine the Great did not wish to share her patronal feast with the Leavetaking of the feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos
and hence changed the date is not supported by historical evidence. One
of the first Roman Catholic churches to be built in Russia, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, was named after Catherine of Alexandria because she was Catherine the Great's patron.<br />
<br />
The 1908 <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i> describes her historical importance:
<br />
<blockquote class="templatequote">
Ranked with St Margaret and St Barbara as one of the fourteen most helpful saints in heaven, she was unceasingly praised by preachers and sung by poets. It is believed that Jacques-Benigne Bossuet dedicated to her one of his most beautiful panegyrics and that Adam of St. Victor wrote a magnificent poem in her honour: <i>Vox Sonora nostri chori</i>.
</blockquote>
In many places her feast was celebrated with the utmost solemnity,
servile work being suppressed and the devotions attended by great
numbers of people. In several dioceses of France it was observed as a Holy Day of Obligation up to the beginning of the 17th century, the splendour of its ceremonial eclipsing that of the feasts of some of the Apostles.
Numberless chapels were placed under her patronage and her statue was
found in nearly all churches, representing her according to medieval iconography with a wheel, her instrument of torture.<br />
<br />
In France, unwed women who have attained the age of 25 wear
richly decorated bonnets on the day of her feast. This custom gave rise
to the French idiom <i><i lang="fr" title="French language text">coiffer Sainte-Catherine</i></i> ('don St. Catherine's bonnet'), to describe an unmarried woman between the ages of 25 and 30.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29"> </sup>
<br />
In memory of her sacrifice in some homes, Egyptian and other Middle Eastern foods are offered for her feast, such as hummus or tabbouleh salads. Favorites also are melons cut into circles with sherbet "hubs," or cookies shaped as spiked wheels with icing.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, owing to several circumstances in his life, Saint Nicholas of Myra was considered the patron of young bachelors and students, and Saint Catherine became the patroness of young maidens and female students. Looked upon as the holiest and most illustrious of the virgins of Christ after the Blessed Virgin Mary,
it was natural that she, of all others, should be worthy to watch over
the virgins of the cloister and the young women of the world. The spiked wheel having become emblematic of the saint, wheelwrights and mechanics
placed themselves under her patronage. Finally, as according to
tradition, she not only remained a virgin by governing her passions and
conquered her executioners by wearying their patience, but triumphed in
science by closing the mouths of sophists, her intercession was implored by theologians, apologists, pulpit orators, and philosophers.
Before studying, writing, or preaching, they besought her to illumine
their minds, guide their pens, and impart eloquence to their words. This
devotion to Saint Catherine which assumed such vast proportions in Europe after the Crusades,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_11-1">[11]</sup> received additional éclat in France in the beginning of the 15th century, when it was rumoured that she had spoken to Joan of Arc and, together with Saint Margaret, had been divinely appointed Joan's adviser.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-clugnet_9-2">[9]</sup><br />
<br />
Devotion to Saint Catherine remains strong amongst Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
With the relative ease of travel in the modern age, pilgrimages to
Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai have increased. Pilgrims to
her monastery on Mt Sinai are given a ring, which has been placed on the
relics of the saint as an <i>evlogia</i> (blessing) in remembrance of their visit.
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
The pyrotechnic Catherine wheel, from which sparks fly off in all directions, took its name from the saint's wheel of martyrdom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-crawley_17-1">[17]</sup>
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The <b>Catherine wheel</b> or <b>pinwheel</b> is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its center. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.<br />
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The firework is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria who, according to Christian tradition, was condemned to death by “breaking on the wheel”. When she touched the wheel it miraculously flew to pieces.<br />
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The largest Catherine wheel ever made was designed by the Lily Fireworks Factory of Mqabba, Malta. The Catherine wheel had a diameter of 32.044 m (105 ft 1.6 in), and was lit on 18 June 2011, the eve of the annual feast of <i>Our Lady of the Lilies</i>.<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"> </sup>
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In Malta, Catherine wheels are a traditional fixture during every
village 'festa'. Some villages even hold competitions on the eve of the
parish feast, while others display the vast work of one firework.
Entrants display a variety of moving shapes and include various colours
year after year as the technology progresses. These displays are only a
small part of the firework catalogue planned throughout the week
preceding the feast and on the feast day itself. The Catherine wheel
displays typically end with the burning of what is called 'the carpet':
the largest Catherine wheel in the display on the night.<br />
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In the Philippines, Catherine wheel is also known as trompillo and according to Republic Act 7183, it is a legal firework.
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_art">In art</span></h2>
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Devotion to Saint Catherine remains strong amongst Orthodox Christians. With the relative ease of travel in the modern age, pilgrimages to Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai have increased. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mt Sinai are given a ring, which has been placed on the relics of the saint as an <i>evlogia</i> (blessing) in remembrance of their visit.</div>
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Catherine is very frequently depicted in art, especially in the late Middle Ages, which is also the time that the account of St. Catherine's Mystical Marriage makes its first literary appearance. She can usually be easily recognised as she is richly dressed and crowned, as befits her rank as a princess, and often holds or stands next to a segment of her wheel as an attribute. She also often carries either a martyr's palm or the sword with which she was actually executed. She often has long unbound blonde or reddish hair (unbound as she is unmarried). The vision of Saint Catherine of Alexandria usually shows the Infant Christ, held by the Virgin, placing a ring (one of her attributes) on her finger, following some literary accounts, although in the version in the <i>Golden Legend</i> he appears to be adult, and the marriage takes place among a great crowd of angels and "all the celestial court",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup> and these may also be shown.</div>
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She is very frequently shown attending on the Virgin and Child, and is usually prominent in scenes of the <i>Master of the Virgo inter Virgines</i>, showing a group of virgin saints surrounding the Virgin and Child. Notable later paintings of Catherine include single figures by Raphael (National Gallery) and Caravaggio (Madrid), Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum).</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Contemporary_media">Contemporary media</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">A movie project about Catherine, called <i>Katherine of Alexandria</i>, began production in January 2010 and released in 2014.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]. </sup></li>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Notes">Notes</span></h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-orthodox-1"> <span class="reference-text">Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Accessed 30 December 2006<sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">.</span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-culture-2"> <span class="reference-text">http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/calendar/day.cfm?id=330</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-joan-3"> <span class="reference-text">Williard Trask, <i>Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words</i> (Turtle Point Press, 1996), 99</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 147</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Martyrologium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-clugnet-6"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Clugnet, Léon. "St. Catherine of Alexandria." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 May 2013". Newadvent.org. 1908-11-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-08-26</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Britannica-7"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Saint Catherine of Alexandria". Encyclopædia Britannica<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-10-29</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-foley-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Foley O.F.M., Leonard. ''Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, and Feast,(revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M.), Franciscan Media, ISBN 978-0-8617-887-7". Americancatholic.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-08-26</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Azevedo2005-9"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Mateus Soares de Azevedo (25 April 2005). <i>Ye shall know the truth: Christianity and the perennial philosophy</i>. World Wisdom, Inc. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-941532-69-3<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 29 November 2011</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"> <span class="reference-text">Harold Thayer Davis, <i>Alexandria: The Golden City</i> (Principia Press of Illinois, 1957), p 441</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"> <span class="reference-text">Allen, pp. 214-217</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"EWTN's Saints and other Holy People Home". Ewtn.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-08-26</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ArdeeneDobson-13"> <span class="reference-text">S.R.T.O d'Ardeene and E.J. Dobson, <i>Seinte Katerine: Re-Edited from MS Bodley 34 and other Manuscripts</i> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981), xiv.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ChristineWalsh-14"> <span class="reference-text">Christine Walsh, <i>The Cult of St Katherine of Alexandria in Early Medieval Europe</i> (Burlington:Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007) p 143</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"> <span class="reference-text">John Mandeville, <i>The Travels of Sir John Mandeville</i> (New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1964); Felix Fabri, <i>The Wanderings of Felix Fabri</i> (New York: AMS Press, 1971), 217.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"> <span class="reference-text">Christine Walsh, "The Role of the Normans in the Development of the Cult of St. Katherine" in <i>St. Katherine of Alexandria: Texts and Contexts in Western Medieval Europe</i> eds. Jacqueline Jenkins and Katherine J. Lewis (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2003), 31; Katherine J. Lewis, "Pilgrimage and the Cult of St. Katherine of Alexandria in Late Medieval England" in <i>St. Katherine of Alexandria: Texts and Contexts in Western Medieval Europe</i> eds. Jacqueline Jenkins and Katherine J. Lewis (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2003),44.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"> <span class="reference-text">Lewis, "Pilgrimage and the Cult of St. Katherine", 49-51.</span></li>
</ol>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Allen, Prudence, <i>The concept of woman: the Aristotelian revolution, 750 BC-AD 1250</i>, 1997 (2nd edn.), Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-4270-4, ISBN 978-0-8028-4270-1</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-18"> <span class="reference-text">John Bugge, <i>Virginitas: An Essay in the History of the Medieval Ideal</i> (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1975), 132; Katherine J. Lewis, <i>The Cult of St. Katherine of Alexiandria in Late Medieval England</i> (Rochester: The Boydell Press, 2000), 229; Eamon Duffy, <i>The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England c. 1400-c. 1580</i> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992), 174.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"> <span class="reference-text">Katherine J. Lewis, "Model Girls? Virgin-Martyrs and the Training of Young Women in Late Medieval England" in <i>Young Medieval Womeen</i> eds. Katherine J. Lewis, Noel James Menuge and Kim M. Phillips (New York: St. Martin's PRess, 1999).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"> <span class="reference-text">Christine de Pizan, <i>The Treasure of the City of Ladies</i> trans. by Sarah Lawson (New York: Penguin Books, 2003), 146; Christine de Pizan, <i>The Book of the City of Ladies</i> trans. by Rosalind Brown-Grant (New York: Penguin Books, 1999), 203; Rebecca Barnhouse, <i>The Book of the Knight of the Tower</i> (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), 126, 193.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"> <span class="reference-text">Allen, 217</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"> <span class="reference-text">Life of St "Katherine" in William Caxton's English version of the Golden Legend.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"> <span class="reference-text">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587685/ </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;"> <span dir="auto"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span></span></span><b>Feast of Christ the King</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: Last Sunday in November<i> </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBzC5m2JQe5xtnpQuBJdxnN6hgbGBzEhFrdS6DhQBMeYTTuDE7Kluodzvm3xcZJoffxoI83WIiSdmqpSGKsVLjDgIWVK5Eej8qfD3tDF-cl7hz-QRZrIpcV5pKTwUkaBF5Z3pWuGtyDAU/s1600/ChristKing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBzC5m2JQe5xtnpQuBJdxnN6hgbGBzEhFrdS6DhQBMeYTTuDE7Kluodzvm3xcZJoffxoI83WIiSdmqpSGKsVLjDgIWVK5Eej8qfD3tDF-cl7hz-QRZrIpcV5pKTwUkaBF5Z3pWuGtyDAU/s1600/ChristKing.jpg" /></a></div>
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The <b>Feast of Christ the King</b> (in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, properly the <b>Solemnity of Christ the King</b>) is a relatively recent addition to the western liturgical calendar, having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In 1970, its observance was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and adopted by Anglicans, Lutherans, and many other Protestants along with the new Revised Common Lectionary, as well as by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Origin_and_history_in_the_Catholic_Church">Origin and history in the Catholic Church</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his 1925 encyclical letter <i>Quas Primas,</i> in response to growing nationalism and secularism<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> and in the context of the unresolved Roman Question. The title of the feast was "D. N. Jesu Christi Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ the King), and the date was "the last Sunday of the month of October - the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> In Pope John XXIII's 1960 revision of the Calendar, the date and title remained the same and, in the new simpler ranking of feasts, it was classified as a feast of the first class.</div>
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In his 1969 motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis, Pope Paul VI gave the celebration a new title: "D. N. Iesu Christi universorum Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also gave it a new date: the last Sunday in the liturgical year, before a new year begins with the First Sunday in Advent, the earliest date for which is 24 November. Through this choice of date "the eschatological importance of this Sunday is made clearer".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> He assigned to it the highest rank, that of "Solemnity".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></div>
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As happens with all Sundays whose liturgies are replaced by those of important feasts,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup> the prayers of the Sunday on which the celebration of Christ the King falls are used on the ferias (weekdays) of the following week. The Sunday liturgy is thus not totally omitted.</div>
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In 2013, this feast day falls on November 24.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup> The liturgical vestments for the day are colored white or gold, in keeping with other joyous feasts honoring Christ.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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</h3>
<ol class="references" style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great calendar</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="reference-text">Encyclical <i>Quas Primas</i>, 28</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text">motu proprio <i>Mysterii Paschalis</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text">Examples are Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Indeed before the reform of Pope Pius X most Sundays gave way to any feast that had the rank of Double, and these were the majority (Missale Romanum, published by Pustet, 1862)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2013.</span></span></li>
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Snippet II: <span style="font-style: italic;">Mount Sanai, Egypt</span></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF_drNfAgmWv4O2X4ffZmd2n_Fts80mGkQS7GGypp662E87-Dg1oLs1IZUMvPqLtcP5ByH3TUzfazgdMmv71zAMD524oztC2XAOK5x0Mj2CfBCu_wUgrAiFPoP9R8NYKb_CFQK8SlOhrB/s1600/800px-Mount_Sinai_Egypt.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF_drNfAgmWv4O2X4ffZmd2n_Fts80mGkQS7GGypp662E87-Dg1oLs1IZUMvPqLtcP5ByH3TUzfazgdMmv71zAMD524oztC2XAOK5x0Mj2CfBCu_wUgrAiFPoP9R8NYKb_CFQK8SlOhrB/s1600/800px-Mount_Sinai_Egypt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">summit of Mount Sinai</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Mount Sinai</b> also known as <b>Mount Horeb</b>,
is a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt that is a possible
location of the biblical Mount Sinai. The latter is mentioned many times
in the Book of Exodus in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. According
to Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, the biblical Mount Sinai
was the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Geography">Geography</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mount
Sinai is a 2,285-metre (7,497 ft) moderately high mountain near the city
of Saint Catherine in the Sinai region. It is next to Mount Catherine
(at 2,629 m or 8,625 ft, the highest peak in Egypt). It is surrounded on
all sides by higher peaks of the mountain range.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Geology">Geology</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mount
Sinai's rocks were formed in the late stage of the Arabian-Nubian
Shield's (ANS) evolution. Mount Sinai displays a ring complex that
consists of alkaline granites intruded into diverse rock types,
including volcanics. The granites range in composition from syenogranite
to alkali feldspar granite. The volcanic rocks are alkaline to
peralkaline and they are represented by subaerial flows and eruptions
and subvolcanic porphyry. Generally, the nature of the exposed rocks in
Mount Sinai indicates that they originated from different depths.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Religious_significance">Religious significance</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
biblical Mount Sinai was one of the most important sacred places in the
Abrahamic religions.
According to Bedouin tradition, it was the mountain where God gave laws
to the Israelites. However, the earliest Christian traditions place this
event at the nearby Mount Serbal,
at the foot of which a monastery was founded in the 4th century; it was
only in the 6th century that the monastery moved to the foot of Mount
Catherine, following the guidance of Josephus's earlier claim that Sinai
was the highest mountain in the area.</div>
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Orthodox
Christians settled upon this mountain in the third century AD. Georgians
from the Caucasus moved to the Sinai Peninsula
in the Fifth Century, and a Georgian colony was formed there in the
Ninth Century. Georgians erected their own churches in the area of the
modern Mount Sinai. The construction of one such church was connected
with the name of David The Builder,
who contributed to the erecting of churches in Georgia and abroad as
well. There were political, cultural, & religious motives for
locating the church on Mount Sinai. Georgian monks living there were
deeply connected with their motherland. The church had its own plots in
Kartli. Some of the Georgian manuscripts of Sinai remain there, but
others are kept in Tbilisi, St. Petersburg, Prague, New York, Paris, or
in private collections.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Suggested_locations">Suggested locations</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Modern scholars differ as to the exact geographical position of Mount Sinai
and the same has long been true of scholars of Judaism. The Elijah
narrative appears to suggest that when it was written, the location of <i>Horeb</i> was still known with some certainty, as Elijah is described as travelling to Horeb on one occasion,
but there are no later biblical references to it that suggest the
location remained known; Josephus only specifies that it was within
Arabia Petraea (a Roman Province encompassing modern Jordan, southern
modern Syria, the Sinai Peninsula and northwestern Saudi Arabia with its
capital in Petra), and the Pauline Epistles are even more vague,
specifying only that it was in Arabia, which covers most of the
south-western Middle east.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Sinai_Peninsula">The Sinai Peninsula</span></h3>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Sinai-peninsula-map.jpg/220px-Sinai-peninsula-map.jpg" height="273" width="220" />
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Map of Sinai Peninsula with country borders shown.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Sinai peninsula
has traditionally been considered Sinai's location by Christians,
although it should also be noted that the peninsula gained its name from
this tradition, and was not called that in Josephus' time or earlier
(The Sinai was earlier inhabited by the Monitu and was called <i>Mafkat</i> or <i>Country of Turquoise</i>.)
In early Christian times, a number of Anchorites settled on Mount
Serbal, considering it to be the biblical mountain, and in the 4th
century a monastery was constructed at its base. Nevertheless, Josephus had stated that Mount Sinai was <i>the highest of all the mountains thereabout</i>,
which would imply that Mount Catherine was actually the mountain in
question, if Sinai was to be sited on the Sinai peninsula at all; in the 6th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery
was constructed at the base of this mountain, leading to the
abandonment of the monastery at Serbal, and two monks, allegedly in 300
CE,
claimed that one of the bushes in the monastic grounds was the biblical
Burning Bush, and according to monastic tradition this bush still
survives (rather than another having grown in its place).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Unlike
these Christian traditions, Bedouin tradition considered Jabal Musa,
which lies adjacent to Mount Catherine, to be the biblical mountain, and
it is this mountain that local tour groups and religious groups
presently advertise as <i>the</i> biblical Mount Sinai; this claim goes back to the time of Helena of Constantinople.
Evidently this view was eventually taken up by Christian groups as
well, as in the 16th century a church was constructed at the peak of
this mountain, which was replaced by a Greek Orthodox chapel in 1954.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
According
to textual scholars, in the JE version of the Exodus narrative, the
Israelites travel in a roughly straight line to Kadesh Barnea from the <i>Yam Suph</i>
(literally meaning "the Reed Sea", but considered traditionally to
refer to the Red sea), and the detour via the south of the Sinai
peninsula is only present in the Priestly Source.
A number of scholars and commentators have therefore looked towards the
more central and northern parts of the Sinai peninsula for the
mountain. Mount Sin Bishar, in the west-central part of the peninsula,
was proposed to be the biblical Mount Sinai by Menashe Har-El, a
biblical geographer at Tel Aviv University. Mount Helal, in the north of the peninsula has also been proposed.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Edom.2FNabatea">Edom/Nabatea</span></h3>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Petra_First_Glimpse.jpg/220px-Petra_First_Glimpse.jpg" height="330" width="220" />
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The Siq, facing the <i>Treasury</i>, at the foot of Jebel al-Madhbah</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since
Moses is described by the Bible as encountering Jethro,
a Kenite who was a Midianite priest, shortly before encountering Sinai,
this suggests that Sinai would be somewhere near their territory in
Saudi Arabia;
the Kenites and Midianites appear to have resided east of the Gulf of
Aqaba. Additionally, the Song of Deborah, which some textual scholars
consider one of the oldest parts of the Bible, portrays God as having
dwelt at Mount Seir, and seems to suggest that this equates with Mount
Sinai; Mount Seir designates the mountain range in the centre of Edom.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Based on a number of local names and features, in 1927 Ditlef Nielsen identified the <i>Jebel al-Madhbah</i> (meaning <i>mountain of the Altar</i>)
at Petra as being identical to the biblical Mount Sinai; since then, as
well as a number of scholars, a number of amateur investigators such as
Graham Phillips, Andrew Collins, and Chris Ogilvie-Herald have also
made the identification. The biblical description of a loud trumpet at
Sinai
fits the natural phenomenon of the sound of a volcano erupting or the
loud trumpeting sound caused by wind being funnelled down the Siq the
local Bedouins refer to the sound as the <i>trumpet of God</i>.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[</sup><sup> </sup>The dramatic biblical descriptions of <i>devouring fire</i>
on the summit, would fit with the fact that there have been many
reports and sightings of plasma phenomena at al-Madhbah over the
centuries;
the pre-requisite that storm conditions exist before plasma phenomena
usually occur would fit with the storm-like biblical description of
thunder, lightning, and a thick cloud.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The valley in which Petra resides is known as the <i>Wadi Musa</i>, meaning <i>valley of Moses</i>, and at the entrance to the Siq is the Ain Musa, meaning <i>spring of Moses</i>;
the 13th century Arab chronicler Numari stated was Ain Musa was the
location where Moses had brought water from the ground, by striking it
with his rod. The Jebel al-Madhbah was evidently considered particularly
sacred, as the well known ritual building known as <i>The Treasury</i>
is carved into its base, the mountain top is covered with a number of
different altars, and over 8 metres of the original peak were carved
away to leave a flat surface with two 8 metre tall obelisks
sticking out of it; these obelisks, which frame the end of the path
leading up to them, and are now only 6 metres tall, have led to the
mountain being colloquially known as <i>Zibb 'Atuf</i>, meaning <i>penis of love</i>
in Arabic. Archaeological artifacts discovered at the top of the
mountain indicate that it was once covered by polished shiny blue slate,
fitting with the biblical description of <i>paved work of sapphire stone</i>; biblical references to <i>sapphire</i> are considered by scholars to be unlikely to refer to the stone called <i>sapphire</i> in modern times, as <i>sapphire</i> had a different meaning, and wasn't even mined, before the Roman era.
Unfortunately, the removal of the original peak has destroyed most
other archaeological remains from the late Bronze Age (the standard
dating of the Exodus) that might previously have been present.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Mount_Sinai_in_culture">Mount Sinai in culture</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Classical rabbinical literature, Mount Sinai became synonymous with holiness;
as it was said that when the Messiah arrives, God will bring Sinai
together with Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor, rebuild the Temple upon the
combined mountain, and the peaks would sing a chorus of praise to God.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>References</b></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span class="reference-text">Joseph J. Hobbs, <i>Mount Sinai</i> (University of Texas Press) 1995, discusses Mount Sinai as geography, history, ethnology and religion.</span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Sinai Geology". AllSinai.info.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Mount Sinai, Egypt". Places of Peace and Power.</span></span> </span></span> </span></li>
<li>New Advent, The Catholic Encyclopedia</li>
<li>The Lost Mountain, 1956-12-03, TIME</li>
</ul>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet III: Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai</b></span></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5fe3hyTul3Cr2lrgnECEmG8Wgt7-nXutOuH6XdbexgtRYQSUkOpf0MnPQm0lJtB_tecvqQgK9tw-YFRbQlWITBfZNs_69rD8_ledIgQ5V_Tt4BTxNtCUPBDL22B_fS3syeWfkCjOWvjb/s1600/GNU+800px-Katharinenkloster+Monatery+_Sinai_BW_2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5fe3hyTul3Cr2lrgnECEmG8Wgt7-nXutOuH6XdbexgtRYQSUkOpf0MnPQm0lJtB_tecvqQgK9tw-YFRbQlWITBfZNs_69rD8_ledIgQ5V_Tt4BTxNtCUPBDL22B_fS3syeWfkCjOWvjb/s1600/GNU+800px-Katharinenkloster+Monatery+_Sinai_BW_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Catherine's Monastery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Saint Catherine's Monastery</b> (Greek: <span lang="grc">Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης</span>, <i>Monì tìs Agìas Ekaterìnis</i>), in Arabic دير القدّيسة كاترينا commonly known as <b>Santa Katarina</b>, its official name being <b>Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai</b> (Greek: <span lang="grc">Ιερά Μονή του Θεοβαδίστου Όρους Σινά</span>, <i>Ierà Monì tou Theovadìstou Òrous Sinà</i>),
lies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of
Mount Sinai, in the city of Saint Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai
Governorate. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. Built between 548 and 565,
the monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the
world, according to UNESCO report 60100 ha / Ref: 954. In the area
around the monastery, a small town has grown, with hotels and swimming
pools, called Saint Katherine City.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Christian_traditions">Christian traditions</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According
to tradition, Catherine of Alexandria was a Christian martyr sentenced
to death on the wheel. When this failed to kill her, she was beheaded.
According to tradition, angels took her remains to Mount Sinai. Around
the year 800, monks from the Sinai Monastery found her remains.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though it is commonly known as Saint Catherine's, the monastery's
full official name is the Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount
Sinai. The patronal feast of the monastery is the Transfiguration. The monastery has become a favorite site of pilgrimage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 152px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Katharinenkloster_Sinai_BW_1.jpg/150px-Katharinenkloster_Sinai_BW_1.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell tower at Saint Catherine's Monastery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
oldest record of monastic life at Sinai comes from the travel journal
written in Latin by a woman named Egeria about 381-384. She visited many
places around the Holy Land and Mount Sinai, where, according to the
Hebrew Bible, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527-565),
enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush (also known as "Saint Helen's
Chapel") ordered to be built by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, at
the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the burning bush. The
living bush on the grounds is purportedly the one seen by Moses.
Structurally the monastery's king post truss is the oldest known
surviving roof truss in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> The site is sacred to Christianity and Islam.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A
Fatimid mosque was built within the walls of the monastery, but it has
never been used since it is not correctly oriented towards Mecca.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
During the seventh century, the isolated Christian anchorites
of the Sinai were eliminated: only the fortified monastery remained.
The monastery is still surrounded by the massive fortifications that
have preserved it. Until the twentieth century, access was through a
door high in the outer walls. From the time of the First Crusade,
the presence of Crusaders in the Sinai until 1270 spurred the interest
of European Christians and increased the number of intrepid pilgrims who
visited the monastery. The monastery was supported by its dependencies
in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Crete, Cyprus and Constantinople.</div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 142px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
monastery, along with several dependencies in the area,
constitute the entire Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai, which is headed by
an archbishop, who is also the abbot of the monastery. The exact
administrative status of the church within Eastern Orthodoxy is
ambiguous: by some, including the church itself, it is considered
autocephalous, by others an autonomous church under the jurisdiction of
the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. The archbishop is traditionally
consecrated by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem; in recent centuries
he has usually resided in Cairo. During the period of the Crusades which
was marked by bitterness between the Orthodox and Catholic churches,
the monastery was patronized by both the Byzantine Emperors and the
rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and their respective elites.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Manuscripts_and_icons">Manuscripts and icons</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
monastery library preserves the second largest collection of early
codices and manuscripts in the world, outnumbered only by the Vatican
Library. It contains Greek, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Hebrew, Georgian,
and Aramaic texts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In May 1844, Konstantin von
Tischendorf visited the monastery for research and discovered the Codex
Sinaiticus,
dating from the 4th Century, at the time the oldest almost completely
preserved manuscript of the Bible. It left the monastery in the 19th
century for Russia, in circumstances that are now disputed. It was later
bought by the British Government from Russia and is now in the British
Library. Prior to September 1, 2009, a previously unseen fragment of
Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in the monastery's library.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9"> </sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9"> </sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
February 1892, Agnes Smith Lewis identified a palimpsest in St
Catherine's library that became known as the Syriac Sinaiticus and is
still in the Monastery's possession. Agnes and her sister Margaret
Dunlop Gibson returned with a team of scholars that included J. Rendel
Harris, to photograph and transcribe the work in its entirety. As the
manuscript predates the Codex Sinaiticus, it became crucial in
understanding the history of the New Testament.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Monastery also has a copy of the <i>Achtiname</i>, in which the Prophet Muhammad is claimed to have bestowed his protection upon the monastery. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most important manuscripts have since been filmed or digitized,
and so are accessible to scholars. A team of imaging scientists and
scholars from the USA and Europe is using spectral imaging techniques
developed for imaging the Archimedes Palimpsest to study more than one hundred palimpsests in the monastery library.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Sinai_Palimpsests_Project">Sinai Palimpsests Project</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since 2011, a team of imaging scientists and scholars from the U.S. and Europe has studied the library's collection of palimpsests.<sup> </sup>The project's original leaders were history professor Claudia Rapp of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Michael Phelps of the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library. Images from the project are freely available for research at the UCLA Online Library.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27"> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Palimpsests are notable for having been reused one or more times
over the centuries. Since parchment was expensive, monks would erase
certain texts with lemon juice and write over them. Though the original texts were once assumed to be lost,<sup> </sup>the scholars used narrowband multispectral imaging
techniques and technologies to reveal features that were difficult to
see with the human eye, including ink residues and small grooves in the
parchment. Each page took approximately eight minutes to scan completely.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-:4_18-2"> </sup>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As of June 2018, at least 170 palimpsests have been identified, with over 6,800 pages of texts having been recovered. Many of these newer finds were discovered in a secluded storage area in 1975. Highlights include "108 pages of previously unknown Greek poems and the oldest-known recipe attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates," as well as insight into dead languages such as Caucasian Albanian and Christian Palestinian Aramaic. These images have subsequently been digitized and distributed online for scholarly use.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<table cellspacing="3" class="infobox" style="border-spacing: 3px; clear: right; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: left; width: 22em;">
<caption><br /></caption><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; text-align: left;"><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Works_of_art">Works of art</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The complex houses irreplaceable works of art: mosaics, the best collection of early icons in the world, many in encaustic,
as well as liturgical objects, chalices and reliquaries, and church
buildings. The large icon collection begins with a few dating to the 5th
(possibly) and 6th centuries, which are unique survivals, the monastery
having been untouched by Byzantine iconoclasm, and never sacked. The oldest icon on an Old Testament
theme is also preserved there. A project to catalogue the collections
has been ongoing since the 1960s. The monastery was an important centre
for the development of the hybrid style of Crusader art, and still retains over 120 icons
created in the style, by far the largest collection in existence. Many
were evidently created by Latins, probably monks, based in or around the
monastery in the 13th century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Saint_Catherine's_Foundation">Saint Catherine's Foundation</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Saint Catherine's Foundation
is a UK-based non-profit organization that aims to preserve the
monastery. The conservation of its architectural structures, paintings,
and books comprise much of the Foundation's purpose. The Saint
Catherine's Foundation works with its academic partner, the Ligatus
Research Center at the University of the Arts, London, to raise
awareness of the monastery's unique cultural significance via lectures,
books and articles.<sup> </sup>Founded on November 2, 2007 at the Royal Geographical Society
in London needs new funds for the conservation workshop, digitization
studio and full complement of conservation boxes designed to protect the
most vulnerable manuscripts of the monastery. About 2000 manuscripts
should be stored in boxes.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>References</b></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span class="citation book">Forsyth, G. H.; Weitzmann, K. (1973). <i>The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai - The Church and Fortress of Justinian: Plates</i>. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-472-33000-4.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Soskice, Janet (1991). <i>Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Found the Hidden Gospels</i>. London: Vintage. ISBN 978-1-4000-3474-1.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Sotiriou, G. and M. (1956-8). <i>Icones du Mont Sinaï</i>. 2 vols (plates and texts). Collection de L'Institut francais d'Athènes 100 and 102. Athens.</span> </li>
<li><span class="citation book">Weitzmann, K. (1976). <i>The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mihnt Sinai: The Icons, Volume I: From the Sixth to the Tenth Century</i>. Princeton: Princeton University Press.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Weitzmann, K.; Galavaris, G. (1991). <i>The
Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai. The Illuminated Greek
Manuscripts, Volume I. From the Ninth to the Twelfth Century</i>. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-03602-0.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
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Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962861"></a> </h3>
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<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 3</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE GOSPELS</span></h2>
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I have described, as far as I was permitted, the exalted state of the great Queen and Lady after the first council of the Apostles, and also her victories over the infernal dragon and his demons. Although the wonderful works which She accomplished during these times and at all times, cannot be recorded in a history, nor even summed up, I was nevertheless given special light for the purpose of describing the beginnings of the Gospels and the call of the Evangelists to undertake their writing, the part which Mary bore in their being written, her care for the absent Apostles, and the miracles She wrought for them. In the second part, and on many occasions I have stated, that the heavenly Mother had a positive knowledge of all the mysteries of grace, of the Gospels and other holy writings, which were to serve for the confirmation of the new Law. In this knowledge She was confirmed many times, especially on the day of her ascension with her divine Son into heaven. From that day on, without forgetting anything, She often prostrated Herself in prayer before the Lord, asking Him to send his divine light upon the Apostles and holy writers and to order them to write, when the opportune should have come.</div>
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Afterwards, when the Queen returned from heaven was put in charge of the Church (as related in the sixth chapter of this book), the Lord made known to Her that the time for beginning to write the holy Gospels had arrived and that She should make her arrangements for this purpose as the Mistress and Instructress of the Church. But in her profound humility and discretion She obtained the consent of the Lord, that this should be attended to by saint Peter, his vicar and the head of the Church; and that he should be especially assisted by divine enlightenment for a matter of such importance. All this was granted by the Most High when the Apostles met in the council mentioned by saint Luke in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts, after they had settled the doubts about circumcision, as I described in the sixth chapter, saint Peter proposed to them all the necessity of recording in writing the mysteries of the life of Christ our Savior and Teacher, so that they might be preached to all the faithful in the Church without variation or difference, thus doing away with the old Law and establish the new.</div>
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Saint Peter had already consulted with the Mother of wisdom; and all the council having approved of his proposal, they called upon the Holy Ghost to point out the Apostles and disciples who should write the life of the Savior. Immediately a light was seen descending upon saint Peter and a voice was heard saying: “The highpriest and head of the Church shall assign four for recording the works and the teachings of the Savior of the world.” Saint Peter and all present prostrated themselves, giving thanks to the Lord for this favor. When all of them had again risen, saint Peter spoke: “Matthew our beloved brother, shall immediately begin to write his Gospel in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Mark shall be the second, who shall likewise write the Gospel in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Luke shall write the third, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Our most beloved brother John shall be the fourth and last to write the mysteries of our Savior and Teacher in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.” This decision the Lord confirmed by permitting the heavenly light to remain until these words were repeated and formally accepted by all those appointed.</div>
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Within a few days saint Matthew set about writing the first Gospel. While praying in a retired room of the Cenacle and asking to be enlightened for the inception of his history, the most blessed Mary appeared seated on a throne of great majesty and splendor, the doors of the room still remaining closed. The great Lady told him to arise, which he did, asking for her benediction. Then She spoke to him and said: “Matthew, my servant, the Almighty sends me with his blessing, in that with it thou begin the writing of the Gospel thou hast the good fortune to be entrusted with, thou shalt have the assistance of the Holy Ghost and I shall beg it for thee with all my heart. But concerning myself it is not proper, that thou write anything except what is absolutely necessary for manifesting the Incarnation and other mysteries of the Word made man, for establishing his faith in the world as the foundation of his Church. This faith being established, the Almighty will find other persons, who, when the times arrive in which it shall become necessary, shall reveal to the faithful the mysteries and blessings wrought by his powerful arm in me.” Saint Matthew signified his willingness to obey the mandate of the Queen; and while he conferred with Her about composing his Gospel, the Holy Ghost came down upon him in visible form; and in the presence of the Lady he began to write the words as they are still extant in his Gospel. The blessed Mary then left him and saint Matthew proceeded in his history, finishing it in Judea. He wrote it in the Hebrew language in the year forty–two of our Lord.</div>
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The Evangelist Mark wrote his gospel four years later, in the forty–sixth year after the birth of Christ. He likewise wrote it in Hebrew and while in Palestine. Before commencing he asked his guardian angel to notify the Queen of heaven of his intention and to implore her assistance for obtaining the divine enlightenment for what he was about to write. The kind Mother heard his prayer and immediately the Lord commanded the angels to carry Her with the usual splendor and ceremony to the Evangelist, who was still in prayer. The great Queen appeared to him seated on a most beautiful and resplendent throne. Prostrating himself before Her, he said: “Mother of the Savior of the world and Mistress of all creation, I am unworthy of this favor, though I am a servant of thy divine Son and of Thyself.” The heavenly Mother answered: “The Most High, whom thou servest and lovest, sends me to assure thee, that thy prayers are heard and that his holy Spirit shall direct thee in the writing of the Gospel, with which He has charged thee.” Then She told him not to write of the mysteries pertaining to Her, just as She had asked saint Matthew. Immediately the Holy Ghost, in visible and most refulgent shape, descended upon saint Mark enveloping him in light and filling him with interior enlightenment; and in the presence of the Queen he began to write his Gospel. At that time the Princess of heaven was sixty–one years of age. Saint Jerome says that saint Mark wrote his short Gospel in Rome, at the instance of the faithful residing there; but I wish to call attention to the fact, that this was a translation or copy of the one he had written in Palestine; for the Christians in Rome possessed neither his nor any other Gospel, and therefore he set about writing one in the Roman or Latin language.</div>
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Two years afterwards, in the year forty–eight and of the Virgin the sixty–third, saint Luke wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. To him also, as to the others, Mary appeared when he was about to begin it. Having represented to the heavenly Mother, that, in order manifest the Incarnation and life of her divine Son, it was necessary to touch upon the manner of the conception of the Word made man and upon other things concerning her dignity as the natural Mother of Christ, and having received orders from Her to pass over in silence the other mysteries and wonders connected with her dignity as Mother of God, saint Luke obtained her permission to write somewhat more freely of the heavenly Mary in his Gospel. The holy Ghost descended upon him and in the presence of the great Queen he began to write his Gospel, drawing his information principally from direct inspiration of her Majesty. Saint Luke continued a most devoted servant of the Lady and permitted the image of the sweetest Mother seated on the throne of majesty, as he had seen Her on this occasion, to be effaced from his mind. Thenceforward he lived continually in her presence. Saint Luke was in Achaia, when this apparition happened to him, and there also he wrote his Gospel.</div>
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The last of the four Evangelists who wrote the Gospels, was the apostle saint John in the year fifty–eight of the Lord. He wrote his in the Greek language, during his stay in Asia Minor after the glorious transition and assumption of the most blessed Mary. His Gospel was directed against the heresies and errors, which, (as indicated above), the devil immediately after the transition of the Virgin Mother began to sow for undermining the faith in the Incarnation of the divine Word. For as Lucifer had been humiliated and vanquished by this mystery, he at once directed the onslaught of heresy against it. For this reason the evangelist saint John writes so sublimely and adduces so many arguments for the true and undoubted Divinity of Christ our Savior, far surpassing the other Evangelists in this regard.</div>
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Although when the Evangelist was about to begin his Gospel the most blessed Mary was already in heaven, She descended in person, resplendent with ineffable glory and majesty and surrounded by thousands of angels of all choirs and hierarchies. Appearing to saint John She said: “John, my son and servant of the Most High, now is the proper time for writing the life and mysteries of my divine Son, so that all mortals may know Him as the Son of the eternal Father, as true God and at the same time as true man. But it is not yet the opportune time for recording the mysteries and secrets which thou knowest of me; nor shall they as yet be manifested to a world so accustomed to idolatry, lest Lucifer abuse them for disturbing those who are to receive the faith in their Redeemer and in the blessed Trinity. The Holy Ghost will assist thee and I desire thee to begin writing in my presence.” The Evangelist worshipped the great Queen of heaven and was filled with the divine Spirit as the others had been. Assisted by the kind Mother, he immediately set about writing his Gospel. Before She departed to the right hand of her divine Son, She gave him her benediction and promised him her protection for all the rest of his life. Such were the beginnings of the sacred Gospels, all of them having been commenced with the assistance and by the intervention of the most blessed Mary, giving the Church to understand, that all these benefits have been vouchsafed at her hands. After having thus anticipated the history of the Evangelists, in order to account for the beginning of the Gospels, we shall now return to our narrative.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In</span> <span lang="en-US">proportion as the most blessed Lady after the council of the Apostles was exalted by her divine knowledge and the abstractive vision of God, so her care and solicitude for the welfare of the Church increased; for the faith was now spreading out over the earth day by. As a true Mother and Teacher, She lavished her special attention upon the Apostles, whose names and whose welfare She bore written in her heart. All of them, except saint John and saint James the less, immediately after the termination of the council, left Jerusalem for the field of their labors, and the kindest Mother was deeply concerned at the thought of the hardships and difficulties connected with their preaching. She looked upon them with tender pity in their peregrinations, and held them in highest veneration on account of their holiness and dignity as priests, as Apostles of her divine Son, founders of the Church, preachers of his doctrine, and as the elect of the divine Wisdom chosen for such high ministries to the glory of the Most High. It was truly necessary that the most blessed Lady and Mistress, in order to attend to and take care of so many matters throughout the holy Church, should be raised to the state which She now held: for in any lower condition She could not have so easily and properly attended to so many duties and at the same time maintain that interior tranquility and peace, which her soul enjoyed.</span></div>
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Besides her own knowledge and solicitude for the whole Church, the most holy Mother again charged her angels to take care of all the Apostles and disciples, to console them in all their tribulations and to haste to their aid in all their difficulties. For by the subtlety of their spiritual nature they could attend to all this without losing sight of the face of God and enjoying beatific vision. She thus charged them because it was so important to establish the Church and because they were the ministers of the Most high and the works of his hand. She told them also to inform Her of all that the Apostles and disciples were doing, and especially when they were in need of any clothing; for to this matter the watchful Mother wished to attend in particular, in order that they might go about clothed in a uniform manner, such as they wore when they departed from Jerusalem. By this prudent foresight, the Apostles showed no difference in their garments as long as the great Lady was alive; but all of them wore clothes of the same form and color, similar to that worn by her divine Son. Assisted by the holy angels, She wove with her own hand the tunics for this purpose and sent them through the angels to the Apostles on their journeys. In thus making it possible for them to wear vestments similar to those which had been worn by Christ our Savior, the great Mother provided that even in their exterior appearance the Apostles preached his doctrines and his most holy life. In regard to the other necessities of life, such as food, She left them to begging and to the labor of their hands, or to the alms which were offered to them.</div>
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At the orders of the Queen the angels frequently assisted the Apostles in their travels and tribulations and in the persecutions as well of the gentiles and the Jews, as of the demons, who continually excited evil–minded men against the preachers of the Gospel. The angels often visited them in visible shapes, conversing with them and consoling them in the name of the most blessed Mary. At other times they performed the same office interiorly without manifesting themselves; sometimes they freed them from prison; sometimes they warned them of dangers and snares; sometimes they accompanied them on their way or carried them from one place to another where they were to preach, or informed them of what they were to do according to the circumstances peculiar to certain place; or peoples. Of all these things they also kept their blessed Lady informed; for She took care of all of them and labored with them more than all of them together. It is not possible to enumerate the cares, solicitudes and diligent doings of this kindest Mother; for not a day or a night passed, in which She did not perform many miracles for the Apostles and for the Church. Besides all this She wrote to them many times, animating them with heavenly exhortations and doctrines, and filling them with consolation and strength.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962870"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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My dearest daughter, at other times I have spoken to thee of a complaint, which I have against the children of the Church, and especially against the women, in whom the fault is greater. In my sight it is abominable because it is so much opposed to my own conduct in life. I repeat it here, in order that thou mayest imitate me and keep away from what the foolish women and daughters of Belial are guilty of: namely, treating the priests of the Most High without reverence, esteem, or respect. This fault increases day by day in the Church, and therefore I renew this warning already several times recorded. Tell me, my daughter, what must be thought of the fact, that priests, the anointed of the Lord, appointed to represent Christ and to consecrate his body and blood, are serving vile, impure, and earthly women? That they should stand uncovered and reverence to a proud and miserable woman, only because she is rich and they are poor? I ask, has the poor priest less dignity than the rich? Or do riches confer a greater or equal dignity, power and excellence, than the one given to priests and ministers by my divine Son? The angels have no regard for the rich on account of their possessions, but they respect priests for their exalted dignity. Hence, how could such an abuse and perversity creep into the Church, that the anointed of the Lord should be outraged and despised by the faithful, who know and confess them to be sanctified by Christ himself?</div>
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It is true that the priests themselves are very guilty and reprehensible when they, disregarding their dignity, enslave themselves to the service of other men and much more, of women. But if priests have some excuse in their poverty, the rich have none in their pride, that they should, on account of the poverty of the priests, oblige them to be servants, when in reality they are masters. This monstrosity is very abominable to saints and very disagreeable in my eyes on account of the veneration I had for the priests. Great was my dignity as Mother of God; yet I often prostrated myself at their feet and considered it a great happiness to kiss the ground on which they trod. But the blindness of the world has obscured the sacerdotal dignity and confounded the precious with the vile (Jer. 15, 19); it has lowered the priests to the position of the common people by its laws and disorderly customs (Is. 25, 2) making use of the one as well as the other for their degradation; and the same minister who now at the altar offers the tremendous sacrifice of the sacred body and blood, afterwards leaves it to serve and subject himself to the service even of women, who by nature and by the condition are so inferior, and sometimes are made even more unworthy by their sins.</div>
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I wish then, my daughter, that thou seek to make up for this fault and abuse among the children of the Church as far as possible. I give thee to understand, that even from my throne in heaven I look with veneration and respect upon the priests who are on earth. Thou must always regard them with the same veneration, as if they were at the altar, or holding the most blessed Sacrament in their hands or at their breast; and even the ornaments and all their vestments thou shouldst hold in great veneration, just as I with reverence provided garments for the Apostles.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962871"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 4</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">HER DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF CHRIST AND TO THE HOLY EUCHARIST—HOW SHE CELEBRATED THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION AND OTHER FEASTS</span></h2>
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Without ever failing in her attention to the exterior government of the Church (as I have until now made plain), the most blessed Mary in secret practiced other exercises and good works, by which She merited innumerable gifts and blessings from the Most High, as well for the common benefit of all the faithful, as for myriads of particular souls in furtherance of their salvation. As far as I can in these last chapters, I shall for our instruction and admiration and for the glory of the most blessed Mother, write of these hidden and unknown works. First of all I will state, that notwithstanding the many privileges which the great Queen of heaven enjoyed, She constantly kept present in her memory the doings and the mysteries of the life of her divine Son; for besides the abstractive vision, by which She these last years continually saw the Divinity and knew all things, the Lord had from her Conception conceded to Her the privilege of never forgetting what She once had known or understood; for in this regard She enjoyed the privilege of an angel, as I have stated in the first part.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">I also stated in the second part, in writing of the Passion, that the blessed Mother felt in her body and purest soul all the pains and torments of our Savior Jesus, so that none of them were hidden to Her or without the corresponding suffering in her own self. All the images or impressions of the Passion remained imprinted in her</span> <span lang="en-US">interior just as She had received them; for She had made this request of her Lord.</span></div>
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Hence She ordered all her occupations in such a manner, that She might at all times preserve in her heart the image of her divine Son, afflicted, outraged, wounded and disfigured by the torments of his Passion, and within Herself She beheld this image as in a most clear mirror. She heard the injuries, outrages, affronts and blasphemies against Him, with all the circumstances of time and place, and She beheld the whole Passion as one living and penetrating vista. Throughout the day this sorrowful vision excited Her to most heroic acts of virtue and stirred her sorrow and compassion: but her most prudent love did not content itself with these exercises. During stated hours and times She engaged in other exercises with her holy angels, especially with those I have mentioned in the first part as bearing the tokens or the escutcheons of the instruments of the Passion. These in the first place, and then the other angels, She engaged as assistants in the following exercises.</div>
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For each kind of the wounds and sufferings of Christ our Savior She recited special prayers and salutations, in order to give them special adoration and worship. For each of the contemptuous and insulting words of the Jews and his other enemies, which had been spoken either in envy or in fury or vengeance, for each of the blasphemies uttered, She composed special hymns of veneration and honor to make up for their attempts at diminishing it. For the insulting gestures, mockeries and personal injuries, She practiced most profound humiliations, genuflections and prostrations, and in this manner She sought continually to make up for the affronts and injuries heaped upon her divine Son in his life and his passion; and thus She confessed his Divinity, his humanity, his holiness, his miracles, his works and his doctrines. For all She gave him glory and magnificence; and in all the holy angels joined Her, and corresponded with Her full of admiration of such wisdom, fidelity and love united in a mere creature.</div>
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Even if the most blessed Mother during her whole life had engaged in no other occupation than these exercises, She would have accomplished and merited more than all the saints in all that they have done or suffered for God. By the force of love her sorrow in these exercises was equal to martyrdom many times over; and many times would She have died in them, if the divine power had not sustained her life for still greater merit and glory. And if, as is true, She in her immense charity offered all these works for the Church let us consider how much we are in her debt as faithful children for thus increasing the treasures of help, which She left at the disposal of us unfortunate children of Eve. And in order that our meditation may not be half–hearted and lukewarm, I will say, that the effects of her contemplations were often astounding; many times She wept tears of blood, which covered her whole face; at other times in her agony She was not only bathed in perspiration, but in a bloody sweat, running from Her even to the ground. What is more, sometimes her heart was wrenched from its natural position by the violence of her grief; and when She was in such extremes, her divine Son came from heaven, furnishing Her with new strength and life to soothe her sorrow and heal the wounds caused by love of Him, and in order that by such assistance and comfort, She might continue the exercises of her compassion.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Lord however wished Her to lay aside these sorrowful sentiments and affections on the days in which She commemorated the mystery of his Resurrection, as I will speak of later on, in order that there might be maintained the proper relation between cause and effect. For some of these sorrows were incompatible with the favors overflowing in their effects upon the body, yet excluding pain. But She never lost sight of his sufferings and therefore felt other effects of her compassion by uniting with her joys, the gratitude for what the Lord endured. Thus in the sweetness of all the favors of the Lord his Passion entered as a mixture of bitterness. She obtained also the consent of the evangelist saint John to remain retired in her oratory for celebrating the death and burial of her divine Son on Friday of each week. On those days saint John remained in the Cenacle to receive those who called upon Her and allowed none to disturb Her; and whenever he could not attend to this duty, it was performed by some other disciple. The most blessed Mary retired for this exercise at five o’clock on Thursday and did not reappear until toward noon of Sunday. In order that during these three days no important matter pertaining to the government of the Church might be neglected, the great Lady</span> <span lang="en-US">appointed one of her angels to take her shape and briefly despatch what would suffer no delay, so provident and attentive was She in all affairs of charity touching her children and domestics.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">To describe or comprehend what happened with our heavenly Mother during the exercises of these three days can never be within</span> <span lang="en-US">our capacity; the Lord alone, who was the Author of them, shall one day manifest it to us in the light of the saints. Also what I myself have come to know of it, I am unable to describe; I will only say that beginning with the washing of the feet, the most blessed Mary commemorated all the mysteries up to that of the Resurrection; and in each hour and moment She renewed in Herself all the movements, actions, works and sufferings as they had happened in her divine Son. She repeated the same prayers and petitions as He himself had made and as we have seen described in their place. Anew the most pure Mother felt in her virginal body all the pains endured by Christ our Savior. She carried the Cross and placed Herself upon it. In short, I will say, that as long as She lived, the whole passion of her divine Son was renewed in Her week for week. Through this exercise the great Queen gained great favors and blessings for those who devoutly bear in mind the Lord’s passion; and hence the powerful Queen has promised to all such souls, especial assistance and participation in the treasures of the Passion; for She desired from her inmost heart, that the Church should continue and preserve its commemoration. In virtue of her wishes and prayers the Lord ordained, that afterwards many persons in the holy Church should follow these exercises of the Passion, imitating his most blessed Mother, who was the first one to teach and practice such an exalted profession.</span></div>
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In these exercises the great Queen sought especially to celebrate the institution of the most blessed Sacrament by new hymns of praise, of thanksgiving and fervent love. She was solicitous to invite for this purpose her own angels and many others from the empyrean heaven, in order to assist and accompany in these praises of the Lord. It was a wonder worthy of his Omnipotence, that the Most High should send from heaven multitudes of angels to view this prodigy of Christ’s remaining sacramentally present in her heart from one Communion to the other and to incite them to give glory and praise for the wonderful effects of his sacramental presence in this Creature, whom they beheld more pure and more holy than the angels and seraphim and the like of which they had not seen or would ever see in all the rest of creation.</div>
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It was not less wonderful to them (just as it ought to be to us) to see, that though the great Queen worthy of preserving within Herself the sacred species as in a tabernacle, She was so solicitous in preparing Herself anew by the most fervid exercises and devotions every time She was again to receive holy Communion; and this She did nearly every day except on those in which She remained in her oratory. She first offered up for this purpose her weekly exercises of the Passion and besides this, whenever She retired at nightfall before the day of Communion, She began other exercises such as prostrations in the form of a cross, genuflections, prayers, and adorations of the immutable essence of God. She asked permission of the Lord to speak to Him and to permit Her, in spite of her earthly lowliness to partake of his Son in the holy Sacrament; She appealed to his infinite bounty and to his love toward the Church in thus remaining sacramentally present, as a reason that She should be favored with this blessing. She offered to Him his own Passion and Death, the worthiness with which He had communicated Himself, the union of his human nature with the divine, all his works from the moment of his conception in the virginal womb, all the virtue of the angelic nature and its works, of all the just in past, present and future times. Then she made most intense acts of humility, professing Herself but dust and ashes in comparison with the infinite being of God, to which the highest creatures are so inferior and unequal. In the contemplation of what She was to receive sacramentally, She was so affected and so deeply moved, that it is impossible describe it in words; for She raised Herself and transcended above the choirs of seraphim and cherubim; and as, in her own estimation, She considered Herself the lowest of all creatures, She called upon her guardian angels and upon all the other angels, asking them, with incomparable humility, to supplicate the Lord to dispose and prepare Her for receiving Him worthily, since She was but an inferior and earthly creature. The holy angels, obeying Her in joyful admiration, assisted and accompanied Her in these petitions, in which She persevered for the greater part of the night preceding her Communion.</div>
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As the wisdom of the great Queen, although in itself finite, is for us incomprehensible, we can never worthily understand to what height rose her virtues and works of love on these occasions. But they were often of such a kind as to oblige the Lord to respond by personal visit, in which He gave Her to understand with what pleasure He came to dwell sacramentally in her heart and to renew in Her the pledges of his infinite love. When the hour of her Communion arrived, She first heard the Mass usually celebrated by the Evangelist. In these Masses, although the Epistles and Gospels, being not yet written, were not read, the consecration was always the same as now, and to it were added other rites and ceremonies with many psalms and orations. At the end of Mass the heavenly Mother approached, making three most profound genuflections; all inflamed with love She received her Son in the Sacrament, welcoming in her purest bosom and heart that same God, to whom She had given the most sacred humanity in her virginal womb. Having communicated, She retired, and, unless some very urgent need of her fellowmen demanded otherwise, remained alone for three hours. During these hours the Evangelist was often privileged to see rays of light darting forth from Her as from the sun.</div>
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The prudent Mother also provided that for the celebration of the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass the Apostles and priests be clothed in ornate and mysterious vestments, different from those they wore in ordinary life. Accordingly, with her own hands, She provided ornaments and sacerdotal vestments for its celebration, thus originating the ceremonious observances in the Church. Although these vestments were not quite of the same form as nowadays; yet they were not materially different in appearance from those which in the course of time came into use in the Roman Church. The material was more alike; for She made them of linen and rich silks, purchased with the alms and presents made to Her. Whenever She worked at these vestments, sewing or fitting them, She remained on her knees or on her feet, and She would not entrust them to other sacristans than the angels, who assisted and helped Her in all these things; likewise She kept these ornaments and all that pertained to the service of the altar in incredible order and cleanliness; and from such hands as hers, all came forth with a celestial fragrance, which enkindled the spirit of the ministers.</div>
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From many kingdoms and provinces, where the Apostles were preaching, numbers of converts came to Jerusalem in order to visit and converse with the Mother of the Redeemer of the world, at the same time offering rich gifts. Among others, four sovereign princes, who were royal governors of provinces, visited Her and brought many valuable presents, which they placed at her disposal for her own use and for the Apostles and disciples. The great Lady answered that She was like her Son, and that the Apostles likewise were in imitation of their Master; that hence these riches were not appropriate to the life they professed. They begged Her to console them by accepting their gifts for the poor or for the divine worship. On account of the persistent requests She received part of what they offered, and from the rich silks She made some ornaments for the altar; the rest She distributed among the indigent and the infirmaries. For She was accustomed to visit such places and often served and washed the poor with her own hands, performing such services, as well as distributing the alms, on her knees. Wherever it was possible She consoled the needy and assisted the sick in their last agony. Nor did She ever rest from works of charity, either actually engaging in them, or pleading and praying for others in her retirement.</div>
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During these last years the Queen ate or slept very little; and this little only, because saint John asked Her to rest for at least a small portion of the night. But this sleep was only a slight suspension of the senses, lasting no longer than a half hour, during which, in the manner above described, She lost not the vision of the Divinity. Her food was a few mouthfuls of ordinary bread and sometimes a little fish, taken at the of the instance of the Evangelist and in order to keep him company; in this, as in other privileges, saint John was thus fortunate, not only eating with Her from the same table but having the food prepared for him by the great Queen and administered to him as from a mother to her son, and moreover being obeyed by Her as a priest and a substitute of Christ. Very well could the great Queen get along without even this sleep or nourishment, which seemed more a ceremony than the sustenance of life; but She partook of them not from necessity, but in order to practice obedience and humility and thus pay some tribute to human nature; for in all things She was most prudent.</div>
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All the offices and titles of honor, which the most blessed Mary held in the Church, that of Queen, Mistress, Mother, Governess and Teacher, and all the rest, were given to her by the Omnipotent not as empty and fruitless names, but were accompanied by the superabundant plenitude of grace which is proper and which the Almighty can communicate to each. This plenitude consisted in this, that as Queen She knew all that concerned her reign and its extent; as Mistress She knew the measure of her power; as Mother She knew all the children and dependents of her household, without excepting anyone through all the ages of the Church until the end; as Governess She knew all that were subject to Her; and as Teacher, She possessed the wisdom and science through which the holy Church, by her intercession, was to be instructed and guided, while enjoying the presence and the influence of the Holy Ghost until the end of the world.</div>
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Hence our great Queen had a clear knowledge not only of all the saints that preceded or followed Her in the Church, of their lives, their works, their deaths, and rewards in heaven; but also of all the rites, ceremonies, decisions, and festivities of the Church in course of the ages, and of all the reasons, motives, necessities and opportunities, in and for which they were established with the assistance of the Holy Ghost. For He gives us our spiritual nourishment in proper time for the glory of the Lord and the increase of the holy Church. As I have spoken of this matter in the course of this history, especially in the second part, I need not repeat it here. From her full knowledge and her corresponding holiness, there arose within the heavenly Instructress a certain thankful eagerness, to introduce into the Church militant the worship, veneration and festivities observed by the holy angels in the triumphant Jerusalem, and thus imitate, as far as was possible, what She had so often seen done in heaven for the praise and glory of the Most High.</div>
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In this more than seraphic spirit She commenced to practice by Herself many of the ceremonies, rites and exercises, which were afterwards introduced in the Church; and these She also inculcated and impressed upon the Apostles, in order that they might introduce them as far as the circumstances then allowed. She not only invented the exercises of the Passion, of which I have spoken above, but many other customs and ceremonies which were later on received in the churches, in the congregations and religions. For whatever She knew as pertaining to the worship of the Lord or the practice of virtue, She performed, and in her wisdom She was ignorant of nothing that ought to be known. Among these exercises and rites was the celebration of the feasts of the Lord and of Herself, in order to renew the memory of the benefits for which She stood indebted, as well the benefits relating in general to the human race, as those especially referring to Herself, striving thus to give thanks and adoration for all. Although She had spent her whole life in this pursuit without relaxation or forgetfulness, yet, when She entered upon this new mysterious phase of her life, She prepared to signalize these feast days by celebrating them with exercises founded on a deeper insight. As I will speak of the other festivals in the following chapters, I will describe here only how She celebrated her Immaculate Conception and Nativity, the first mysteries of her life. These commemorations or feasts She had begun to celebrate since the Incarnation of the Word; but She celebrated them more particularly after the Ascension, and especially in these last years of her life.</div>
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On the eighth day of December of each year She celebrated her Immaculate Conception with a jubilee and gratitude beyond all human words; for this privilege was for the great Queen of the highest importance and value. She imagined Herself altogether incapable of ever acknowledging it with sufficient gratitude. She commenced her exercises on the evening before and spent the whole night in admirable devotions, shedding tears of joy, humiliating Herself, prostrating Herself and singing the praises of the Lord. She deeply reflected, that She was formed of the same earth and descended from Adam according to the common order of nature; that She was preserved and exempted from the weight of the same guilt and conceived with such a plenitude of graces and gifts only because She was set apart and snatched from the rest by the Almighty. She invited her own angels to help Her to return proper thanks, and in union with them She alternated new songs of praise. Then She asked the same favor of the rest of the angels and saints in heaven; but during all this time the divine love so inflamed Her, that the Lord was obliged to strengthen Her, lest all her natural forces be consumed and death ensue.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">After She had spent the whole night in these exercises, Christ descended from heaven and the angels raised Her to his royal throne in heaven, where the celebration of the feast was continued with new glory and accidental joy of the courtiers of the heavenly Jerusalem. There the blessed Mother prostrated Herself and adored the most holy Trinity, again giving thanks for the benefit of her immunity from sin and her Immaculate Conception. Then She again took her place at the right hand of Christ her Son and the Lord himself as it were acknowledged the goodness of the eternal Father</span> <span lang="en-US">in having given Him a Mother so worthy and so full of grace, exempt from the common guilt of Adam. Anew the three divine Persons confirmed upon Her this privilege, as it were ratifying and approving it and pleasing Themselves in thus having distinguished Her among all the creatures. In order to give repeated testimony to this truth, a voice proceeded from the throne in the name of the Father, saying: “Beautiful are thy footsteps, O prince’s Daughter, conceived without sin.” Another in the name of the Son, said: “Altogether pure and without contact of guilt is my Mother, who gave Me human form to redeem men.” And in the name of the Holy Spirit: “All fair art thou, my Spouse, all fair art thou and without stain of the universal guilt.”</span></div>
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In between these voices were heard the choirs of all the angels and saints, singing in sweetest harmony: “Most holy Mary, conceived without original sin. To all these honors the most prudent Mother answered by thanksgiving, worship and praise of the Most High, rendered with such profound humility that it passed all angelic understanding. In order to conclude the solemnity She was raised to the intuitive and beatific vision of the most holy Trinity; and after enjoying this glory for some hours, She was brought back by the angels to the Cenacle. This was the manner in which her Immaculate Conception was solemnized after the Ascension of her divine Son.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962872"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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My daughter; through the whole course of my life is evident how gratefully I kept in mind the works of the Redemption, the passion and death of my divine Son, especially after I had actually seen Him sacrificed Cross for the salvation of men. But in this chapter particularly have I wished to draw thy attention to the care and the continual exercises, by which I renewed in me not only the remembrance, but the sufferings of the Passion. I desire that the knowledge of this cause men to feel reproach and confusion at their monstrous forgetfulness of the incomprehensible benefit of the Redemption. O what a shameful, what a horrible and dangerous ingratitude of men is this! Forgetfulness is a clear proof of contempt, for one does not forget what one holds dear. What reason or excuse then can there be, that men forget the eternal blessings they have received? That they should despise the love, which the eternal Father has delivered over to death his only begotten Son? The charity and patience with which his and my Son accepted it for them (John 3, 16). The insensible earth responds to the efforts of those that cultivate it; wild beasts become tame and domesticated in return for benefits. Men among themselves are beholden to their benefactors; and when such thankful feelings are not forthcoming, they resent it, condemn it, and call it a great offense.</div>
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What is the reason then, that only toward their God and Redeemer they should be ungrateful and forget what He suffered in order to rescue them from eternal damnation? And in view of this very evil return, they complain of not receiving his assistance as they desire. In order that they may understand what fearful guilt they load upon themselves by their ingratitude, I will remind thee, my daughter, that Lucifer and his demons, seeing so many souls oblivious of the sufferings of Christ, draw the following conclusions and say of such souls: “This soul does not remember or hold in esteem the benefit of God’s Redemption and we are certain of gaining it over to our side; for the soul that is so foolish as not to remember such a blessing, will certainly not detect our wiles. Let us proceed to tempt and destroy it, since it is deprived of its strongest defense.” Having in their large experience found their reasoning on point to be almost infallible, they zealously seek to blot out the memory of the passion and death of Christ to excite a contempt for the preaching or discoursing about it among men; and they have succeeded to a great extent, causing dreadful damage to souls. On the other hand they are wary and fearful of tempting those who have accustomed themselves to the meditation and the remembrance of the sufferings of Christ; for from this source they feel issuing against them a force and influence, which often prevents them from approaching those who thus piously cherish the memory of the Passion.</div>
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In order to dispose thyself day by day for holy Communion thou shouldst apply whatever thou performest in these exercises; imitate also the other works practices, which thou hast come to know of me. If the Mother of Him whom I was to receive, deemed myself unworthy of Communion and by so many means sought the purity necessary for such a Sacrament, consider what thou must do, so poor and subject to so many miseries and imperfections! Purify the temple of thy interior, scrutinizing it by the divine light and adorning it with great virtues, since it is the eternal God, whom thou art to receive; One, of whom nobody but Himself is worthy. Invoke the intercession of the angels and saints to obtain grace from the Lord. Above all I exhort thee to call upon me and ask me to help thee; for thou must know, that I am the special Advocate and Protectress of those, who desire to arrive at great purity for receiving holy Communion. Whenever they invoke me for this purpose, I present myself before the throne of the Most High, and, as one well knowing the disposition required for harboring God himself, I ask this favor and grace for those who are about to receive Him in the holy Sacrament. I have not lost in heaven the solicitude and zeal which I exhibited upon earth. Having asked me, proceed to ask also the intercession of the angels, for they also are very anxious to see souls approach the holy Eucharist with great devotion and purity.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span></span><br />
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<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
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<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
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<span class="text3">Paragraph 3. The Almighty</span></h3>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="268"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">268</a></b> Of all the divine attributes, only God's omnipotence is named in the Creed: to confess this power has great bearing on our lives. We believe that his might is <i>universal</i>, for God who created everything also rules everything and can do everything. God's power is loving, for he is our Father, and <i>mysterious</i>, for only faith can discern it when it "is made perfect in weakness".<sup>103</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="269"></a><b>"He does whatever he pleases"<sup>104</sup></b> <br />
<b>269</b> The Holy Scriptures repeatedly confess the universal power of God. He is called the "Mighty One of Jacob", the "LORD of hosts", the "strong and mighty" one. If God is almighty "in heaven and on earth", it is because he made them.<sup>105</sup> Nothing is impossible with God, who disposes his works according to his will.<sup>106</sup> He is the Lord of the universe, whose order he established and which remains wholly subject to him and at his disposal. He is master of history, governing hearts and events in keeping with his will: "It is always in your power to show great strength, and who can withstand the strength of your arm?<sup>107</sup><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="270"></a><b>"You are merciful to all, for you can do all things"<sup>108</sup></b> <br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">270</a></b> God is the <i>Father </i>Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another: God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us ("I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty"):<sup>109</sup> finally by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="271"></a><b>271</b> God's almighty power is in no way arbitrary: "In God, power, essence, will, intellect, wisdom, and justice are all identical. Nothing therefore can be in God's power which could not be in his just will or his wise intellect."<sup>110</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="272"></a><b>The mystery of God's apparent powerlessness</b> <br />
<b>272</b> Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil. But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil. Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."<sup>111</sup> It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe".<sup>112</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="273"></a><b>273</b> Only faith can embrace the mysterious ways of God's almighty power. This faith glories in its weaknesses in order to draw to itself Christ's power.<sup>113</sup> The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that "nothing will be impossible with God", and was able to magnify the Lord: "For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name."<sup>114</sup><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="274"></a><b>274</b> "Nothing is more apt to confirm our faith and hope than holding it fixed in our minds that nothing is impossible with God. Once our reason has grasped the idea of God's almighty power, it will easily and without any hesitation admit everything that [the Creed] will afterwards propose for us to believe - even if they be great and marvelous things, far above the ordinary laws of nature."<sup>115</sup><br />
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<b> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a> </b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="275"></a><b>275</b> With Job, the just man, we confess: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (<i>Job </i>42:2).<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="276"></a><b>276</b> Faithful to the witness of Scripture, the Church often addresses her prayer to the "almighty and eternal God" ("omnipotens sempiterne Deus. .."), believing firmly that "nothing will be impossible with God" (<i>Gen </i>18:14; <i>Lk </i>1:37; <i>Mt </i>19:26).<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="277"></a><b>277</b> God shows forth his almighty power by converting us from our sins and restoring us to his friendship by grace. "God, you show your almighty power above all in your mercy and forgiveness. . ." (<i>Roman Missal</i>, 26th Sunday, Opening Prayer).<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="278"></a><b>278</b> If we do not believe that God's love is almighty, how can we believe that the Father could create us, the Son redeem us and the Holy Spirit sanctify us?<br />
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<span class="text1"> 103 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:1; <i>Jn</i> 1:3; <i>Mt</i> 6:9; <i>2 Cor</i> 12:9; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 1:18.<br />
104 <i>Ps</i> 115:3.<br />
105 <i>Gen</i> 49:24; <i>Isa</i> 1:24 etc.; <i>Ps</i> 24:8-10; 135:6.<br />
106 Cf. <i>Jer</i> 27:5; 32:17; <i>Lk</i> 1:37.<br />
107 <i>Wis</i> 11:21; cf. <i>Esth</i> 4:17b; <i>Prov</i> 21:1; <i>Tob</i> 13:2.<br />
108 <i>Wis</i> 11:23.<br />
109 <i>2 Cor</i> 6:18; cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:32.<br />
110 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I,25,5, <i>ad</i> I.<br />
111 <i>1 Cor</i> 1:24-25.<br />
112 <i>Eph</i> 1:19-22.<br />
113 Cf. <i>2 Cor</i> 12:9; <i>Phil</i> 4:13.<br />
114 <i>Lk</i> 1:37, 49.<br />
115 <i>Roman Catechism</i> I,2,13.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Reference</span></h2>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-21032196536642387852018-09-23T13:56:00.000-05:002018-09-23T13:56:26.659-05:00Sunday September 23, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Venerate; Reading 1, Wisdom 2:17-20; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 54:3-4, 5, 6-8; Reading 2, James 3:16--4:3; Gospel and Lectio Divina: Mark 9:30-41; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - Saint Padre Pio; Snippet I -Stigmata; Snippet II - Five Holy Wounds ; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 1 and 2 The Persecution of Herod and The Will of God Made Known To Mary and The Council of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 2 - The Father; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday September 23, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Venerate; </i><i>Reading 1, Wisdom 2:17-20; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 54:3-4, 5, 6-8; Reading 2, James 3:16--4:3; Gospel and Lectio Divina: Mark 9:30-41; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - </i><i>Saint Padre Pio;<b> </b>Snippet I -</i><i><i>Stigmata</i></i><i>; Snippet II - Five Holy Wounds ; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 8 Chapter 1 and 2 The Persecution of Herod and The Will of God Made Known To Mary and The Council of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 2 - The Father; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>September 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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"Dear children, my words are simple but are filled with motherly love
and care. My children, all the more the shadows of darkness and
deception are being cast over you, and I am calling you to the light and
truth - I am calling you to my Son. Only He can transform despair and
suffering into peace and clarity; only He can give hope in the deepest
pain. My Son is the life of the world. The more that you come to know
Him - <span class="text_exposed_show">the more that you come close to
Him - all the more you will love Him, because my Son is love. Love
changes everything; it makes most beautiful that which, without love,
seems insignificant to you. That is why, anew, I am saying to you that
you must love a lot if you desire to grow spiritually. I know, apostles
of my love, that it is not always easy, but, my children, also the
painful paths are paths which lead to spiritual growth, to faith, and to
my Son. My children, pray - think of my Son. In all the moments of the
day, raise your soul to Him, and I will gather your prayers as flowers
from the most beautiful garden and give them as a gift to my Son. Be
true apostles of my love; spread the love of my Son to everyone. Be
gardens of the most beautiful flowers. With your prayers help your
shepherds that they may be spiritual fathers filled with love for all
people. Thank you." </span>~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church<br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope’s Angelus in Lithuania: fight temptation to dominate by serving others</h2>
<div class="article__subTitle" itemprop="description">
Pope
Francis recited the Marian “Angelus” prayer at the end of the Mass in
Kaunas and shared a reflection on how to fight the ungodly temptation of
dominating others. </div>
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<b><i>By Robin Gomes</i></b><br />
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In his “Angelus” message at the end of the Mass at Santakos Park in
Kaunas, Pope Francis urged Lituhuanians to fight the ungodly temptation
of dominating others with the antidote offered by Jesus – by being the
last of all and the servant of all.<br />
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Pope Francis explained that the <b>ungodly</b> who claim to believe that
“power is the norm of justice”, dominate the weak, use their power to
impose a way of thinking, an ideology, a prevailing mindset. Recalling
the 1943 <b>destruction of the ghetto of Vilnius</b>, that was the
climax of 2 years of the killing of the Jews. The Holy Father lamented
that in the ungodly, evil is always trying to destroy good.<br />
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Antidote against temptation to dominate</h2>
He urged Lithuanians to watch out against the resurgence
<span style="font-weight: normal;">of that “</span>
<b>pernicious attitude</b>” of dominating others, saying any trace of it can taint the heart of generations that have not gone through those times.<br />
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The Pope said, Jesus offers us an antidote against the temptation of
the desire for primacy and domination over others, which can dwell in
our heart or in the heart of any society or country. Jesus asks us “<b>to be the last of all and the servant of all</b>; to go to the place where no one else wants to go, where no one travels, the furthest <b>peripheries</b>; to serve and come to know the<b> lowly and the rejected</b>.” “We could allow the <b>Gospel of Jesus Christ</b> to reach the depths of our lives, then the '<b>globalization of solidarity'</b> would be a reality."<br />
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<b>Hill of Crosses</b></h2>
Recalling Lithuania’s famous Hill of Crosses, where thousands have
planted their crosses, the Pope asked the faithful to implore the
Blessed Virgin to help them all plant their own <b>crosses of service and commitment to the needs of others</b>, on that hill where the <b>poor</b> dwell, where care and concern are needed for the <b>outcast</b> and for <b>minorities</b>.
In this way, he said, “we can keep far from our lives and our cultures
the possibility of destroying one another, of marginalizing, of
continuing to discard whatever we find troublesome or uncomfortable.”<br />
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At the end, the Pope said that in the afternoon he would stop at the monument of the<b> Vilnius Ghetto</b> to pray on the <b>75th anniversary</b> of its destruction. He invoked God’s blessing on dialogue and common commitment for justice and peace.<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 0<b>9</b>/23/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Word</span></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - venerate</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">ven</span>-<span class="italic">uh</span>-reyt</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1615–25;</span> < <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="latin">Latin</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="venerātus">venerātus,</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="past">past</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="participle">participle</span> of <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="venerārī">venerārī</span></span> to <span class="one-click" data-term="solicit">solicit</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="the">the</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="goodwill">goodwill</span> of (a <span class="one-click" data-term="god">god),</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="worship">worship,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="revere">revere,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="verbal">verbal</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="derivative">derivative</span> of <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="vener-">vener-,</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="stem">stem</span> of <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="venus">venus,</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="presumably">presumably</span> in <span class="one-click" data-term="its">its</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="original">original</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="sense">sense</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="“desire”">“desire”;</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="see">see</span> Venus)</span></h4>
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<section class="css-1sdcacc e10vl5dg0"><section class="css-1sdcacc e10vl5dg0"><header class="css-1y60q53 e10vl5dg1"><span class="css-1pomevn e10vl5dg2"><span class="luna-pos"><b>verb</b> (used with object),</span></span><span class="css-1peo33s e10vl5dg8"> <span class="luna-inflected-form bold">ven·er·at·ed,</span> <span class="luna-inflected-form bold">ven·er·at·ing.</span></span></header><ol class="css-zw8qdz e10vl5dg3">
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">to <span class="one-click" data-term="regard">regard</span> or <span class="one-click" data-term="treat">treat</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="with">with</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="reverence">reverence;</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="revere">revere.</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Wisdom 2:17-20</h2>
17 Let us see if what he says is true, and test him to see what sort of end he will have.<br />
18 For if the upright man is God's son, God will help him and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.<br />
19 Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his patience to the test.<br />
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death since God will rescue him -- or so he claims.'<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 54:3-4, 5, 6-8</h2>
3 Arrogant men are attacking me, bullies hounding me to death, no room in their thoughts for God.<br />
4 But now God is coming to my help, the Lord, among those who sustain me.<br />
5 May their wickedness recoil on those who lie in wait for me. Yahweh, in your constancy destroy them.<br />
6 How gladly will I offer you sacrifice, and praise your name, for it is good,<br />
7 for it has rescued me from all my troubles, and my eye has feasted on my enemies.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>James 3:16--4:3</h2>
16 Wherever there are jealousy and ambition, there are also disharmony and wickedness of every kind;<br />
17 whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially
something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full
of mercy and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of
partiality or hypocrisy in it.<br />
18 The peace sown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice.<br />
1 Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it
not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves?<br />
2
You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition
that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is
because you do not pray that you do not receive;<br />
3 when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mark 9: 30-41</b></span></span></span></h2>
The greatest in the Kingdom. <br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
<br />
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the
same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to discover
the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
Create in us silence so
that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in
events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word
guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may
experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You
are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We
ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and
sent us Your Spirit. Amen.<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Mediatio</h3>
<br />
a) A key to the reading:<br />
The text of the Gospel for the
liturgy of this Sunday presents us with the second foretelling of the
Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. As in the first foretelling
(Mk 8:31-33), the disciples are scared and overcome by fear. They do not
understand anything about the cross, because they are not capable of
understanding nor of accepting a Messiah who becomes the servant of His
brethren. They still dream of a glorious messiah (Mt 16:21-22). There is
a great discrepancy among the disciples. While Jesus proclaims His
Passion and Death, they discuss who will be the greatest among them (Mk
9:34). Jesus wishes to serve, but they only think of ruling! Ambition
makes them want to take a place next to Jesus. What is it that stands
out in my life: competitiveness and the desire to rule or the desire to
serve and encourage others?<br />
<br />
Jesus’ reaction to the demands of the
disciples helps us understand a little concerning the fraternal pedagogy
used by him to form His disciples. It shows us how He helped them to
overcome “the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod” (Mk 8:15). Such
leaven has deep roots. It springs up again and again! But Jesus does not
give up! He constantly fights against and criticizes the wrong kind of
“leaven”. Today, too, we have a leaven of the ideologies: liberalism,
commerce, consumerism, novels, games, all deeply influencing our way
of thinking and acting. Like the disciples of Jesus, we too are not
always capable of keeping up a critical attitude towards the invasion of
this leaven. Jesus’ attitude of formator continues to help us.<br />
<br />
b) A division of the text to help us in our reading:<br />
Mark 9:30-32: the proclamation of the Passion<br />
Mark 9:33-37: a discussion on who is the greatest<br />
Mark 9:38-40: the use of the name of Jesus<br />
Mark 9:41: the reward for a cup of water<br />
<br />
c) The Gospel Mark 9:30-41:<br />
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through
Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching
his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to
men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of
Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were
afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the
house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on
the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and
said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all
and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one
child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”</div>
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3. Oriatio</h3>
A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</div>
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Some questions to help us in our personal reflection. a) Which words pleased you most or drew your attention?<br />
b) What attitude did the disciples take in each of the passages: vv
30-32; vv 33-37; vv 38-40? Is it the same attitude in the three
passages?<br />
c) What is Jesus’ teaching in each episode?<br />
d) What does the phrase “Anyone who is not against us is for us” mean for us today?<br />
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4. Contemplatio</h3>
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A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the text.</h3>
a) Comment<br />
Mark 9:30-32: The proclamation of the Cross.<br />
Jesus was going across Galilee, but He did not want the people to know
this, because He was concerned with the formation of His disciples. He
talks to them about “The Son of Man” who must be handed over. Jesus
draws His teaching from the prophecies. In the formation of His
disciples He uses the bible. The disciples listen, but they do not
understand. Yet they do not ask for explanations. Perhaps they are
afraid to show their ignorance!<br />
Mark 9:33-34: A competitive mentality.<br />
When they return home, Jesus asks: What were you arguing about on the
road? They do not reply. It is the silence of those who feel guilty,
because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. The
“leaven” of competitiveness and prestige, which characterized the
society of the Roman Empire, had infiltrated among the small community
still in its beginnings! Here we see the contrast! While Jesus is
thinking of being the Messiah-Servant, they were thinking about which of
them was the greatest. Jesus tries to descend while they try to ascend!<br />
Mark 9:35-37: To serve and not to rule.<br />
Jesus’ reply is a resume of the witness He has given from the very
beginning: If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all
and servant of all! And the last gains nothing. He is a useless servant
(cf. Lk 17:10). The use of power is not to ascend or rule, but to
descend and serve. This is the point that Jesus stresses most and on
which He bases His witness (cf. Mk 10:45; Mt 20:28; Jn 13:1-16).<br />
Jesus takes a little child. Someone who only thinks of ascending and
ruling has no time for the little ones, for children. But Jesus turns
everything upside down! He says: Anyone who welcomes one of these little
children in My name welcomes Me; and anyone who welcomes Me welcomes
not Me but the one who sent Me! He identifies Himself with the children.
Anyone who welcomes the little ones in the name of Jesus welcomes God
Himself!<br />
<br />
Mark 9:38-40: A restricted mentality.<br />
Someone who
did not belong to the community was using the name of Jesus to cast out
devils. John, the disciple, sees him and stops him: Because he was not
one of us we tried to stop him. John stops a good action in the name of
the community. He thought he owned Jesus and wanted to stop others from
using Jesus’ name to do good. This was the restricted and old mentality
of the “Elect”, “the separate people!” Jesus replies: You must not stop
him! Anyone who is not against us is for us! (Mk 9:40). What is
important for Jesus is not whether the person is or is not part of the
community, but whether the person does or does not do the good deeds
that the community should be doing.<br />
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Mark 9:41: A cup of water deserves a reward.<br />
Here we have an inserted phrase used by Jesus: If anyone gives you a
cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you
solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward. Let us consider
two thoughts: 1) If anyone gives you a cup of water: Jesus is on the way
to Jerusalem to give His life. The gesture of a grand gift! But He does
not despise small gestures of gifts in daily life: a cup of water, a
welcome, a word, so many other gestures. Even the smallest gesture is
appreciated.<br />
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2) Just because you belong to Christ: Jesus identifies
Himself with us who wish to belong to Him. This means that for Him we
are of great worth.<br />
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b) Further explanations in order to better understand the text<br />
• Jesus, the “Son of Man”<br />
This is Jesus’ favorite name. It appears quite frequently in the Gospel
of Mark (Mk 2:10-28; 8:31-38; 9:9-12.31; 10:33-45; 13:26; 14:21.41.62).
This title comes from the Old Testament. In the book of Ezekiel, he
presents the human condition of the prophet (Ez 3:1.10.17; 4:1 etc.). In
the book of Daniel, the same title appears in an apocalyptic vision (Dn
7:1-28), where Daniel describes the empires of the Babylonians, the
Medes, the Persians and the Greeks. In the prophet’s vision, these four
empires appear as “monstrous animals” (cf. Dn 7:3-8). They are beastly
empires, brutal, inhuman, that persecute and kill (Dn 7:21-25). In the
prophet’s vision, after two inhuman reigns the Kingdom of God appears in
the form not of an animal but that of a human figure, the Son of Man.
It is a kingdom with the appearance of people, a human kingdom, that
promotes life and that humanizes (Dn 7:13-14).<br />
<br />
In Daniel’s prophecy,
the figure of the Son of Man represents, not an individual, but as he
says, the “people of the Saints of the Most High” (Dn 7:27; cf Dn 7:18).
It is the people of God that will not allow itself to be cheated or
manipulated by the dominant ideology of the beastly empires. The mission
of the Son of Man, that is, of the people of God, consists in realizing
the Kingdom of God as a human kingdom. A kingdom that does not destroy
life, but rather builds it up! It humanizes people.<br />
<br />
When Jesus
presents Himself to His disciples as the Son of Man, He assumes as His
the mission that is the mission of the whole People of God. It is as
though He were saying to them and to us: “Come with Me! This mission is
not only Mine, but of all of us! Together, let us accomplish the mission
that God has entrusted to us: to build the human and humanizing Kingdom
of His dream! Let us do what He did and lived throughout His life,
above all, in the last three years of His life. Pope Leo the Great used
to say: “Jesus was so human, so human, as only God can be!” The more
human it is, the more divine it becomes. The more we are “son of man” so
much more will we be “son of God”. Everything that makes people less
human draws people away from God, even in religious life, even in
Carmelite life! This is what Jesus condemned and He placed the good of
the human person above the law and the Sabbath (Mk 2:27).<br />
<br />
• Jesus, the Formator<br />
“To follow” was a term that was part of the system of education at that
time. It was used to indicate the relationship between disciple and
master. The relationship between disciple and master is different from
that of teacher and student. Students follow the lessons of the teacher
on some particular subject. Disciples “follow” the master and live with
Him all the time.<br />
It is during this period of “living together”
for three years that the disciples will receive their formation. A
formation in the “following of Jesus” was not just the passing on of
some decorative truths, but the communication of a new experience of God
and of the life that shone from Jesus for the disciples. The very
community that grew around Jesus was the expression of this new
experience. This formation led people to see things differently, to
different attitudes. It created in them a new awareness concerning the
mission and respect for self. It made them take the side of the
excluded. It produced a “conversion”, the consequence of having accepted
the Good News (Mk 1:15).<br />
<br />
Jesus is the axle, the center, the
model, the point of reference of the community. He shows the road to
follow, He is “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). His attitude
is proof and an exposition of the Kingdom: He makes the love of the
Father transparent and incarnates and reveals it (Mk 6:31; Mt 10:30; Lk
15:11-32). Jesus is a “meaningful person” for them, who will leave on
them a permanent mark. Many small gestures mirror this witness of life
that Jesus gave by His presence in the life of the disciples. It was His
way of giving human form to the experience He had of the Father. In
this way of being and sharing, of relating to people, of leading the
people and of listening to those who came to Him, Jesus is seen:<br />
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as the person of peace, who inspires and reconciles: “Peace be with
you!” (Jn. 20:19; Mt 10:26-33; Mt 18:22; Jn 20:23; Mt 16:19; Mt 18:18);<br />
* as a free person and one who liberates, who awakens freedom and
liberation: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk
2:27; 2:18-23);<br />
* as a person of prayer, whom we see praying at all
important moments of His life and who inspires others to prayer: “Lord,
teach us to pray!” (Lk 11:1-4; Lk 4:1-13; 6:12-13; Jn 11:41-42; Mt
11:25; Jn 17:1-26; Lk 23:46; Mk 15:34);<br />
* as a loving person who arouses reactions full of love (Lk 7:37-38; 8:2-3; Jn 21:15-17; Mk 14:3-9; Jn 13:1);<br />
*as a welcoming person who is always present in the lives of the
disciples and who welcomes them when they come back from the mission (Lk
10:7);<br />
* as a realistic and observing person who arouses the
attention of the disciples in matters of life by teaching them in
Parables (Lk 8:4-8);<br />
* as a caring person always paying attention to
the disciples (Jn 21:9), who looks after their rest and who wishes to
stay with them so that the may rest (Mk 6:31);<br />
* as someone
preoccupied with the situation even to forgetting that His tiredness and
His rest when He sees people who are looking for Him (Mt 9:36-38);<br />
* as a friend who shares everything, even the secrets of His Father (Jn 15:15);<br />
* as an understanding person who accepts the disciples just as they
are, even when they flee from Him, in spite of their denial and their
betrayal of Him, without ever breaking with them (Mk 14:27-28; Jn 6:67);<br />
* as a committed person who defends His friends when they are criticized by their adversaries (Mk 2:18-19; 7:5-13);<br />
* as a wise person who knows the fragility of human beings, knows what
happens in the heart of a person, and thus insists on vigilance and
teaches them to pray (Lk 11:1-13; Mt 6:5-15).<br />
In a word, Jesus shows Himself to be a human person, very human, so human as only God can know to be human! Son of Man.<br />
<br />
<h3>
5. Psalm 30 (29)</h3>
Thanksgiving after some mortal danger<br />
I will extol Thee, O Lord,<br />
for thou hast drawn me up,<br />
and hast not let my foes rejoice over me.<br />
O Lord my God, I cried to Thee for help,<br />
and Thou hast healed me.<br />
O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol,<br />
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.<br />
Sing praises to the Lord, O You His saints,<br />
and give thanks to His holy name.<br />
For His anger is but for a moment,<br />
and His favor is for a lifetime.<br />
Weeping may tarry for the night,<br />
but joy comes with the morning.<br />
As for me, I said in my prosperity,<br />
"I shall never be moved."<br />
By thy favor, O Lord, Thou hadst established me as a strong mountain; Thou didst hide thy face, I was dismayed.<br />
To Thee, O Lord,<br />
I cried; and to the Lord I made supplication:<br />
"What profit is there in my death,<br />
if I go down to the pit?<br />
Will the dust praise Thee?<br />
Will it tell of Thy faithfulness?<br />
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!<br />
O Lord, be Thou my helper!"<br />
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;<br />
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,<br />
that my soul may praise Thee and not be silent.<br />
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to Thee for ever.<br />
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<h3>
6. Final Prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which Your Word has revealed
to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also
practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity
of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></h2>
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Feast Day: St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)</h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: September 23<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: Pietrelcina, Italy<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vM38y3pswLk/UF9v8E8EZaI/AAAAAAAADRc/lx0XBykWv4w/s1600/Padre+Pio+0923.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vM38y3pswLk/UF9v8E8EZaI/AAAAAAAADRc/lx0XBykWv4w/s320/Padre+Pio+0923.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>
<b>Saint Pio (Pius) of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap.</b>,
(May 25, 1887 – September 23, 1968) was a Capuchin Catholic priest from
Italy who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He was born <b>Francesco Forgione</b>, and given the name Pius (Italian: <span lang="it"><i>Pio</i></span>) when he joined the Capuchins, thus he was popularly known as <b>Padre Pio</b>. He became famous for his bearing the stigmata. On 16 June 2002, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II.<br />
<br />
Francesco
Forgione was born to Grazio Mario Forgione (1860–1946) and
Maria Giuseppa de Nunzio Forgione (1859–1929) on May 25, 1887, in
Pietrelcina, a farming town in the southern Italian region of Campania.
His parents made a living as peasant farmers He was baptized in the
nearby Santa Anna Chapel, which stands upon the walls of a castle. He
later served as an altar boy
in this same chapel. Restoration work on this chapel was later
undertaken by the Padre Pio Foundation of America based in Cromwell,
Connecticut.
His siblings were an older brother, Michele, and three younger sisters,
Felicita, Pellegrina, and Grazia (who was later to become a Bridgettine
nun). His parents had two other children who died in infancy. When he
was baptized, he was given the name Francesco, which was the name of one
of these two. He stated that by the time he was five years old he had
already made the decision to dedicate his entire life to God.
He also began inflicting penances on himself and was chided on one
occasion by his mother for using a stone as a pillow and sleeping on the
stone floor. He worked on the land up to the age of 10, looking after
the small flock of sheep the family owned. This delayed his education to
some extent.<br />
<br />
Pietrelcina was a highly religious town
(feast days of saints were
celebrated throughout the year), and religion had a profound influence
on the Forgione family. The members of the family attended daily Mass,
prayed the Rosary nightly, and abstained from meat three days a week in
honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Although Francesco's parents and grandparents were illiterate, they
memorized the Scriptures and narrated Bible stories to their children.
It is asserted by his mother that Francesco was able to see and speak
with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and his guardian angel, and that as a child,
he assumed that all people could do so.<br />
<br />
As a youth Francesco reported that he had experienced heavenly visions and ecstasies.
In 1897, after he had completed three years at the public school,
Francesco was drawn to the life of a friar after listening to a young Capuchin
friar who was, at that time, seeking donations in the countryside. When
he expressed his desire to his parents, they made a trip to Morcone, a
community 13 miles (21 km) north of Pietrelcina, to find out if their
son was eligible to enter the Capuchin Order. The Friars there informed
them that they were interested in accepting Francesco into their
community, but he needed more educational qualifications.<br />
<br />
Francesco's
father went to the United States in search of work to pay
for private tutoring for his son, so that he might meet the academic
requirements to enter the Capuchin Order. It was in this period that
Francesco received the sacrament of Confirmation on 27 September 1899.
He underwent private tutoring and passed the stipulated academic
requirements. On January 6, 1903, at the age of 15, he entered the
novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at Morcone where, on January 22nd, he
took the Franciscan habit and the name of <b>Fra (Friar) Pio</b>, in honor of Pope St. Pius V, the patron saint of Pietrelcina. He took the simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Priesthood">Priesthood</span></h2>
To
commence his six-year study for priesthood and to grow in
community life, he traveled to the friary of St. Francis of Assisi by
oxcart. Three years later on January 27, 1907, he made his solemn
profession. In 1910, Brother Pio was ordained a priest by Archbishop
Paolo Schinosi at the Cathedral of Benevento. Four days later, he
offered his first Mass at the parish church of Our Lady of the Angels.
His health being precarious, he was permitted to remain with his family
until early 1916 while still retaining the Capuchin habit.<br />
<br />
On
September 4, 1916, Father Pio was ordered to return to his community
life. Thus he was moved to an agricultural community, Our Lady of Grace
Capuchin Friary, located in the Gargano Mountains in San Giovanni
Rotondo in Foggia.
At that time, with Father Pius the community numbered seven friars. He
stayed at San Giovanni Rotondo until his death, except for his military
service.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="352" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Padre_Pio_portret.jpg/250px-Padre_Pio_portret.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodgan, 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="thumbcaption">
A strong believer in Christian meditation, Padre Pio stated: "<i>Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him</i>".</div>
</div>
</div>
When
World War I started, four friars from this community were selected for
military service. At that time, Padre Pio was a teacher at the seminary
and a spiritual director. When one more friar was called into service,
Padre Pio was put in charge of the community. Then, in the month of
August 1917, Padre Pio was also called to military service. Although not
in good health, he was assigned to the 4th Platoon of the 100th Company
of the Italian Medical Corps.
Although hospitalized by mid-October, he was not discharged until March
1918, whereupon he returned to San Giovanni Rotondo and was assigned to
work at Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) in
Pietrelcina. Later, in response to his growing reputation as a worker of
miracles, his superiors assigned him to the friary of San Giovanni
Rotondo.In all, his military service lasted 182 days.<br />
<br />
Padre Pio then became a spiritual director, guiding many spiritually,
considering them his spiritual daughters and sons. He had five rules
for spiritual growth, namely, weekly confession, daily Communion,
spiritual reading, meditation, and examination of conscience.<br />
<br />
He compared weekly confession to dusting a room weekly, and
recommended the performance of meditation and self-examination twice
daily: once in the morning, as preparation to face the day, and once
again in the evening, as retrospection. His advice on the practical
application of theology he often summed up in his now famous quote,
"Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry". He directed Christians to recognize God in
all things and to desire above all things to do the will of God.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Poor_health">Poor health</span></h2>
According to the diary of Father Agostino da San Marco, his spiritual director in San Marco in Lamis,
the young Francesco Forgione was afflicted with a number of illnesses.
At six he suffered from a grave gastroenteritis, which kept him
bedridden for a long time. At ten he caught typhoid fever. At 17, he
suddenly fell ill, complaining of loss of appetite, insomnia,
exhaustion, fainting spells, and terrible migraines. He vomited
frequently and could absorb only milk and cheese.<br />
<br />
The hagiographers say that it was during this time, together with his
physical illness, that inexplicable phenomena began to occur. According
to their stories, one could hear strange noises coming from his room at
night – sometimes screams or roars. During prayer, brother Pio remained
in a stupor, as if he were absent. One of Pio's fellow friars claims to
have seen him in ecstasy, levitating above the ground.<br />
<br />
In June 1905, Padre Pio's health was so weak that his superiors
decided to send him to a mountain convent, in the hope that the change
of air would do him some good. His health got worse, however, and
doctors advised that he return to his home town. But, even there, his
health continued to worsen.<br />
<br />
In addition to his childhood illnesses, throughout his life Padre Pio
suffered from "asthmatic bronchitis". He also had a large kidney stone,
with frequent abdominal pains. He further suffered from a chronic
gastritis, which later turned into an ulcer. He also suffered from
inflammations of the eye, of the nose, of the ear and of the throat, and
eventually formed rhinitis and chronic otitis.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 1915, in spite of poor health, he was drafted into
the army. But after 30 days he was sent home on leave because of bad
health. He returned to military service, and was put on leave again,
this time for six months at a friary in a mountain village, San Giovanni
Rotondo, where the weather was relatively cool, even in the summer.
After six months in this friary he returned to military service, but was
sent home again two months later. On his return he was declared fit for
service, and sent to the Sales barracks in Naples, where he remained
until March 1917, at which time he was found to have pulmonary
tuberculosis, certified by a radiological exam. He was then discharged
from the army.<br />
<br />
In 1925, Padre Pio was operated on for an inguinal hernia, and
shortly after this a large cyst formed on his neck and which had to be
surgically removed. Another surgery was required to remove a malignant
tumor on his ear. After this operation Padre Pio was subjected to
radiological treatment, which was successful, it seems, after only two
treatments.<br />
<br />
In 1956, he came down with a serious case of "exudative pleuritis".
The diagnosis was certified by Professor Cataldo Cassano, who personally
extracted the serous liquid from the body of Padre Pio. He remained
bedridden for four consecutive months. In his old age Padre Pio was tormented by arthritis.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Spiritual_suffering">Spiritual suffering</span></h2>
Padre Pio stated that he believed the love of God is inseparable from
suffering and that suffering all things for the sake of God is the way
for the soul to reach God.
He felt that his soul was lost in a chaotic maze, plunged into total
desolation, as if he were in the deepest pit of hell. During his period
of spiritual suffering, his followers believe that Padre Pio was
attacked by the Devil, both physically and spiritually.
His followers also believe that the Devil used diabolical tricks in
order to increase Padre Pio's torments. These included apparitions as an
"angel of light" and the alteration or destruction of letters to and
from his spiritual directors. Padre Augustine confirmed this when he
said:<br />
<blockquote>
The Devil appeared as young girls that danced naked without any
clothes on, as Christ Crucified, as a young friend of the friars, as the
Spiritual Father or as the Provincial Father; as Pope Pius X, a
Guardian Angel, as St. Francis and as Our Lady.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Now, twenty-two days have passed since Jesus allowed the devils to
vent their anger on me. My Father, my whole body is bruised from the
beatings that I have received to the present time by our enemies.
Several times, they have even torn off my shirt so that they could
strike my exposed flesh.</blockquote>
Fr. Gabriele Amorth, senior exorcist of Vatican City stated in an
interview that Padre Pio was able to distinguish between real
apparitions of Jesus, Mary and the Saints and the illusions created by
the Devil by carefully analysing the state of his mind and the feelings
produced in him during the apparitions. In one of Padre Pio's letters,
he states that he remained patient in the midst of his trials because of
his firm belief that Jesus, Mary, his Guardian Angel, St. Joseph and
St. Francis were always with him and helped him always.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Transverberation_and_visible_stigmata">Transverberation and visible stigmata</span></h2>
Based
on Padre Pio's correspondence, even early in his priesthood he
experienced less obvious indications of the visible stigmata for which
he would later become famous. In a 1911 letter, Padre Pio wrote to his
spiritual advisor, Padre Benedetto from San Marco in Lamis, describing
something he had been experiencing for a year:<br />
<blockquote>
Then last night something happened which I can neither explain nor
understand. In the middle of the palms of my hands a red mark appeared,
about the size of a penny, accompanied by acute pain in the middle of
the red marks. The pain was more pronounced in the middle of the left
hand, so much so that I can still feel it. Also under my feet I can feel
some pain.</blockquote>
His close friend Padre Agostino wrote to him in 1915, asking specific
questions such as when he first experienced visions, whether he had
been granted the stigmata, and whether he felt the pains of the Passion of Christ,
namely the crowning of thorns and the scourging. Padre Pio replied that
he had been favoured with visions since his novitiate period (1903 to
1904). He wrote that although he had been granted the stigmata, he had
been so terrified by the phenomenon he begged the Lord to withdraw them.
He did not wish the pain to be removed, only the visible wounds, since
at the time he considered them to be an indescribable and almost
unbearable humiliation. The visible wounds disappeared at that point, but reappeared in September 1918.
He reported, however, that the pain remained and was more acute on
specific days and under certain circumstances. He also said that he was
indeed experiencing the pain of the crown of thorns and the scourging.
He was not able to clearly indicate the frequency of this experience,
but said that he had been suffering from them at least once weekly for
some years.<br />
<br />
These experiences are alleged to have caused his health to fail, for
which reason he was permitted to stay at home. To maintain his religious
life as a friar while away from the community, he said Mass daily and
taught at school.<br />
<br />
St. John of the Cross describes the phenomenon of transverberation as follows:<br />
<blockquote>
The soul being inflamed with the love of God which is interiorly
attacked by a Seraph, who pierces it through with a fiery dart. This
leaves the soul wounded, which causes it to suffer from the overflowing
of divine love.</blockquote>
World War I was still going on, and in July 1918, Pope Benedict XV,
who had termed the World War "the suicide of Europe," appealed to all
Christians urging them to pray for an end to the World War. On 27 July
of the same year, Padre Pio offered himself as a victim for the end of
the war. Days passed and between 5 August and 7 August, Padre Pio had a
vision in which Christ appeared and pierced his side.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gerhold_1-3">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ewtn2_8-10">[9]</sup>
As a result of this experience, Padre Pio had a physical wound in his
side. This occurrence is considered as a "transverberation" or piercing
of the heart indicating the union of love with God.<br />
<br />
As a side-note, a first-class relic of Padre Pio, which consists of a
large framed square of linen bearing a bloodstain from "the wound of
the transverberation of the heart" in Padre Pio's side, is exposed for
public veneration at the St. John Cantius Church in Chicago.<br />
<br />
With his transverberation began another seven-week long period of
spiritual unrest for Padre Pio. One of his Capuchin brothers said this
of his state during that period:<br />
<blockquote>
During this time his entire appearance looked altered as if he had
died. He was constantly weeping and sighing, saying that God had
forsaken him.</blockquote>
In a letter from Padre Pio to Padre Benedetto, dated 21 August 1918,
Padre Pio writes of his experiences during the transverberation:<br />
<blockquote>
While I was hearing the boys’ confessions on the evening of the 5th
[August] I was suddenly terrorized by the sight of a celestial person
who presented himself to my mind’s eye. He had in his hand a sort of
weapon like a very long sharp-pointed steel blade which seemed to emit
fire. At the very instant that I saw all this, I saw that person hurl
the weapon into my soul with all his might. I cried out with difficulty
and felt I was dying. I asked the boy to leave because I felt ill and no
longer had the strength to continue. This agony lasted uninterruptedly
until the morning of the 7th. I cannot tell you how much I suffered
during this period of anguish. Even my entrails were torn and ruptured
by the weapon, and nothing was spared. From that day on I have been
mortally wounded. I feel in the depths of my soul a wound that is always
open and which causes me continual agony.</blockquote>
On 20 September 1918, accounts state that the pains of the transverberation had ceased and Padre Pio was in "profound peace."
On that day, as Padre Pio was engaged in prayer in the choir loft in
the Church of Our Lady of Grace, the same Being who had appeared to him
and given him the transverberation, and who is believed to be the
Wounded Christ, appeared again and Padre Pio had another experience of religious ecstasy.
When the ecstasy ended, Padre Pio had received the Visible Stigmata,
the five wounds of Christ. This time, however, the stigmata were
permanent and would stay on him for the next fifty years of his life.<br />
<br />
In
a letter from St. Padre Pio to Padre Benedetto, his superior and
spiritual advisor, Padre Benedetto from San Marco in Lamis dated October
22, 1918, Padre Pio describes his experience of receiving the Stigmata
as follows:<br />
<blockquote>
On the morning of the 20th of last month,
in the choir, after I had
celebrated Mass I yielded to a drowsiness similar to a sweet sleep. I
saw before me a mysterious person similar to the one I had seen
on the evening of 5 August. The only difference was that his hands and
feet and side were dripping blood. This sight terrified me and what I
felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should have died if
the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to
burst out of my chest. The vision disappeared and I became aware that
my hands, feet and side were dripping blood. Imagine the agony I
experienced and continue to experience almost every day. The heart wound
bleeds continually, especially from Thursday evening until Saturday.
Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting
embarrassment I feel deep in my soul. I am afraid I shall bleed to death
if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt supplication to relieve me of
this condition. Will Jesus, who is so good, grant me this grace? Will he
at least free me from the embarrassment caused by these outward signs? I
will raise my voice and will not stop imploring him until in his mercy
he takes away, not the wound or the pain, which is impossible since I
wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs which cause me
such embarrassment and unbearable humiliation.</blockquote>
He quoted, "the pain was so intense that I began to feel as if I were dying on the cross."<br />
<br />
Though Padre Pio would have preferred to suffer in secret, by early
1919, news about the stigmatic friar began to spread in the secular
world. Padre Pio’s wounds were examined by many people, including
physicians.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gerhold_1-7">[2]</sup> People who had started rebuilding their lives after World War, began to see in Padre Pio a symbol of hope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ewtn2_8-13">[9]</sup>
Those close to him attest that he began to manifest several spiritual
gifts including the gifts of healing, bilocation, levitation, prophecy,
miracles,
extraordinary abstinence from both sleep and nourishment (one account
states that Padre Agostino recorded one instance in which Padre Pio was
able to subsist for at least 20 days at Verafeno on only the Eucharist
without any other nourishment), the ability to read hearts, the gift of
tongues, the gift of conversions, and the fragrance from his wounds.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Controversies">Controversies</span></h2>
It
is claimed that no more than Anecdotal evidence supports Pio’s
alleged mystical abilities, some of his bilocations are consistent with
hallucinations and the supposed odor of sanctity was purported to be Eau
de Cologne. He was never watched continuously to ensure that chemicals
like carbolic acid or iodine
were not used to prevent wounds healing, as has been claimed. Pio over
many years wore fingerless gloves which concealed his wounds or
prevented him having to tend the wounds, yet near his death Pio avoided
covering his hands and there was no sign of injury.<br />
<br />
The
founder of Milan's Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, friar,
physician and psychologist Agostino Gemelli, who met Padre Pio once, for
a few minutes, but was unable to examine his stigmata, concluded Padre
Pio was "an ignorant and self-mutilating psychopath who exploited
people's credulity." In short, he was accused of infractions against all
three of his monastic vows: poverty, chastity and obedience.
Agostino Gemelli also speculated that Padre Pio kept his wounds open
with carbolic acid. As a result of the Gemelli assessment, the wounds
were wrapped in cloth. According to believers, the bleeding continued
for some 50 years until they closed within hours of his death.<br />
<br />
On 29 July 1960, an Italian monsignore, Carlo Maccari, later to
become the archbishop of Ancona, began yet another investigation on
behalf of Pope John XXIII and the Holy Office. The 200-page report he
compiled, though never published in full, is said to be devastatingly
critical. Vatican gossip long had it that the “Maccari dossier” was an
insuperable obstacle to Padre Pio’s sainthood. According to official
Capuchin literature, however, Maccari later recanted and prayed to Padre
Pio on his deathbed.<br />
<br />
In 1940, Padre Pio began plans to
open a hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, to be named the Casa Sollievo
della Sofferenza or "Home to Relieve Suffering"; the hospital opened in
1956. Barbara Ward,
a British humanitarian and journalist on assignment in Italy, played a
major role in obtaining for this project a grant of $325,000 from the
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). In
order that Padre Pio might directly supervise this project, Pope Pius
XII, in 1957 granted him dispensation from his vow of poverty. Padre
Pio's detractors used this project as another weapon to attack him,
charging him with misappropriation of funds.<br />
<br />
Padre Pio
was subject to numerous investigations.
Fearing local riots, a plan to transfer Padre Pio to another friary was
dropped and a second plan was aborted when a riot almost happened.
In the period from 1924 to 1931 the Holy See made various statements
denying that the happenings in the life of Padre Pio were due to any
divine cause. At one point, he was prevented from publicly performing
his priestly duties, such as hearing confessions and saying Mass.<br />
<br />
By
1933, the tide began to turn, with Pope Pius XI ordering the Holy
See to reverse its ban on Padre Pio’s public celebration of Mass. The
Pope said, "I have not been badly disposed toward Padre Pio, but I have
been badly informed."
In 1934, he was again allowed to hear confessions. He was also given
honorary permission to preach despite never having taken the exam for
the preaching licence. Pope Pius XII, who assumed the papacy in 1939,
encouraged devotees to visit Padre Pio. According to a recent book, Pope
John XXIII (1958–1963) apparently did not espouse the outlook of his
predecessors, and wrote in 1960 of Padre Pio’s “immense deception."
However, it was John XXIII's successor, Pope Paul VI, who, in the
mid-1960s, firmly dismissed all accusations against Padre Pio.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Alleged_supernatural_phenomena">Alleged supernatural phenomena</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 252px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="336" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/55/Padre_Pio_during_Mass.jpg/250px-Padre_Pio_during_Mass.jpg" width="250" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Padre Pio celebrating mass. His Mass would often last hours, as the
mystic received visions and experienced sufferings. Note the coverings
worn on his hands to cover his stigmata.</div>
</div>
</div>
Even the Vatican was skeptical about supernatural claims but Padre
Pio acquired fame as a worker. He was purported to have the gift of
reading souls, he is alleged to have been able to bilocate according to eyewitness accounts.<br />
<br />
In
1947, Father Karol Józef Wojtyła, a young Polish priest who would later
go on to become Pope John Paul II, visited Padre Pio, who heard his
confession. Austrian Cardinal Alfons Stickler
reported that Wojtyła confided to him that during this meeting Padre
Pio told him he would one day ascend to "the highest post in the Church
though further confirmation is needed."
Cardinal Stickler further went on to say that Wojtyła believed that the
prophecy was fulfilled when he became a Cardinal, not Pope, as has been
reported in works of piety. (John Paul's secretary, Stanisław Dziwisz,
denies the prediction, while George Weigel's biography <i>Witness to Hope</i>, which contains an account of the same visit, does not mention it)<br />
<br />
According
to oral tradition Bishop Wojtyła wrote to Padre Pio in 1962 to ask him
to pray for Dr. Wanda Poltawska,
a friend in Poland who was thought to be suffering from cancer. Later,
what was thought to be Dr. Poltawska's cancer was found to be in
Spontaneous remission; medical professionals were unable to offer an
explanation for the phenomenon (see frequency of spontaneous remission).<br />
<br />
Because of the unusual abilities Padre Pio possessed, the Holy See
twice instituted investigations of the stories surrounding him. However,
the Church has since formally approved his veneration with his canonization by Pope John Paul II in 2002.<br />
<br />
In the 1999 book, <i>Padre Pio: The Wonder Worker,</i>
a segment by Irish priest Malachy Gerard Carroll describes the story of
Gemma de Giorgi, a Sicilian girl whose alleged blindness some believe
was corrected during a visit to the Capuchin priest. Gemma, who was
brought to San Giovanni Rotondo in 1947 by her grandmother, was born
without pupils.<sup> </sup>During her trip to see Padre Pio, the little
girl reportedly began to see objects including a steamboat and the sea.
Gemma's grandmother did not believe the child had been healed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wonder_33-3">[</sup>
After Gemma forgot to ask Padre Pio for Grace during her Confession,
her grandmother reportedly implored the priest to ask God to restore her
sight.<sup> </sup>
Padre Pio, according to Carroll, told her, "The child must not weep and
neither must you for the child sees and you know she sees." The section
goes on to say that oculists were unable to determine how she gained
vision.<br />
<br />
Padre Pio is alleged to have waged physical
combat with Satan and his minions, similar to incidents described
concerning St. John Vianney,
from which he is said to have sustained extensive bruising. He is said
to communicate with angels and grant favors and healings before any
written or verbal request.<br />
<br />
On the day of his death, mystic and Servant of God Maria Esperanza de Bianchini
from Caracas, Venezuela reported that Padre Pio appeared to her in a
vision and stated "I have come to say good-bye. My time has come. It is
your turn."<sup> </sup> It is reported that her husband then watched as
his wife's face transfigured into that of Padre Pio. On the following
day, they heard of the death of Padre Pio. Witnesses claim to have seen
Esperanza herself levitating during Mass and engaging in bilocation
Padre Domenico da Cese a fellow Capuchin stigmatist reported that on
Sunday, September 22, 1968 he saw Padre Pio kneeling in prayer before
the Holy Face of Manoppello, although it was known that Padre Pio hadn't
left his room.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Stigmata">Stigmata</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="214" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Padre-Pio-young.jpg" width="150" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Padre Pio showing the stigmata</div>
</div>
</div>
On
20 September 1918, while hearing confessions, Padre Pio is said to have
had his first occurrence of the stigmata: bodily marks, pain, and
bleeding in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus
Christ.
This phenomenon continued for fifty years, until the end of his life.
The blood flowing from the stigmata is said to have smelled of perfume
or flowers, a phenomenon mentioned in stories of the lives of several
saints and often referred to as the <i>odour of sanctity</i>.<br />
<br />
His
stigmata, regarded by some as evidence of holiness, was studied
by physicians whose independence from the Church is not known. The
observations were reportedly unexplainable and the wounds never became
infected. His wounds healed once but reappeared.
They were examined by Luigi Romanelli, chief physician of the City
Hospital of Barletta, for about one year. Dr. Giorgio Festa, a private
practitioner also examined them in 1920 and 1925. Professor Giuseppe
Bastianelli, physician to Pope Benedict XV agreed that the wounds
existed but made no other comment. Pathologist Dr. Amico Bignami of the
University of Rome also observed the wounds but could make no diagnosis.
Both Bignami and Dr. Giuseppe Sala commented on the unusually smooth
edges of the wounds and lack of edema. Dr. Alberto Caserta took X-rays
of the hands in 1954 and found no abnormality in the bone structure.<br />
<br />
It was reputed, however, that his condition caused him great
embarrassment, and most photographs show him with red mittens or black
coverings on his hands and feet where the bleedings occurred.
At Padre Pio's death in 1968, his body appeared unwounded, with no sign
of scarring. Allegedly, there was a report that doctors who examined
his body found it empty of all blood.<br />
<br />
Those who have
accused Padre Pio of faking his stigmata, both
religious and non-religious, such as historian Sergio Luzzatto and
others, claim that Padre Pio used carbolic acid to self-inflict the
wounds. The sole piece of evidence for this is a single document found
in the Vatican's archive — the testimony of a pharmacist at the San
Giovanni Rotondo, Maria De Vito, from whom he ordered 4 grams of the
acid. This letter was amongst the material gathered by those who
disputed Padre Pio's stigmata at the time. According to De Vito, Padre
Pio asked her to keep the order secret, saying it was to sterilise
needles (he also asked for other things, such as Valda pastilles). The
document was examined but dismissed by the Catholic Church during Padre
Pio's beatification process.<br />
<br />
One commentator expressed the belief that the Church likely dismissed
the claims based on witnesses that stated the acid was in fact used for
sterilization: "The boys had needed injections to fight the Spanish Flu
which was raging at that time. Due to a shortage of doctors, Padres
Paolino and Pio administered the shots, using carbolic acid as a
sterilizing agent.”<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Death">Death</span></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUDhwvDSA-s/UF9v9rqwdRI/AAAAAAAADRk/qrLBwx_qkRw/s1600/S.Giovanni_Rotondo_%252819%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUDhwvDSA-s/UF9v9rqwdRI/AAAAAAAADRk/qrLBwx_qkRw/s320/S.Giovanni_Rotondo_%252819%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><small>St. Pio of Pietrelcina Chapel, San Giovanni Rontondo, Italy</small></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The
deterioration of Padre Pio's health started during the 1960s in
spite of which he continued his spiritual works. On 21 September 1968,
the day after the 50th anniversary of his receiving the Stigmata, Padre
Pio experienced great tiredness. The next day, on 22 September 1968,
Padre Pio was supposed to offer a Solemn High Mass, but feeling weak and
fearing that he might be too ill to complete the Mass, he asked his
superior if he might say a Low Mass
instead, just as he had done daily for years. Due to the large number
of pilgrims present for the Mass, Padre Pio's superior decided the
Solemn High Mass must proceed, and so Padre Pio, in the spirit of
obedience to his superior, went on to celebrate the Solemn High Mass.
While celebrating the Solemn High Mass, he appeared extremely weak and
in a fragile state. His voice was weak when he said the Mass, and after
the Mass had concluded, he was so weakened that he almost collapsed as
he was descending the altar steps and needed help from a great many of
his Capuchin confreres. This would be Padre Pio's last celebration of
the Mass.<br />
<br />
Early in the morning of 23 September 1968,
Padre Pio made his last confession and renewed his Franciscan vows. As
was customary, he had his rosary in his hands, though he did not have
the strength to say the Hail Marys aloud. Till the end, he repeated the
words "Gesù, Maria" (Jesus, Mary). At
around 2:30am, he said, "I see two mothers" (taken to mean his mother
and Mary). At 2:30 a.m. he breathed his last in his cell in San Giovanni
Rotondo with his last breath whispering, "Maria!"<br />
<br />
His body was buried on 26 September in a crypt in the Church of Our
Lady of Grace. His Requiem Mass was attended by over 100,000 people. He
was often heard to say, "After my death I will do more. My real mission
will begin after my death."
The accounts of those who stayed with Padre Pio till the end state that
the stigmata had completely disappeared without even leaving a scar.
Only a red mark "as if drawn by a red pencil" remained on his side which
then disappeared.<br />
<br />
St. Pio of Pietrelcina is currently known as the patron saint of
civil defense volunteers, after a group of 160 of them petitioned the
Italian Bishops’ conference. The Bishops forwarded the request to the
Vatican, which gave its approval to the designation.
He is also “less officially” known as the patron saint of stress relief
and the “January blues,” after the Catholic Enquiry Office in London
proclaimed him as such. They designated the most depressing day of the
year, identified as January 22, as Don’t Worry Be Happy day, in honor of
Padre Pio’s famous advice: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Sainthood_and_later_recognition">Sainthood and later recognition</span></h2>
In 1982, the Holy See authorized the Archbishop of Manfredonia to
open an investigation to discover whether Padre Pio should be considered
a saint. The investigation went on for seven years, and in 1990 Padre
Pio was declared a Servant of God, the first step in the progression to canonization.<br />
<br />
Beginning
in 1990, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints debated how
heroically Padre Pio had lived his life, and in 1997 Pope John Paul II
declared him venerable.
A discussion of the effects of his life on others followed, including
the cure of an Italian woman, Consiglia de Martino, which had been
associated with Padre Pio's intercession. In 1999, on the advice of the
Congregation, John Paul II declared Padre Pio blessed.<br />
<br />
After further consideration of Padre Pio's virtues and ability to do
good even after his death, including discussion of another healing
attributed to his intercession, the Pope declared Padre Pio a saint on
16 June 2002. Three hundred thousand people were estimated to have attended the canonization ceremony.<br />
Padre
Pio is one of only two saints who were priests living after the Second
Vatican Council; the other being Saint Josemaria Escriva. Both priests
had permission from the Pope to offer the traditional Latin Mass without
any of the liturgical reforms that stemmed from the Council.<br />
<br />
On
1 July 2004, Pope John Paul II dedicated the Padre Pio Pilgrimage
Church in San Giovanni Rotondo to the memory of Saint Pio of
Pietrelcina. A statue of Saint Pio in Messina, Sicily attracted
attention in 2002 when it reportedly wept tears of blood.
Padre Pio has become one of the world's most popular saints. There are
more than 3,000 "Padre Pio Prayer Groups" worldwide, with three million
members. There are parishes dedicated to Padre Pio in Vineland and
Lavallette, New Jersey and Sydney, Australia, and there is a St. Padre
Pio Shrine in Buena, New Jersey. A 2006 survey by the magazine <i>Famiglia Cristiana</i>
found that more Italian Catholics pray to Padre Pio than to any other
figure. This prayer, more properly understood as a request, is not to be
confused with worship which the Catholic Church teaches is due only to
God himself.<br />
<br />
A statue of Padre Pio will be built on a hill near the town of San Giovanni Rotondo in the southern province of Puglia,
Italy, close to the town where he is commemorated. The project will
cost several million pounds, with the money to be raised from his
devotees around the world. The statue will be coated in a special
photovoltaic paint which will enable it to trap the sun's heat and
produce solar energy, making it an "ecological" religious icon.<br />
<br />
On
3 March 2008, the body of Saint Pio was exhumed from his crypt, 40
years after his death, so that his remains could be prepared for
display. A church statement described the body as being in "fair
condition". Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio, Papal legate to the shrine
in San Giovanni Rotondo, stated "the top part of the skull is partly
skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well
preserved". Archbishop D’Ambrosio also confirmed in a communiqué that
“the stigmata are not visible.” He went on to say that St. Pio's hands
"looked like they had just undergone a manicure". It was hoped that
morticians
would be able to restore the face so that it will be recognizable.
However, because of its deterioration, his face was covered with a
lifelike silicone mask.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Cardinal
José Saraiva Martins, prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of
the Saints, celebrated Mass for 15,000 devotees on 24 April at the
Shrine of Holy Mary of Grace, San Giovanni Rotondo, before the body went
on display in a crystal, marble, and silver sepulcher in the crypt of
the monastery. Padre Pio is wearing his brown Capuchin habit with a
white silk stole embroidered with crystals and gold thread. His hands
hold a large wooden cross. 800,000 pilgrims
worldwide, mostly from Italy, made reservations to view the body up to
December 2008, but only 7,200 people a day were able to file past the
crystal coffin. Officials extended the display through September, 2009.<br />
<br />
Saint Pio's remains were placed in the church of Saint Pio, which is
beside San Giovanni Rotondo. In April 2010 they were moved to a special
golden "Cripta".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul>
<li id="cite_note-Ruffin-0"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Ruffin, Bernard C. (1991). <i>Padre Pio: The True Story</i>. Our Sunday Visitor. pp. 444. ISBN 978-0-87973-673-6</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ewtn1-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">Gerhold, Ryan (2007-02-20). "The Second St. Francis". <i>The Angelus</i>: 12–18</span></span><span class="mw-cite-backlink">.</span><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Padre Pio the Man Part 1"<span class="printonly">. http://www.ewtn.com/padrepio/man/biography.htm</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-09-19</span></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Pietrelcina-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">Peluso, Paul (2002-06-17). "Back to Pietrelcina". <i>Padre Pio Foundation</i><span class="printonly">. http://www.padrepio.com/app19.html</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-09-20</span></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-nolan-4"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">olan, Geraldine. <i>Padre Pio A living Crucifix</i>. Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary Editions<span class="printonly">. http://www.padrepio.org.uk/padrepiointro.html#EarlyYears</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-09-19</span></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-garabandal-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal">Pelletier, Joseph A (2007-02-20). "PADRE PIO, MARY, AND THE ROSARY". <i>Garabandal</i><span class="printonly">. http://www.garabandal.us/padre_maryrosary.html</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-09-19</span></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-garabandal-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation Journal"><span class="reference-accessdate"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Michael
Freze (1989). They Bore the Wounds of Christ: The Mystery of the Sacred
Stigmata. OSV Publishing. pp. 283–285. ISBN 0-87973-422-1.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> <span dir="auto"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span>Stigmata</span></span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 242px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ok2YDlNOkzo/UF9zGcyEO6I/AAAAAAAADSs/TQJZ4lUZ050/s1600/sacredheart+&+5+wounds+of+Christ.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ok2YDlNOkzo/UF9zGcyEO6I/AAAAAAAADSs/TQJZ4lUZ050/s320/sacredheart+&+5+wounds+of+Christ.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Stigmata</b> (singular <i>stigma</i>)
are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations
corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, such as the
hands and feet. In some cases, rope marks on the wrists have accompanied
the wounds on the hands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The term originates from the
line at the end of Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians where he says,
"I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." <i>Stigmata</i> is the plural of the Greek word στίγμα <i>stigma</i>,
meaning a mark or brand such as might have been used for identification
of an animal or slave. An individual bearing stigmata is referred to as
a <b>stigmatic</b> or a <b>stigmatist</b>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Stigmata
are primarily associated with the Roman Catholic faith. Many reported
stigmatics are members of Catholic religious orders.
St. Francis of Assisi was the first recorded stigmatic in Christian
history. For over fifty years Padre Pio of Pietrelcina of the Order of
Friars Minor Capuchin
reported stigmata which were studied by several 20th century
physicians, whose independence from the Church is not known. The
observations were reportedly unexplainable and the wounds never became
infected.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A high percentage (perhaps over 80%) of all stigmatics are women. In his <i>Stigmata: A Medieval Phenomenon in a Modern Age</i>, Edward Harrison suggests that there is no single mechanism whereby the marks of stigmata were produced.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Description">Stigmata Description</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Reported cases of stigmata take various forms. Many show some or all of five Holy Wounds that were, according to the Bible,
inflicted on Jesus during his crucifixion: wounds in the wrists and
feet, from nails, and in the side, from a lance. Some stigmatics display
wounds to the forehead similar to those caused by the Crown of Thorns.
Stigmata as crown of thorns appearing in the 20th century, e.g. on
Marie Rose Ferron have been repeatedly photographed. Other reported
forms include tears of blood or sweating blood, and wounds to the back
as from scourging.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many
stigmata show recurring bleeding that stops and then starts, at times
after receiving Holy Communion and a large percentage of stigmatics have
shown a high desire to frequently receive Holy Communion. A relatively high percentage of stigmatics also exhibit Inedia,
living with minimal (or no) food or water for long periods of time,
except for the Holy Eucharist, and some exhibit loss of weight.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The ecstasy and sufferings usually began for the Saints who suffered
stigmata starting on Thursday and ending on Friday afternoon around 3 or
4 o' clock. All the recipients of this mystical wounding suffered
dreadfully. Many of the stigmatics experienced cruel rejection and
suspicion before their wounds were authenticated. Saints who suffered
stigmata were carefully watched day and night so that tampering with the
wounds could not be performed. When these methods were used, a number
of false stigmatics were exposed. Sometimes this stigmata became
invisible on express request and prayers by the Saints who suffered
them.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some stigmatics claim to feel the pain of wounds with no external
marks; these are referred to as invisible stigmata. In other claims,
stigmata are accompanied by extreme pain. Some stigmatics' wounds do not
appear to clot, and stay fresh and uninfected. The blood from the
wounds is said, in some cases, to have a pleasant, perfumed odor, known
as the Odour of Sanctity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="text-align: justify;">
<span dir="auto">Odour of sanctity</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>odour of sanctity</b> or <b>odor of sanctity</b>,
according to the Catholic Church, is commonly understood to mean a
specific scent (often compared to flowers) that emanates from the bodies
of saints, especially from the wounds of stigmata. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The odour of sanctity can be understood to mean two things:</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>An ontological state (a state of being), not usually related to an
actual olfactory sensation, indicating that the individual possessing it
is in a state of grace (i.e., a state characterized by the absence of
mortal sin). Usually refers to the state of an individual's soul at the
time of death. Some canonized saints are said to have died in an odour
of sanctity.</li>
<li>An actual odour (scent or aroma) present at the time of death and for some time thereafter.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The term "odour of sanctity"
appears to have emerged in the Middle Ages, at a time when many saints
were raised to that status by acclamation of the faithful. In the
absence of carefully written records, either by or about the individual,
evidence of a saintly life
was attested to only by personal recollections of those around him or
her. It appears that the odour of sanctity occurring at the person’s
death carried some weight in convincing the local ecclesiastical
authority to "canonize" the saint – to allow the faithful to venerate
and pray to him or her.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="text-align: justify;">
<span dir="auto">Religious ecstasy</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Individuals who have obtained the stigmata are many times described as
<b>ecstatics</b>. At the time of receiving the stigmata they are overwhelmed
with emotions. No case of stigmata is known to have occurred before the
thirteenth century, when the depiction of the crucified Jesus in Western
Christendom emphasized his humanity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Religious ecstasy</b> is an altered state of consciousness
characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded
interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied
by visions and emotional/intuitive (and sometimes physical) euphoria. Although the experience is usually brief in time,
there are records of such experiences lasting several days or even
more, and of recurring experiences of ecstasy during one's lifetime.
Subjective perception of time, space and/or self may strongly change or
disappear during ecstasy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In his paper <i>Hospitality and Pain,</i> Christian theologian Ivan Illich
states: "Compassion with Christ... is faith so strong and so deeply
incarnate that it leads to the individual embodiment of the contemplated
pain." His thesis is that stigmata result from exceptional poignancy of
religious faith and desire to associate oneself with the suffering Messiah.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Specific_cases">Specific cases</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="St._Francis_of_Assisi">St. Francis of Assisi</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lM7WwKXYlc/UF9zHQaNALI/AAAAAAAADS0/o1kk1m0M_3o/s1600/saint-francis-of-assisi-receiving-the-stigmata.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lM7WwKXYlc/UF9zHQaNALI/AAAAAAAADS0/o1kk1m0M_3o/s320/saint-francis-of-assisi-receiving-the-stigmata.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Francis Assisi with Stigmata, Murillo C1680</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
St. Francis of Assisi is the first recorded stigmatic in Christian history.
In 1224, two years before his death, he embarked on a journey to Mt. La
Verna for a forty day fast. One morning near the feast of the
Exaltation of the Cross, a six winged angel allegedly appeared to
Francis while he prayed. As the angel approached, Francis could see that
the angel was crucified. He was humbled by the sight, and his heart was
filled with elation joined by pain and suffering. When the angel
departed, Francis was purportedly left with wounds in his hands, feet,
and side as if caused by the same lance that pierced Christ’s side. The
image of nails immediately appeared in his hands and feet, and the wound
in his side often seeped blood.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
St. Francis' first biographer, Thomas of Celano, reports the event as follows in his 1230 <i>First Life of St. Francis</i>:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
"When the blessed servant of God saw these things he was filled with
wonder, but he did not know what the vision meant. He rejoiced greatly
in the benign and gracious expression with which he saw himself regarded
by the seraph, whose beauty was indescribable; yet he was alarmed by
the fact that the seraph was affixed to the cross and was suffering
terribly. Thus Francis rose, one might say, sad and happy, joy and grief
alternating in him. He wondered anxiously what this vision could mean,
and his soul was uneasy as it searched for understanding. And as his
understanding sought in vain for an explanation and his heart was filled
with perplexity at the great novelty of this vision, the marks of nails
began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them
slightly earlier in the crucified man above him. His wrists and feet
seemed to be pierced by nails, with the heads of the nails appearing on
his wrists and on the upper sides of his feet, the points appearing on
the other side. The marks were round on the palm of each hand but
elongated on the other side, and small pieces of flesh jutting out from
the rest took on the appearance of the nail-ends, bent and driven back.
In the same way the marks of nails were impressed on his feet and
projected beyond the rest of the flesh. Moreover, his right side had a
large wound as if it had been pierced with a spear, and it often bled so
that his tunic and trousers were soaked with his sacred blood." </blockquote>
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Pio_of_Pietrelcina">Padre Pio of Pietrelcina</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Padre-Pio-young.jpg" height="214" width="150" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A young Padre Pio showing the stigmata.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For
over fifty years, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina reported stigmata which were
studied by several 20th century physicians, whose independence from the
Church is not known. The observations were reportedly unexplainable and
the wounds never became infected. His wounds healed once, but
reappeared. The wounds
were examined by Luigi Romanelli, chief physician of the City Hospital
of Barletta, for about one year. Dr. Giorgio Festa, a private
practitioner, also examined them in 1920 and 1925. Professor Giuseppe
Bastianelli, physician to Pope Benedict XV, agreed that the wounds
existed but made no other comment. Pathologist Dr. Amico Bignami of the
University of Rome also observed the wounds, but could make no
diagnosis. Both Bignami
and Dr. Giuseppe Sala commented on the unusually smooth edges of the
wounds and lack of edema. Dr. Alberto Caserta took X-rays of the hands
in 1954 and found no abnormality in the bone structure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_stigmatics">Notable stigmatics</span></h2>
<div class="column-count column-count-3" style="text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li>Saint Paul the Apostle</li>
<li>Blessed Lucia Brocadelli of Narni</li>
<li>Saint Catherine of Ricci</li>
<li>Saint Catherine of Siena</li>
<li>Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich</li>
<li>Saint Francesco di Assisi</li>
<li>Saint Gemma Galgani</li>
<li>Saint Veronica Giuliani</li>
<li>Saint John of God</li>
<li>Saint Faustina Kowalska</li>
<li>Saint Marie of the Incarnation</li>
<li>Marie Rose Ferron</li>
<li>Marcelline Pauper, member of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers</li>
<li>Marthe Robin</li>
<li>Therese Neumann</li>
<li>Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina</li>
<li>Saint Rita of Cascia</li>
<li>Zlatko Sudac</li>
<li>Natuzza Evolo</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-mystical-0"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><i>Saint Francis of Assisi</i> by Jacques Le Goff 2003 ISBN 0-415-28473-2</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-mystical-0"><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Harrison, Ted (1994-10). <i>Stigmata: A Medieval Phenomenon in a Modern Age</i>. St Martins Press. ISBN 0-312-11372-2.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-mystical-0"><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"> </span></span></span>Poulain,
A. (1912). Mystical Stigmata. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York:
Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 21, 2012 from New Advent:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14294b.htm</span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Thurston, Herbert (2007-02-01). <i>The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism</i>. Roman Catholic Books. ISBN 1-929291-91-4, 9781929291915.</span></span>.</li>
<li><span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1989, <i>They Bore the Wounds of Christ: The Mystery of the Sacred Stigmata</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-422-1</span></li>
<li>Living Miracles - Stigmata, Zentropa Real ApS. & Wonders Unlimited, 2005.</li>
<li>Sadaputa Dasa, Religion and Modern Rationalism: Shifting the
Boundary Between Myth and Science, ISKCON Communications Journal #1.2,
July/December 1993.</li>
</ul>
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Snippet II: </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span dir="auto">The Five Holy Wounds</span></span></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPdxD9RxNT3NvPl0RN2U_U7eZl-tj7g6ELEjsSvVqcEaLvuISEXlH6-qhyphenhyphenOsz5B8Zu8OtkNm19unkZBJ_DtBxpdZ_0iyGeiO7nahyg7G80JXeF0BgoVqJAM8WSCZt9t17AqUrmcQMOSzB/s1600/220px-Crucifixion_Icon_Sinai_13th_century.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPdxD9RxNT3NvPl0RN2U_U7eZl-tj7g6ELEjsSvVqcEaLvuISEXlH6-qhyphenhyphenOsz5B8Zu8OtkNm19unkZBJ_DtBxpdZ_0iyGeiO7nahyg7G80JXeF0BgoVqJAM8WSCZt9t17AqUrmcQMOSzB/s1600/220px-Crucifixion_Icon_Sinai_13th_century.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crucifixon 13th Century, Monastery</td></tr>
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The Five <b>Holy Wounds</b> or Five <b>Sacred Wounds</b>
refer to what are believed to be the five piercing wounds that was
suffered during the crucifixion of Jesus. These wounds are not
explicitly mentioned in any of the canonical Gospels until the
Resurrection, although John the Evangelist states that no bones were
broken. In the course of His Passion, Jesus suffered other wounds as
well, such as those from the crown of thorns and from the flagellation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Two
of the wounds were through either his hands or his wrists, where nails
were inserted to fix Jesus
to the cross-beam of the cross on which he was crucified. According to
M.D., Ph.D Frederick T. Zugibe, the most plausible region for the nail
entry site in the case of Jesus is the upper part of the palm angled
toward the wrist since this area can easily support the weight of the
body, assures no bones are broken, marks the location where most people
believed it to be, accounts for where most of the stigmatists have
displayed their wounds and it is where artists through the centuries
have designated it and lastly it would result in apparent lengthening of
the fingers of the hand because of nail compression. Two were through
the feet where the nail(s) passed through both to the vertical beam.<br />
<br />
The
final wound was in the side of Jesus' chest, where, according to the
New Testament, his body was pierced by the Holy Lance in order to be
sure that he was dead. The Gospel of John states that blood and water
poured out of this wound (John 19:34).<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Holy_Wound_prayers">Holy Wounds Devotion</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" height="155" width="103" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
</div>
</div>
The Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers that focus on the Holy Wounds. An example is the <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> (also called the <i>Chaplet of Holy Wounds</i>),
a rosary devotion directed to Jesus, rather than the Virgin Mary. Like
some other rosary based prayers (such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy) it
uses the usual rosary beads, but does not include the usual Mysteries
of the Rosary. The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> was first introduced
at the beginning of the 20th century by the Venerable Sister Mary
Martha Chambon, a lay Roman Catholic Sister of the <i>Monastery of the Visitation Order</i> in Chambéry, France as a focus on the Holy Wounds of Jesus.<br />
<br />
<b>Marie Martha Chambon</b> (1841 – March 21, 1907) was a lay Roman Catholic nun known for introducing the <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i>. She was a member of the <i>Monastery of the Visitation Order</i>
who lived in Chambéry, France.
She is in the process of canonization by the Roman Catholic Church. She
died on March 21, 1907, and the cause for her beatification was
introduced in 1937. She began to report visions of Jesus in 1866,
telling her to contemplate the Holy Wounds, although it is said that she
had received her first vision when only five years old. These were
visions of Jesus Christ appearing to her and teaching her specific
prayers and meditations on His wounds. She reported that she was told to
pray to and invoke the Holy Wounds unceasingly.
Her mother superior kept a chronicle of her life which was published in
1923 and sold widely. The next year the Vatican granted an indulgence
to those who said the following prayer, based on her reported visions:
"Eternal Father I offer the wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal
those of our souls."<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus asked her
to unite her sufferings with His in the Rosary of the Holy Wounds as an
Act of Reparation for the sins of the world.
She reported that Jesus told her that "[w]hen you offer My Holy Wounds
for sinners, you must not forget to do so for the souls in Purgatory, as
there are but few who think of their relief... The Holy Wounds are the
treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory."<br />
<br />
According
to Ann Ball, Chambon was told to revive the Holy Wounds devotion. Part
of this devotion can be a Chaplet of Mercy of the Holy Wounds of Jesus,
which was based on Chambon's private revelations. This chaplet was
approved for the Institute of Visitation in 1912, and was extended to
all the faithful at large by the Sacred Penitentiary in 1924. According
to Liz Kelly, the Rosary of the Holy Wounds was revealed to Chambon and
is prayed on a standard five decade rosary.</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Chaplet of the Five Holy Wounds</h2>
The Chaplet of the Holy Wounds is recited on a standard rosary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>On the Crucifix
recite:</b><br />
Oh JESUS, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.
<br />
Strong God, Holy God, Immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grace and Mercy, O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with Your Precious Blood. Amen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">ETERNAL
Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Your only
Son; grant us mercy we beseech You. Amen, Amen, Amen </span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>The first three beads of
the Rosary recite:</b> </span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">
<b>Bead 1:</b> Strong God, holy God, immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Amen. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Bead 2:</b> Grace and mercy, O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with Your Precious Blood. Amen.
<b>Bead 3:</b> Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Your only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech You. Amen. </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<b>On the each decade:</b><br />
Recite Mystery and Hail Mary followed by "My Jesus, pardon and mercy, through the merits of Your Holy Wounds" and a Glory Be.<br />
<br />
<b>On the large beads between each decade:</b><br />
Recite
an Our Father followed by "Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of
our Lord Jesus Christ. To heal the wounds of our souls."<br />
<br />
<b>Conclude</b>:<br />
Recite three additional Hail Mary's are said in honor of Our Lady of Sorrow's Tears. Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>THE 17 PROMISES OF OUR LORD OF CHAPLET DEVOTION:</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>
</b>1. At each word that you pronounce of the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, I
allow a drop of My Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner. <br />
2. Each time that you offer to My Father the merits of My Divine
Wounds, you win an immense fortune. <br />
3. Souls that will have contemplated and honored My crown of thorns on
earth, will be My crown of glory in Heaven! <br />
4. I will grant all that is asked of Me through the invocation of My
Holy Wounds. You will obtain everything, because it is through the
merit of My Blood, which is of infinite price. With My Wounds and My
Divine Heart, everything can be obtained. <br />
5. From My Wounds proceed fruits of sanctity. As gold purified in the
crucible becomes more beautiful, so you must put your soul and those of
your companions into My sacred Wounds; there they will become perfected
as gold in the furnace. You can always purify yourself in My Wounds. <br />
6. My Wounds will repair yours. My Wounds will cover all your faults.
Those who honor them will have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In
meditation on them, you will always find a new love. My Wounds will
cover all your sins. <br />
7. Plunge your actions into My Wounds and they will be of value. All
your actions, even the least, soaked in My Blood, will acquire by this
alone an infinite merit and will please My Heart.<br />
8. In offering My Wounds for the conversion of sinners, even though the
sinners are not converted, you will have the same merit before God as
if they were. <br />
9. When you have some trouble, something to suffer, quickly place it in
My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated. <br />
10. This aspiration must often be repeated near the sick: "My Jesus,
pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds!" This prayer
will solace soul and body. <br />
11. A sinner who will say the following prayer will obtain conversion:
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to
heal those of our souls." <br />
12. There will be no death for the soul that expires in My Holy Wounds;
they give true life. <br />
13. This chaplet is a counterpoise to My justice; it restrains My
vengeance. <br />
14. Those who pray with humility and who meditate on My Passion, will
one day participate in the glory of My Divine Wounds. <br />
15. The more you will have contemplated My painful Wounds on this
earth, the higher will be your contemplation of them glorious in
Heaven. <br />
16. The soul who during life has honored the Wounds of our Lord Jesus
Christ and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the Souls in
Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy
Virgin and the Angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in
glory, will receive her and crown her. <br />
17. The invocations of the Holy Wounds will obtain an incessant victory
for the Church. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<ul></ul>
<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"></cite></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"></cite></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"></cite></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"><span class="reference-accessdate"></span></cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Historic+Centre+of+Rome%2C+the+Properties+of+the+Holy+See+in+that+City+Enjoying+Extraterritorial+Rights+and+San+Paolo+Fuori+le+Mura&rft.pub=Whc.unesco.org&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwhc.unesco.org%2Fen%2Flist%2F91%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABasilica+di+Santa+Maria+Maggiore"></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ol>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
<br />
The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<br />
<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 160px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
</div>
</div>
<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 105px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
</div>
</div>
The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962861"></a> </h3>
<br />
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 1</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
PERSECUTION OF HEROD AND THE WILL OF GOD MADE KNOWN TO MARY OCCASION
HER SOJOURN IN EPHESUS </span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Describes
the Journey of the Most Blessed Mary with Saint John to Ephesus; the
Death and Chastisement of Herod; the Destruction of the Temple of
Diana; the Return of the Most Blessed Mary from Ephesus to Jerusalem;
the Instructions She gave to the Evangelists; the exalted State of
Her purest Soul before Her death; Her most blessed Transition,
Assumption and Coronation in heaven.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Saint John made preparations for the
journey and embarkation for Ephesus, and on the fourth day, which was
the fifth of January of the year forty, saint John notified Her that
it was time to leave; for there would be a ship and all things had
been arranged for the journey. The great Mistress of obedience,
without answer or delay, knelt down and asked permission of the Lord
to leave the Cenacle and Jerusalem; and then She proceeded to take
leave of the owner of the house and its inhabitants. It can easily be
imagined, how sorrowful they were at this leave–taking; for on
account of her most sweet conversation, and because of the favors and
blessings received at her liberal hands, all were held captives and
prisoners in love and veneration of Her, whereas now all at once they
were to be deprived of her consoling presence and of this rich
Treasure, the well spring of so many blessings. All of them offered
to follow and accompany Her; but as this was not opportune, they
asked Her to hasten her return and not to forsake forever this house,
which was entirely at her disposal. The heavenly Mother thanked them
for these pious and loving wishes by expressing her own humble love,
and She somewhat allayed their grief by giving them hope of her
return.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then She asked permission of saint
John to visit the holy places of our Redemption and there to worship
and adore the Lord, who had consecrated them by his presence and his
precious blood. With the Apostle She made these sacred stations,
exhibiting incredible devotion and tears of reverent love, and saint
John, deeply consoled at being permitted to accompany Her, exercised
himself in heroic acts of virtue. The most blessed Mother saw at each
of the holy places the angels, who had been deputed to guard and
defend them; and anew She charged them to resist Lucifer and his
demons, lest they destroy or profane by irreverence those sacred
spots, as they desired and intended to do through the unbelieving
Jews. She told the angels to drive away by holy inspirations the bad
thoughts and diabolical suggestions, by which the infernal dragon
sought to excite the Jews and other mortals to blot out the memory of
Christ our Savior in those holy places, and She charged them with
this duty for all the future times, since the wrath of the evil
spirits against the places and the works of the Redemption endures
through all the ages. The holy angels obeyed their Queen and Mistress
in all that She ordained.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having satisfied her piety, She asked
saint John on her knees to bless her for the journey, just as She had
been wont to do with her divine Son; for She continued to exercise
the same great virtues of obedience and humility toward the beloved
disciple, His substitute. Many of the faithful of Jerusalem offered
Her money, jewels, vehicles and all things necessary for her journey
to the sea and to Ephesus. The most prudent Lady humbly showed her
appreciation to all, but accepted nothing. For her journey to the sea
She made use of an unpretentious beast of burden, on which She was
carried along as the Queen of the virtues and of the poor. She
recollected the journeys and pilgrimages She had made with her divine
Son and with her spouse Joseph, and these recollections together with
the heavenly love, which had induced Her once more to travel,
awakened in her dove–like heart tender and devout affections.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
They came to the harbor and
immediately embarked in the ship with other passengers. The great
Queen of the world was now for the first time upon the sea. She saw
and comprehended with clearness the vast Mediterranean and its
communication with the great ocean. She beheld its height and depth,
its length and breadth, its caverns and secret recesses, its sands
and minerals, its ebb and tide, its animals, its whales and fishes of
all sizes, and whatever other portentous animals it enclosed.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When this great panorama of
creatures, in which were reflected, as from a most clear mirror, the
greatness and omnipotence of the Creator, was presented to her
faculties filled with heavenly wisdom, her spirit winged its ardent
flight to the very being of God, so wonderfully reflected in those
creatures, and for all of them, and in all of them, She gave praise
and glory and magnificence to the Most High. With the compassion of a
most loving Mother for those who trusted their lives to the
indomitable fury of the sea in navigating over its waves, She most
fervently besought the Almighty to protect from its dangers all who
should call upon her name and ask for her intercession. The Lord
immediately granted this petition and promised to favor whoever upon
the sea should carry some image of Her and should sincerely look upon
this Star of the sea, most blessed Mary, for help in its perils.
Accordingly it will be understood, that, if the Catholics and the
faithful encounter ill success and perish in navigation, it is
because they ignore the favors to be obtained from the Queen of the
angels, or because on account of their sins they fail to remember Her
in the raging storms, or fail to seek her favors with sincere faith
and devotion; for neither can the word of the Lord ever fail, nor
will the great Mother ever deny assistance to those endangered by the
perils of the sea.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When they landed the great Queen
continued to work miracles equal to those wrought upon the sea. She
cured the sick and the possessed, who, as soon as they came into her
presence, were set free. I will not tarry to relate all these
wonders; for many books would be necessary and much time to describe
all the doings of the most blessed Mary and the favors of heaven,
which She dispensed as the instrument and medium of the omnipotence
of the Most High. I will record only those, which are necessary for
this history and which shall suffice to manifest in some measure the
unknown and wonderful works of our great Queen and Lady. In Ephesus
lived some Christians, who had come from Jerusalem. There were not
many, but on learning of the arrival of the Mother of Christ the
Redeemer, they hastened to pay Her a visit and offer their dwellings
and their possessions for her use. But the great Queen of virtues,
who sought neither ostentation nor temporal commodities, chose for
her dwelling the house of a few retired and poor women, who were
living by themselves free from the companionship of men. By the
intervention of the angels, they lovingly and generously placed their
home at the disposition of the Lady. In it they selected a very
retired room for the Queen and another for saint John, which these
Two occupied during their stay in Ephesus.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
‘<span lang="en-US">I’he
most blessed Mary thanked the owners who were to live with Her. Then
She retired to her room and, prostrate upon the ground as was usual
in her prayers, She adored the immutable essence of God, offering to</span><span lang="en-GB">
</span><span lang="en-US">sacrifice Herself in his service in this
city and saying: “Lord God omnipotent, by the immensity of thy
Divinity Thou fillest all the heavens and the earth (Jer. 23, 34). I,
thy humble handmaid, desire to fulfill entirely thy holy will, on all
occasions, in all places, and at all times, in which thy Providence
shall deign to place me; for Thou art my only Good, my being and my
life, and toward thy pleasure and satisfaction tend all my thoughts,
words and actions.” The most prudent Mother perceived that the
Lord accepted her prayer and her offering, and that He responded to
her desires with divine power, ready to assist and govern Her always.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">She continued her
prayer for the holy Church and laid out her plans for the assistance
of all the faithful. She called her angels and sent some of them to
aid the Apostles and disciples, whom She knew to be too much pressed
in the persecutions, raised by the demons through infidel men. In
those days saint Paul fled from Damascus before the attacks of the
Jews, as he himself mentions in the second epistle to the
Corinthians, where he says, that he was let down from the walls of
the city in a basket (IICor. 11, 23)</span><span lang="en-US"><i>. </i></span><span lang="en-US">To
defend him from these perils and those with which Lucifer threatened
him on his way to Jerusalem, the great Queen of angels sent her
angels to be his guard and protection; for the wrath and fury of hell
was roused against saint Paul more than against any of the other
Apostles. This is the journey the Apostle himself refers to in his
letter to the Galatians (Gal. 1, 18), where he says, that after three
years he went to Jerusalem to visit saint Peter. These three years
are not to be counted from the time of his conversion, but from the
time he had returned from Arabia to Damascus. This is to be inferred
from the text itself, for after stating that he returned from Arabia
to Damascus, he immediately adds, that after three years, he went up
to Jerusalem. If those three years are counted from the time before
his sojourn in Arabia, the text would occasion much confusion.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
With greater clearness this may be
proved by computing the time of the death of saint Stephen and the
journey of the most blessed Virgin to Ephesus. For counting from the
day of his Nativity, saint Stephen died at the end of the
thirty–fourth year of Christ, but counting them from the day of
the Circumcision, as the Church does now, saint Stephen died seven
days before the completion of the thirty–four years, being the
seven days before the first of January. The conversion of saint Paul
happened in the year thirty–six, on the twenty–fifth of
January. If he had come to Jerusalem three years afterwards, he would
have found there the most holy Mary and saint John, while he himself
says, that he had not seen any one of the Apostles there, except
saint Peter and saint James the less, who was called Alpheus. If the
holy Queen and saint John had at that time been in Jerusalem saint
Paul would certainly not have missed seeing them, and he would have
mentioned at least saint John; yet he says, that he had not seen him.
The explanation is, that saint Paul came to Jerusalem in the year
forty, four years after his conversion, and a little less than a
month after the most blessed Mary had departed for Ephesus. Saint
Paul had entered the fifth year of his conversion and the other
Apostles, except the two he saw, had already left Jerusalem and were
preaching the Gospel of Christ, each one in his appointed province.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Conformably with this reckoning we must assume,
that saint Paul spent the first year after his conversion, or the
greater part of it, in journeying to Arabia and preaching the Gospel
there; then, the three following years, in Damascus. Hence the
evangelist Luke, in the ninth chapter of his Acts of the Apostles,
although he says nothing of Paul’s journey to Arabia,
nevertheless says that for many days after his conversion the Jews of
Damascus plotted to take his life, these many days referring to the
four years thus passed. Then he adds, that his disciples, aware of
the plots of the Jews, on a certain night lowered him in a basket
from the city walls and thus despatched him on his journey to
Jerusalem. There, although knowing of his miraculous conversion, the
Apostles and the new disciples, nevertheless retained a certain fear
and suspicion of his not persevering, because he had been such a
professed enemy of Christ, our Savior. Hence they at first held
themselves aloof from saint Paul, until saint Barnaby spoke to them
and introduced him to saint Peter, saint James and other disciples
(Acts 26, 27). Saint Paul prostrated himself at the feet of the vicar
of Christ, kissed them in acknowledgment of his errors and sins, and
begging to be admitted as one of his subjects and as a follower of
his Master, whose holy name and faith he desired to preach at the
cost of his blood.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
From the fear and suspicion of saint
Peter and James concerning the perseverance of saint Paul we can
likewise deduct that he arrived in Jerusalem in the absence of the
most blessed Mary and saint John; for he would have presented himself
first of all to Her to allay suspicion against him; and the two
Apostles would likewise have first asked Her, whether they could
trust saint Paul. All of them would have been set at ease by the most
prudent Lady, as She was so solicitous and attentive in consoling and
instructing the Apostles, especially saint Peter. But since the great
Lady had already left for Ephesus, they had no one to assure them of
the constancy of saint Paul, until saint Peter reassured himself of
it at seeing him thus prostrate at his feet. Thereupon he was
received with great joy of soul by saint Peter and the other
disciples. All of them gave humble and fervent thanks to the Most
High, and commissioned saint Paul to preach in Jerusalem. This he
gladly did, to the astonishment of all the Jews who knew him. As his
words were like burning arrows, that penetrated into the hearts of
all that heard him, they were struck with terror; and in two days all
Jerusalem was roused by the news of his arrival, flocking to see him
with their own eyes.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Lucifer and his demons were not
asleep on this occasion, for they were visited by the Almighty with
an increase of torment at the arrival of saint Paul. The divine
power, so evident in him, oppressed and paralyzed the infernal
dragons. But as their pride and malice shall never be extinguished
through all the eternity of their existence (Ps. 73, 23), they were
roused to fury, as soon as they recognized this divine virtue as
flowing from Paul. Lucifer, with incredible rage, called together
many legions of the demons and exhorted them anew to rouse themselves
and exert all the forces of their malice for the entire destruction
of saint Paul, and not to leave any stone unturned in Jerusalem and
in all the world for the attainment of this object. The demons
without delay set about this work, exciting Herod and the Jews
against the Apostle, and directing their attention to the burning
zeal with which he began to preach in Jerusalem.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The great Mistress
of heaven perceived all this from her retirement in Ephesus; for in
addition to the knowledge of all things through her heavenly science,
She received information of all that happened to saint Paul from the
angels She had sent for his defense. As the most blessed Mother
expected the disturbance about to be raised by the malice of Herod
and the Jews, especially against saint Paul, and as, on the other
hand, She knew the importance of preserving his life for the
exaltation of God’s name and the spread of the Gospel, the
great Queen was filled with new solicitude and regret at being absent
from Palestine, where She could have rendered more immediate
assistance to the Apostles. Therefore She sought to furnish it so
much the more abundantly from Ephesus by multiplying her prayers and
petitions, her ceaseless tears and sighs, and by other measures
through the hands of her holy angels. In order to allay her
anxieties, the Lord one day in her prayer, assured Her, that He would
fulfill</span> <span lang="en-US">her petitions and protect the life
of saint Paul in this danger and in these assaults of the devil. And
so He did: for one day saint Paul, while praying in the temple, was
raised to an ecstatic rapture and filled with most exalted
enlightenment and understanding, wherein the Lord commanded him
immediately to leave Jerusalem and save his life from the hatred of
the unbelieving Jews.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Hence saint Paul sojourned in
Jerusalem at that time not more than fifteen days, as he himself says
in his epistle to Galatians (Gal. 1, 18). After some years he turned
thither from Miletus and Ephesus and was taken prisoner, and he
refers to this ecstasy in the temple and to the command of the Lord
to leave Jerusalem in the twenty–second chapter of the Acts. Of
this vision and command he informed saint Peter, as the head of the
apostolic college; and after consultation concerning his mortal
danger, he was secretly sent to Caesarea and Tarsus with orders to
preach indiscriminately to the gentiles, which he did. The most
blessed Mary was the instrument and Mediatrix of all these miraculous
favors. It was through Her that her Divine Son operated them, and
from Her, God received the proper thanks for the graces distributed
to the whole Church.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having thus been reassured in regard
to the life of saint Paul, the most blessed Mother entertained the
hope that through the assistance of divine Providence She might save
the life of her cousin James, who was very dear to Her and who was
still in Saragossa, protected by the hundred angels She had appointed
for his guardians and companions at Granada. These holy angels
frequently went back and forth, bringing the petitions of the
Apostles to the most blessed Mary and her counsels back to him. In
this way saint James learned of the sojourn of the great Queen in
Ephesus. When he had brought the chapel or small temple of the Pillar
in Saragossa to a sufficient state of completion, he consigned it to
the care of the bishop and the disciples anointed by him here as in
other cities in Spain. Some months after the apparition of the Queen,
he departed from Saragossa, continuing to preach through different
provinces. Having come to Catalonia, he embarked for Italy, where
without much delay, he pursued his journey overland always preaching
until he again embarked for Asia, and ardently desiring to see there
the most blessed Mary, his Mistress and Protectress.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Saint James happily attained his object and
reached Ephesus. There he prostrated himself at the feet of the
Mother of his Creator, shedding copious tears of joy and veneration.
From his inmost heart he thanked Her for the peerless favors obtained
at her hands from the Most High during his travels and his preaching
in Spain and especially for her having visited him and conferred such
blessings upon him during her visits. The heavenly Mother, as
Mistress of humility, immediately raised him from the ground and said
to him: “My Master, remember thou art the anointed of the Lord
and his minister, and that I am an humble wormlet.” With these
words the great Lady fell on her knees and asked the blessing of
saint James as a priest of the Most High. He remained for some days
in Ephesus in the company of the most blessed Mary and of his brother
John, to whom he gave an account of all that had happened to him in
Spain. With the most prudent Mother during those days he held most
exalted colloquies and conferences, of which it will suffice to
record the following.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">When the Jews,
through the conviction and conversion of Philetus and Hermogenes, saw
their hope frustrated, they were filled with new anger against the
apostle saint James and they were determined to put an end to his
life. For this purpose they bribed Democritus and Lysias, centurions
of the Roman militia, to furnish them with</span> <span lang="en-US">soldiers
for the arrest of the Apostle.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order to hide their treachery they
were to raise a feigned quarrel or disturbance on a certain day
during his preaching and thus get him within their power. The
execution of this wicked design was left to Abiator, the high–priest
of that year and to Josias, a scribe of the same mind as the
high–priest. As they had planned, so they executed their
scheme; for, while the saint was preaching to the people about the
mystery of the Redemption, proving it to them with admirable wisdom
from the testimonies of the ancient writings and moving his audience
to tears of compunction, the priest and the scribe were roused to
diabolical fury. Giving the signal to the Roman soldiers, the priest
sent Josias to throw a rope around the neck of saint James and fell
upon him, proclaiming him a disturber of the people and the author of
a new religion in opposition to the Roman empire.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Democritus and Lysias thereupon
rushed up with their soldiers and brought the Apostle bound to Herod,
the son of Archelaus, whose malice had been roused interiorly through
the astuteness of Lucifer and exteriorly by the evil–minded and
hateful Jews. Thus doubly incited, Herod began against the disciples
of the Lord, whom he abhorred, the persecution mentioned by saint
Luke in the twelfth chapter of the Acts and sent his soldiers to
afflict and imprison them. He instantly commanded saint James to be
beheaded, as the Jews had asked. Incredible was the joy of the holy
Apostle at being seized and bound like his Master and at seeing
himself conducted to the place, where he was to pass from this mortal
life to the eternal through martyrdom, as he had been informed by the
Queen of heaven. He offered most humble thanks for this benefit and
publicly reiterated the open profession of his faith in Christ our
Lord. Remembering the petition he had made in Ephesus, that She be
present at his death, he called upon Her from his inmost Soul.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The most holy Mary from her oratory heard these
prayers of her beloved Apostle and cousin; for She was attentive to
all that happened to him and She helped and favored him with her own
efficacious petitions. During this her prayer, She saw a great
multitude of angels and heavenly spirits of all hierarchies
descending from heaven, part of them surrounding the Apostle in
Jerusalem as he was led to the place of execution, while numerous
others approached their Queen at Ephesus. Presently one of them
addressed Her saying “Empress of heaven and our Lady, the most
high Lord and God bids you immediately to hasten to Jerusalem to
console his great servant James, to assist him in his death to grant
all his loving and holy desires.” This favor the most blessed
Mary joyfully and gratefully acknowledged. She praised the Most High
for the protection granted to those who trust in his mercy and put
their lives in his hands. In the meanwhile the Apostle was led to
execution and on the way thereto he wrought great miracles upon the
sick and ailing and on some possessed by the demons. There were a
great number of them, because the rumor of his execution by Herod had
spread about and many of the unfortunates hastened to receive his
last ministrations and counsels. All that applied were healed by the
great Apostle.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In the meanwhile the holy angels placed their
Queen and Mistress upon a most refulgent throne, as they had done on
other occasions, and on it bore Her to Jerusalem and to the place of
the execution of saint James. The holy Apostle fell upon his knees in
order to offer his life to the Most High in sacrifice, and when he
raised his eyes toward heaven, he saw in the air near him the Queen
of heaven, whom he had been invoking in his heart. He beheld Her
clothed in divine splendors and great beauty, surrounded by
multitudes of the angels. At this heavenly spectacle the soul of
James was moved to new jubilee and his heart was seized with the
ardors of a divine love. He wished to proclaim the most blessed Mary
as the Mother of God and the Mistress of all creation. But one of the
sovereign spirits restrained him in this fervent desire and said:
“James, servant of our Creator, restrain within thy own bosom
these precious sentiments and do not manifest to the Jews the
presence and assistance of our Queen; for they are not worthy or
capable of knowing Her, but instead of reverencing Her will only
harden themselves in their hatred.” Thus advised the Apostle
forebore and moving his lips in silence, he spoke to the heavenly
Queen as follows:</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Mother of
my Lord Jesus Christ, my Mistress and Protectress, Thou consolation
of the afflicted and refuge of the needy, in this hour bestow upon
me, my Lady, thy so much desired blessing. Offer for me to thy Son
and Redeemer of the world, the sacrifice of my life, since I am
burning with desire to be a holocaust for the glory of his name. Let
today thy most pure and spotless hands be the altar of my sacrifice,
in order that it may become acceptable in the eyes of Him, who died
for me upon the cross. Into thy hands, and through them into the
hands of my Creator, I commend my spirit.” Having said these
words, and keeping his eyes fixed upon the most holy Mary, who spoke
to his heart, the holy Apostle was beheaded by the executioner. The
great Lady and Queen of the world (O wonderful condescension!)
received the soul of her beloved Apostle and placing it at her side
on the throne, ascended with it to the empyrean heavens and presented
it to her divine Son. As the most blessed Mary entered the heavenly
court with this offering, She caused new joy and accidental glory to
all the heavenly inhabitants and was received with songs of praise.
The Most High received the soul of James and placed it in eminent
glory among the princes of his people. The most blessed Mary,
prostrate before the throne of the Almighty, composed a song of
praise and thanksgiving for the triumphal martyrdom first gained by
one of his Apostles. On this occasion the great Lady did not see the
Divinity by intuitive vision, but by an abstractive one, such as I
have described before this. But the blessed Trinity filled Her with
new blessings and favors for herself and for the holy Church, for
which She had made great preparations. All the saints likewise
blessed her and then the holy angels brought Her back to her oratory
in Ephesus, where in the meanwhile an angel had impersonated Her. On
arriving the heavenly Mother of virtues prostrated Herself as usual
in order to give thanks to the Most High for all that</span><span lang="en-GB">
</span><span lang="en-US">had happened.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The disciples of saint James during
the following night secured his sacred body and secretly brought it
to Jaffa, where by divine disposition they embarked with it for
Galicia in Spain. The heavenly Lady sent an angel to guide and
accompany them to the port, where according to the divine will they
were to disembark. Although they did not see the angel, they felt his
protection during the whole voyage and often in a miraculous manner.
Thus Spain, just as it owed its first instruction in the faith so
rooted in the hearts of its people, to the protection lavished by
most holy Mary upon the Apostle, now also owes to Her the possession
of his sacred body for its consolation and defense. Saint James died
in the year forty–one of our Lord, on the twenty–fifth of
March, five years and seven months after his setting out to preach in
Spain. According to this count and that which I gave above, the
martyrdom of saint James happened seven full years after the death of
our Savior Jesus Christ.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The death of saint James and the
haste of Herod in inflicting it, greatly increased the most impious
cruelty of the Jews; for in the savage brutality of the wicked king
saw a valuable means of pursuing their vengeance against the
followers of Christ the Lord. Lucifer and his demons were of like
opinion; they, by their suggestions, and the Jews, by their insistent
flatteries, persuaded him to seize upon saint Peter, which he readily
did in order to gain the good will of the Jews for his own temporal
ends. The demons stood in great awe of the vicar of Christ on account
of the power emanating from him against them; therefore they secretly
sought to hasten his imprisonment. Saint Peter, bound with many
chains, lay in the dungeon awaiting his execution after the holidays
of the Pasch (Acts 12, 4).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The dangerous crisis impending over the Church was
not unknown to the heavenly Mother, for, from her retreat in Ephesus,
by her clearest interior vision of all things, She saw all things
that passed in Jerusalem. She likewise increased her ardent requests,
her sighs, prostrations and bloody tears, supplicating the Lord for
the liberation of saint Peter and the protection of the holy Church.
These prayers of the blessed Mother penetrated the heavens and
wounded the heart of her Son Jesus our Savior. In response the Lord
descended in person to her oratory, where She was lying prostrate
with her virginal face upon the ground mingling with the dust. The
sovereign King entered and raised Her lovingly from the ground,
saying: “My Mother, moderate thy sorrow and ask whatever thou
wishest; for I shall grant it all and thou shalt find grace in my
eyes to obtain it. I desire that thou act according to thy wishes,
using the powers I have given Thee: do or undo whatever is necessary
for the welfare of my Church, and Thou mayest be sure, that all the
fury of the demons will be turned toward Thee.” She thanked him
for this new favor and offered to undertake the battles of the Lord
for his faithful, saying: “Most High Lord, hope and life of my
soul, prepared is the heart and spirit of thy servant to labor for
the souls bought with thy blood and life. Although I am but useless
dust, I know Thee to be infinite in power and wisdom; with the favor
of thy assistance I fear not the infernal dragon. Thou wishest me to
dispose and act in thy name for the welfare of the Church, I now
command Lucifer and his ministers of wickedness, who are disturbing
the Church, to descend to the abyss and there be silenced until it
shall please thy Providence to permit their return to the earth.”
This command of the Queen of the world in Ephesus was so powerful,
that at the very moment of her issuing it, all the demons in
Jerusalem were precipitated into hell, the whole multitude descending
into the eternal caverns without power of resisting the divine force
exerted through the most blessed Mary.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Lucifer and his companions knew that this
chastisement proceeded from our Queen, whom they called their enemy
because they dared not pronounce her name. They remained in hell,
confounded and dismayed as on other occasions, until they were
permitted to rise in order to battle against Mary, as will be related
further on. During that time they consulted anew about the means of
attaining this end. Having obtained this triumph over the demons the
most blessed Mary bethought Herself of overcoming likewise the
opposition of Herod and the Jews, and therefore She said to her
divine Son: “Now, my Son and Lord, if it is thy will, let one
of thy holy angels be sent to deliver thy servant Peter from prison.”
Christ Our Lord approved of her wish and, at the orders of both these
Sovereigns, one of the heavenly spirits there present hastened to
liberate saint Peter from his prison in Jerusalem.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The angel executed these orders very swiftly.
Coming to the dungeon, he found saint Peter fastened with two chains,
guarded by two soldiers at his side and by a number of other soldiers
at the entrance of the prison. Pasch had already been celebrated and
it was the night before he was to be executed according to the
sentence passed upon him. But the Apostle was so little disturbed
that he was sleeping with as much unconcern as his guards (Acts 12,
6). When the angel arrived, he was obliged to wake him by force and
while saint Peter was still drowsy, said to him: “Arise
quickly; put on thy girdle and thy shoes, take thy mantle and follow
me. Peter found himself free of the chains and, without understanding
what was happening to him and ignorant of what this vision could
mean, followed the angel. Having conducted him through some streets,
the angel told him, that the Almighty had freed him from prison
through the intercession of his most blessed Mother, and thereupon
disappeared. Saint Peter, coming to himself understood the mystery
and gave thanks to the Lord for this favor.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Saint Peter thought it best first to
give an account of his liberation and consult with James the Less and
others of the faithful, before seeking safety in flight. Hastening
his steps he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was
also called Mark. This was the house of the Cenacle, where many of
the disciples had gathered in their affliction. Saint Peter called to
them front the street, and a servant–maid, by the name of
Rhode, descended to see who was calling. As She recognized the voice
of Peter, She left him standing at the door outside and fled
excitedly to the disciples, telling them that it was Peter. They
thought it some foolish misunderstanding of the servant; but she
maintained, that it was Peter; so they, far from guessing the
liberation of Peter, concluded that it might be his angel. During
these questions and answers saint Peter was in the street clamoring
at the door, until they opened it and with incredible joy and
gladness saw the holy Apostle and head of the Church freed from the
sorrows of prison and death. He gave them an account of all that had
happened to him through aid of the angel, in order that they might in
strict secrecy notify saint James and all his brethren. Foreseeing
that Herod would search for hint with great diligence, they
unanimously decided that he leave Jerusalem that very night and not
return, lest he should be taken in some future search. Saint Peter
therefore fled, and Herod, having instituted a search in vain,
chastised the guards, and was roused to new fury against the
disciples. But on account of his pride and impious designs, God cut
short his activity by a severe punishment, of which I shall speak in
the following chapter.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In her anxieties and in her reliance upon the
divine help our Queen labored incessantly in prayers and tears,
travailing in her clamors as I have shown on other occasions. Ever
governed by her most exalted prudence, She spoke to one of the
highest angels of her guard, saying: “Minister of the Most High
and creature of his hands, my solicitude for the holy Church strongly
urges me to seek its welfare and progress. I beseech thee to ascend
to the throne of the Most High, represent to Him my affliction; ask
Him in my name, that I may be permitted to suffer instead of his
faithful servants and that Herod be prevented from executing his
designs for the destruction of the Church.” Immediately the
angel betook himself to the Lord with this message, while the Queen
of heaven, like another Esther, remained in prayer for the liberty
and salvation of her people and of Herself. (Esther 4, 16). The
heavenly ambassador was sent back by the blessed Trinity with the
answer: “Princess of heaven, the Lord of hosts says, that Thou
art the Mother, the Mistress and the Governess of the Church, and
that Thou holdest his power while Thou art upon earth; and He desires
Thee, as the Queen and Mistress of the heaven and earth, to execute
sentence upon Herod.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In her humility the most blessed Virgin was
somewhat disturbed by this answer, and urged by her charity, She
replied to the angel: “Am I then to pronounce sentence against
a creature who is the image of the Lord? Since I came forth from his
hands I have known many reprobates among men and I have never called
for vengeance against them; but as far as I was concerned, always
desired their salvation if possible, and never hastened their
punishment. Return to the Lord, angel, and tell Him that my tribunal
and power is inferior to and dependent upon his, and that I cannot
sentence any one to death without consulting my Superior; and if it
is possible to bring Herod to the way of Salvation, I am willing to
suffer all the travails of the world according to the disposition of
his divine Providence in order that this soul may not be lost.”
The angel hastened back with this second message of his Queen and
having presented it before the throne of the most blessed Trinity,
was sent back to Her with the following answer: “Our Mistress
and Queen, the Most High says, that Herod is of the number of the
foreknown, since he is so obstinate in his malice, that he will take
no admonition or instruction; he will not cooperate with the helps
given to him; nor will he avail himself of the fruits of the
Redemption, nor of the intercession of the saints, nor of thy own
efforts, O Queen and Lady, in his behalf.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">For the third time
the most holy Mary despatched the heavenly prince with still another
message to the Most High, saying: “If it must be that Herod die
in order to hinder him from persecuting the Church, do thou, O angel,
represent to the Almighty, how in the infinite condescension of his
charity, He has granted me in mortal life to be the Refuge of the
children of Adam, the Advocate and Intercessor of sinners; that my
tribunal should be that of kindness and clemency for the refuge and
assistance of all that seek my intercession; and that all should
leave it with the assurance of pardon in the name of my divine Son.
If then I am to be a loving Mother to men, who are the creatures of
his hands and the price of his life–blood, how can I now be a
severe judge against one of them? Never was I charged with dealing
out justice, always mercy, to which all my heart inclines; and now it</span>
<span lang="en-US">is troubled by this conflict of love with
obedience to rigorous justice. Present anew, O angel, this my anxiety
to the Lord, and learn whether it is not his pleasure that Herod die
without my condemning him.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The holy messenger
ascended for the third time and the most blessed Trinity listened to
his message with the plenitude of pleasure and complacency at the
pitying love of</span> <span lang="en-US">his Spouse. Returning, the
angel thus informed the loving Mistress: “Our Queen, Mother of
our Creator and my</span> <span lang="en-US">Lady, the almighty
Majesty says that thy mercy is for those mortals who wish to avail
themselves of thy powerful intercession, not for those who despise
and abhor it like Herod; that Thou art the Mistress of the Church
invested with all the divine power, and that therefore it is meet
Thou use it as is opportune: that Herod must die; but it shall be
through thy sentence and according to thy order.” The most
blessed Mary answered: “Just is the Lord and equitable are his
judgments (Ps. 118, 137). Many times would I suffer death to rescue
this soul of Herod, if he himself would not by his own free will make
himself unworthy of mercy and choose perdition. He is a work of the
Most High (Job 10, 8), formed according to his image and likeness
(Gen. 1, 27); he was redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, which taketh
away the sins of the world (Apoc. 1, 5). But I set aside all this
and, considering only his having become an obstinate enemy of God,
unworthy of his eternal friendship, by the most equitable justice of
God, I condemn him to the death he has merited, in order that he may
not incur greater torments by executing the evil he has planned.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
This wonder the Lord wrought for the glory of his
most blessed Mother and in witness of his having constituted Her as
the Mistress of all creatures with supreme power to act as their
Sovereign like her divine Son. I cannot explain this mystery better
than in the words of the Lord in the fifth chapter of saint John,
where He says of Himself: “The son cannot do anything that the
Father does not; but He does the same, because the Father loves Him;
and if the Father raises the dead, the son also raises whom he
pleases, and the Father has given to the Son to judge all, in order
that just as all honor the Father, they may also honor the Son; for
no one can honor the Father without honoring the Son.” And
immediately He adds: that He has given Him the power of judging,
because He is the Son of man, which He is through his most blessed
mother. On account of the likeness of the heavenly Mother to her Son
(of which I have often spoken) the relation or proportion of the
Mother with the Son in this power of judgment must be transferred to
the Mother in the same manner as that of the Son from the Father.
Mary is the Mother of mercy and clemency to all the children of Adam
that call upon Her; but in addition to this the Almighty wishes it to
be understood that She possesses full power of judging all men and
that all should honor Her, just as they honor her Son and true God.
As his true Mother He has given Her the same power with him in the
degree and proportion due to Her as his Mother and a mere creature.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Making use of this
power the great Lady sent the angel to Caesarea, where Herod then
was, to take away his life as the minister of divine justice. The
angel executed the sentence without delay. The evangelist saint Luke
says, that the angel of the Lord struck Herod and, eaten up by worms,
the unhappy man died the temporal and eternal death. The wound of
this stroke was interior and from it sprang the corruption and the
worms that so miserably finished him. From the same, text it appears
that, after having beheaded saint James and after saint Peter had
escaped, Herod descended to Caesarea in order to compose some
differences that had arisen between him and the inhabitants of Sidon
and Tyre (Acts 12, 23). Within a few days, vested in royal purple and
seated upon a throne, he harangued the people with great show of
words. The people, full of vain flattery, proclaimed him as a victor
and as a god; and Herod, in foolish vanity, was pleased with this
adulation of the people. Because he had not given honor to God, but
usurped to himself divine honor in vain pride, as saint</span> <span lang="en-US">Luke
says, the angel of the Lord struck him. Although this was his last
crime, which filled the measure of his iniquity, he merited the
chastisement not only for this, but for so many other crimes
committed by him in persecuting the Apostles, mocking the Lord our
Savior (Luke 23, 11), beheading the Baptist (Mark 6, 27), committing
adultery with his sister–in–law Herodias, and for many
other abominations.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Immediately the
angel returned to Ephesus and gave an account of the execution of the
sentence against Herod. The merciful Mother wept over the loss of
this soul; but praised the judgments of the Lord and gave him thanks
for the benefit, which the Church would derive from his chastisement;
for, as saint Luke says (Acts 12, 24), the Church grew and increased
by the word</span> <span lang="en-US">of God. This was true not only
in Galilee and Judea,</span> <span lang="en-US">where the persecutor
Herod was removed, but, through saint John and the help of the most
holy Mother, the Church was taking root in Ephesus. The science of
the blessed Apostle was full as that of the cherubim, and the love of
his heart was inflamed like that of the seraphim; and he had with him
as his Mother and Teacher, the Mistress of wisdom and grace. On
account of these precious advantages the Evangelist could undertake
great</span> <span lang="en-US">and wonderful works for the
foundation of the law of grace, not only in Ephesus, but in all
neighboring regions of Asia and in the borderlands of Europe.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Arriving at
Ephesus the Evangelist began to</span> <span lang="en-US">preach in
the city, baptizing those whom he converted to</span> <span lang="en-US">the
faith of Christ our Savior and confirming the faith by great miracles
and prodigies, such as had never been witnessed by those gentiles.
Since the Greek schools in those countries turned out many
philosophers and men learned in what, notwithstanding the admixture
of many errors, could be called human sciences, the blessed Apostle
convincingly taught them the true science, making use not only of
miracles and signs, but of argumentation for the credibility of the
Christian faith. All his catechumens he immediately sent to the most
holy Mary and She instructed many; as She knew the interior
inclinations of all, She spoke to the heart of each one and filled it
with heavenly light. She wrought prodigies and miracles for the
benefit of the unfortunate, curing the possessed and the infirm,
succored the poor and the needy and, by the labor of her own hands,
gave assistance to the sick in the infirmaries, attending upon them
in person. In her house the kindest Queen had a supply of clothes for
the most poor and forsaken of her fellowmen. She helped many in the
hour of their death, gaining these souls in their last agony and
bringing them safely through all the assaults of the demon to their
Creator. So many souls did She draw to the path of truth and life
eternal, and so numerous were the wonders She wrought for this end,
that they could not be recorded in many books; for no day passed in
which She did not increase the possessions of the Lord by the copious
and abundant fruit of souls.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962866"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">All are the
children of the eternal Father who is in heaven (Matth 23, 9) and all
are obliged to have a care of their brethren according to each one’s
condition. This obligation rests more especially upon the children of
the Church, who can live up to it by their prayers and supplications.
But this duty lies still more directly upon those who have influence,
upon those who are nourished by the Christian faith, and who enjoy
more of the benefits of the liberal hand of the Almighty. Those who
through the law of Christ are favored with temporal advantages and
who make use of them for the service and the delights of the flesh,
are they who, as the powerful, are to be more powerfully tormented
(Matth 23,9). If the pastors and the chiefs of the house of the Lord
seek only a life of ease, without caring to engage in true earnest
labor, they will make themselves accountable for the ruin of the
flock of Christ and for the carnage brought on by the</span> <span lang="en-US">infernal
wolves. O my daughter, into what a lamentable state has the Christian
people been cast by the powerful, by the pastors, and by the wicked
ministers, whom God has given them in his secret judgments! O what
confusion and chastisements await them! Before the tribunal of the
just Judge they will have no excuse; since the Catholic truth
undeceives them, their conscience loudly protests, while they
wilfully remain deaf to all warnings.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The cause of God remains neglected
and without a champion; his possessions, which are the souls, are
left without increase; all as it were look but to their own interest
and preservation, each one according to his own diabolical cunning
and according to his state of life. Truth is obscured, flattery
raises its voice, avarice is unbridled, the blood of Christ is
trodden under foot, the fruits of the Redemption are held in
contempt; no one wishes to risk his own comfort or interest in order
to save what has cost the Savior his blood and life. Even the friends
of God are influenced by the evils; for they do not make use of their
charity and its holy liberty as they ought; and most of them allow
themselves to be overcome by their cowardice and content themselves
with working for themselves alone, forsaking the common cause of the
souls of others. Hence thou mayest understand, my daughter, that now,
after the evangelical Church has been established by my divine Son
and fertilized by his own blood, those unhappy times have come, of
which the Lord himself complains through his holy Prophets, saying:
what the palmerworm hath left the locust has eaten, and what the
locust left the bruchus consumed, and the residue is destroyed by the
mildew; (Joel 1, 4) and in order to gather some fruits from his
vineyard, the Lord goes about like the gleaner after the vintage, who
seeks some remaining grape, or some olive, which is not dried up, or
carried away by the demons (Is. 24, 13).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Tell me now, my
daughter, how is it possible, if thou still hast a true love for my
divine Son and for me, that thou find consolation or rest in thy
heart at the sight of the loss of souls, which He redeemed by his
blood and I have sought with blood–mingled tears? Even today,
if I could shed them, I would begin to do so with new weeping and
compassion; and since it is not possible for me now to weep over the
dangers threatening the Church, I wish that thou do it and that thou
spurn consolation in a misfortune so calamitous and so worthy of
lament. Weep bitterly then, and lose not the merit of such a sorrow;
and let it be so deep, that thou findst no relief except in
affliction for the sake of the Lord whom thou lovest. Think of what I
did, in order to stave off the damnation of Herod and to prevent it
for those who wish to avail themselves of my intercession. In the
beatific vision I pray without ceasing for the salvation of my
clients. Let not the labors and tribulations sent to thee by my
divine Son intimidate thee from helping thy brethren and acquiring
them for the possession of Christ. Amidst the injuries done to Him by
the children of Adam,</span> <span lang="en-US">do thou labor to
recompense them in some measure by the purity of thy soul, which I
desire shall be rather that of an angel than of an earthborn woman
the battles of the Lord against his enemies and in his name and mine,
crush their head, reign over their pride cast them into hell. Do thou
also counsel the ministers of Christ with whom thou conversest, to
use their power in doing the same, to defend the souls in faith and,
in them, the honor and glory of the Lord; for thus shall they repress
and vanquish them with divine power.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962867"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 8, Chapter 2</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">COUNCIL
OF THE APOSTLES</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
After the death of the unhappy Herod
the primitive Church of Jerusalem enjoyed some measure of quiet and
tranquility for a considerable time. The great Lady of the world
merited this favor through her maternal solicitude and care. During
this time saint Barnaby and saint Paul preached with wonderful
success in the cities of Asia Minor, Antioch, Lystra, Perge and
others, is related by saint Luke in the thirteenth and fourteenth
chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and in connection with the
miracles and prodigies performed by saint Paul in those cities and
provinces. The apostle saint Peter, after his liberation from prison,
fled from Jerusalem and retired to another part of Asia not under the
jurisdiction of Herod. From that place he governed the faithful
accruing to the Church in Asia and those that were in Palestine. All
of them acknowledged and obeyed him as the Vicar of Jesus Christ and
head of the Church, believing that all he ordained and enacted upon
earth was confirmed in heaven. With this firm faith they came to him
with all their doubts and difficulties as to their supreme pontiff.
Among other matters they asked him to decide the questions raised by
some of the Jews concerning the doings and teachings of saint Paul
and Barnaby as well in Jerusalem as in Antioch, in opposition to the
circumcision and the law of Moses, as I will relate later on and as
is recorded by saint Luke in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On this occasion the Apostles and
disciples of Jerusalem begged saint Peter to return to the holy city
to settle these controversies and establish order, so that the
preaching of the faith might not be hindered; for since the death of
Herod the Jews had no one to assist them in their persecutions, and
therefore the Church enjoyed greater peace and tranquillity in
Jerusalem. On the same grounds they also asked him to request the
holy Mother of Jesus to come to that city; for all the faithful
longed for Her with loving hearts, expected to be consoled in the
Lord and hoped for the prosperity of all the affairs of the Church
through her presence. On account of these appeals saint Peter
resolved to return at once to Jerusalem, and before setting out, he
wrote the following letter to the most holy Queen.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Letter of Saint Peter to most holy
Mary.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">To Mary,
the Virgin, Mother of God:</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Peter the Apostle of Jesus Christ, thy servant and
the servant of the servants of God.’’</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Lady, among
the faithful some doubts and differences have arisen concerning the
doctrine of thy Son and our Redeemer, whether the ancient law of
Moses is to be observed in conjunction with his teachings. They wish
to know from us what is proper, and that we state to them what we
heard from the mouth of the divine Teacher. In order to consult with
my brethren, the Apostles, I am now setting out for Jerusalem and,
for the consolation and by thy love for the Church, we beseech Thee
likewise to come to that city, where, since the death of Herod, the
Jews are more peaceful and the faithful more at ease. The multitude
of the followers of Christ desire to see Thee and console themselves
in thy presence. When we shall have arrived at Jerusalem, we shall
notify the other cities, and with thy assistance will be established
what shall be conducive to the interests of the holy faith and to the
excellence of the law of grace.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
I cannot restrain my wonder and confusion at the
humility and obedience of the most holy Mary in a matter of so small
moment; for only her heavenly prudence could inspire Her, the Mother
of God, with the thought, that it would be more humble and submissive
not to read this letter of the Vicar of Christ except in the presence
and under the obedience of the one to whose guidance She had
submitted Herself as her superior. Her example reproves and
stigmatizes the presumption of inferiors, who try to find excuses and
pretenses for evading the humility and obedience due to their
superiors. But the most holy Mary was a model and a teacher of
holiness in all things, great or small. Having read the letter to
Her, he asked Her, what She thought best to write to the Vicar of
Christ. But also in this She did not wish to give any appearance of
her being his equal or superior, preferring to obey; and therefore
She answered: “My son and master, do thou arrange what ever
shall be proper; for I, as thy servant, will obey.” The
Evangelist replied, that it seemed to him best to obey saint Peter
and return immediately to Jerusalem. “It is right and proper to
obey the head of the Church,” answered the purest lady; “let
us prepare even now for our departure.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thus resolved, saint John went out to
seek passage for Palestine and to prepare whatever was necessary for
a speedy departure. In the meanwhile, at the request of the
Evangelist, most blessed Mary called together the women who were her
acquaintances and disciples in Ephesus, in order to take leave of
them and instruct them in what they must do to persevere in their
holy faith.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When the day of departure arrived,
the Humblest of the humble asked saint John for his blessing and they
betook themselves to the ship, having remained in Ephesus two years
and a half. On leaving their dwelling all her thousand angels
manifested themselves in visible human forms, but all of them were
armed for battle and formed into squadrons. This unwonted sight gave
Her to understand, that She was to be prepared to continue her
conflict with the great dragon and his allies. Before reaching the
sea She saw a great multitude of the infernal legions meeting Her in
various dreadful and terrific shapes; in the midst of them came a
dragon with seven heads, so horrible and huge as to exceed the size
of a large ship, and so fierce and abominable as to cause torment by
its mere presence. Against these formidable hosts the invincible
Queen fortified Herself by the most firm faith and fervent love,
repeating the words of Psalms and the sayings from the mouth of her
most holy Son. She ordered her holy angels to assist Her, for those
shapes naturally inspired Her with some human dread and horror. The
Evangelist knew nothing of this conflict until the heavenly Lady
afterwards informed him and gave him an insight into it.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Our blessed Lady embarked with the saint, and the
ship’s sails were set. But it had proceeded only a distance
from the port, when those dragons of hell, making use of the
permission given them, stirred up the sea by a tempest such as had
not been seen before that time nor until now; for the Almighty wished
to exalt the power of his arm and the holiness of Mary and therefore
He permitted such liberty to the malice and powers of the demons in
this battle. The waves rose with terrific roarings, piling themselves
upon the winds and apparently even upon the very clouds, forming with
them mountains of water and foam, as if they were preparing for an
onset to break the bounds of the abysses that imprisoned the ocean
(Ps. 13, 9). The ship was lashed and battered to and fro, and it
seemed a miracle that it was not shattered to splinters at each
shock. Sometimes it was hurled up into the clouds, at others sent to
plow up the sand of the ocean’s abysses; often its sails and
masts were buried in the foaming waves. During some of the onsets of
this unspeakably furious hurricane the ship was held in the air by
the angels in order to save it from some of the vaster billows, which
would inevitably have overwhelmed and sent it to the bottom.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The mariners and
passengers perceived the effects of this assistance, but remained
ignorant of the cause; in their distress they were beside themselves,
bewailing their ruin, which they deemed inevitable. The demons added
to their terror; for, assuming</span><sup> </sup><span lang="en-US">human
shapes, they loudly called upon the mariners as if from neighboring
ships sent to their aid and urged them to forsake their ship and save
themselves in the others. For though all the vessels suffered in this
storm, yet the wrath of the demons and their power of doing harm was
confined principally to the ship on which our Lady sailed and the
distress and peril of the other vessels was not so great. The
malicious designs of the demons were known only to the most blessed
Virgin and not to the sailors, and therefore they believed these
voices as of true passengers and sailors. Thus deceived they at times
gave up caring for their own ship and left it to the fury of the sea,
expecting to save themselves on one of the other ships. But the
angels supplied their place directing and steering it when the
sailors gave it up in despair to the destruction of the waves.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In the midst of this confusion and
distress the most holy Mary preserved her tranquility, serenely borne
up by the ocean of her magnanimity and virtue, but at the same time
practicing all the virtues by acts heroic in proportion to the
exigencies of the occasion and the dictates of her wisdom. As during
this tempestuous voyage She personally experienced the dangers of
navigation, which She had understood on her former voyage by divine
inspiration, She was moved to new compassion for all voyagers at sea
and renewed her former prayers and petitions. The most prudent Virgin
also admired the indomitable forces of the sea and was led to
consider the wrath of divine justice, so well represented by this
insensible creature. And passing from these considerations to that of
the sins of mortals, who drew it upon themselves from the Almighty,
She entered into the most ardent prayers for the conversion of the
world and the increase of the Church. For this She offered up the
hardships of this voyage; since notwithstanding the tranquility of
her soul, She suffered much bodily inconvenience and still greater
affliction at the thought that all her fellow–voyagers were
made to suffer this persecution and tribulation of the demons on her
account.</div>
<div class="western">
A large share of this suffering fell to the
evangelist saint John on account of his deep solicitude for his true
Mother and Mistress of the world. To this was added his own actual
suffering. All was so much the more dreadful to him, because at that
time he did know what was passing in the interior of the most blessed
Virgin. He sought a few times to console Her and console himself by
assisting and comforting Her. Although the voyage from Ephesus to
Palestine usually lasted only about six days, this one lasted
fifteen, of which fourteen were tempestuous. One day saint John was
very much disheartened at the continuance of this measureless
hardship and, no longer able to restrain himself, said “My
lady, what is this? Are we to perish at sea? Beseech thy divine Son
to look upon us with the eyes of a Father and to defend us in this
tribulation.” The blessed Mother answered him: “Do not be
disturbed, my son; for we must now fight the battles of the Lord and
overcome his enemies by fortitude and patience.” I shall beg of
Him that no one who is with us shall perish, and that He sleep not,
who watches over Israel (Ps. 70, 4); the strong ones of his court
assist us and defend us; let us suffer for Him who placed Himself
upon the Cross for the salvation of all.” At these words saint
John recovered the necessary courage.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Lucifer and his demons with
increasing fury threatened the powerful Queen by telling Her that She
would perish in this sea and not escape alive. But these and other
threats were but spent arrows and the most prudent Mother despised
them, not even listening to them, or looking upon the demons, or
speaking to them a single word. They themselves on the other hand
could not bear even to glance at her face on account of the virtue of
the Most High shining from it. And the more they strove to overcome
this virtue, the weaker they became and the more were they tormented
by those offensive weapons, with which the Lord had clothed his most
holy Mother.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Saint Paul and
saint Barnaby were aware of the return of the Queen of heaven when
they came to Jerusalem. In his ardent desire of seeing Her saint Paul
with saint Barnaby, at once sought her presence, and they cast
themselves at her feet, shedding abundant tears of joy. Not less was
the joy of the heavenly Mother at meeting these Apostles, toward whom
She bore an especial love in the Lord on account of their zealous
labors for the exaltation of God’s name and the spread of the
faith. The Mistress of the humble desired them to present themselves
first to saint Peter and the rest, and last to Her, judging Herself
to be the least of all creatures.</span> <span lang="en-US">But they,
preserving the proper order in their reverence and love, thought that
none should be preferred to Her who was the Mother of God, the
Mistress of all creation and the beginning of all our happiness. The
great Lady prostrated Herself before saint Paul and Barnaby, kissed
their hands and asked for their blessing. On this occasion saint Paul
was favored with a wonderful ecstatic abstraction, in which were
revealed to him great mysteries and prerogatives of this mystical
City of God, the Blessed Mary, and he saw Her as it were completely
invested with the Divinity.</span></div>
<div class="western">
Saint Peter, as the head of the Church, had called
upon the Apostles and disciples then in and around Jerusalem, and
convoked them to a meeting in the presence of the Mistress of the
world. In order that the most prudent Virgin, in her profound
humility, might not absent Herself from this council, saint Peter had
interposed his authority as Vicar of Christ. All of them being
gathered, saint Peter said: “My brethren and children in Christ
our Savior, it was necessary that we meet in order to solve the
difficulties and decide upon the affairs, which our most beloved
brethren Paul and Barnaby have brought to our notice, and to
determine other matters touching the increase of the holy faith. For
it is proper that we engage in prayer to obtain the assistance of the
Holy Ghost and we shall persevere therein for ten days as is our
custom. On the first and the last day we shall celebrate the
sacrifice of the Mass, by which we shall dispose our hearts to
receive the divine light.” All of them approved of this
arrangement. In order to celebrate the first Mass on the next day the
Queen prepared the hall of the Cenacle, cleaning and decorating it
with her own hands and holding all in readiness for the Communion of
Herself together with the Apostles and disciples during those Masses.
Saint Peter alone celebrated, observing all those rites and
ceremonies which I have described, when speaking of the Masses on
other occasions.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The other Apostles and disciples
communicated at the hands of saint Peter; then the most blessed Mary,
taking the last place. Many angels descended to the Cenacle. All
those present saw them and at the time of the consecration the
Cenacle was filled with a wonderful light and fragrance, through
which the Lord wrought wonderful effects in their souls. Having
celebrated the first Mass, they agreed upon certain hours, in which
they were to persevere together in prayer, as far as they could
without neglecting the necessary ministry of souls. The great Lady
retired to a place, where She remained alone and motionless for those
ten days without eating or speaking to any one. During that time She
experienced such hidden mysteries as to move the angels to
astonishment; and I find myself unable to describe what has been
manifested to me concerning them. I will briefly indicate a small
part of these mysteries, for to state all is impossible. The heavenly
Mother having received holy Communion on the first of the ten days
and retired to pray alone, at the command of the Lord, was
immediately raised up by her angels and others there present to the
empyrean heavens. Since She was taken up body and soul, one of the
angels took her shape in order that the Apostles in the Cenacle might
not become aware of her absence. They bore Her up with the splendor
and magnificence described by me on other occasions, and on this
occasion it was even greater on account of the designs of the Lord.
When Mary arrived in a region of the air far removed from the earth,
the almighty Lord commanded Lucifer and all his hellish hosts to come
into the presence of the Queen into those higher regions. Immediately
all of them came before Her and She saw them and knew them all just
as they were and the condition they were in. The sight was somewhat
painful to her, because the demons are so abominable and disgusting;
but She was armed with divine virtue, so that She could not be harmed
by this horrible and execrable sight. Not so the demons; for the Lord
gave them to understand by an especial insight the greatness and
superiority of that Woman, whom they were persecuting as their Enemy.
They were made to perceive how foolishly presumptuous they had been
in their attempts against Her. To their still greater terror they saw
that She carried in her bosom the sacramental Christ and that the
whole Divinity held Her as it were enveloped in its Omnipotence for
their humiliation, overthrow and destruction.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The demons
moreover heard a voice proceeding from the Deity itself, saying:
“With this shield of my powerful arm, invincible and strong, I
shall always defend my Church. This Woman shall crush the head of the
ancient serpent (Gen. 3, 15), and shall forever triumph over its
haughty pride for the glory of my holy name.” All these and
other mysteries of the most holy Mary the demons perceived and
understood while they were gathered around Her in dismay. So great
was the despair and crushing pain which they felt, that they, with
loudest clamors, said: “May the power of the Almighty cast us
immediately into hell, and let it not keep us in the presence of this
Woman, who torments us more than the fire. O invincible and strong
Woman! Recede from us, since we ourselves cannot fly from thy
presence, where we are bound by the chains of the Almighty. Why dost
Thou also torment us before our time? (Matth. 8, 29)</span><span lang="en-US"><i>.
</i></span><span lang="en-US">Thou alone of all human nature art the
instrument of the Omnipotent against us; and through Thee men can
acquire the eternal blessings we have lost. Those that have sunk into
despair of ever seeing God eternally, are now rewarded for the
accredited good works of their Redeemer by the vision of Thee, which
in our hate is to us a torment and chastisement. Release us, almighty
Lord and God; let this new punishment, in which Thou renewest that of
our fall from heaven, cease; for in it Thou executest the punishment
Thou hast threatened us with in this wonder of thy powerful arms.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During these and other lamentations
of despair the demons were held spellbound in the presence of the
Queen for a long time, and although they made the most violent
efforts to fly, they were not permitted to do it as fast as their
fury urged them on. In order that the terror of the most holy Mary
might strike them so much the deeper and become the more notorious,
the Lord ordained, that She herself should use her authority as
Mistress and Queen in permitting them to leave. At the instant in
which She did this, all of them cast themselves, with all the
swiftness in their power, from the upper regions into the abyss. They
gave forth dreadful howls, terrorizing all the damned souls with new
punishments, and, full of dismay and torments in not being able to
deny their defeat, they proclaimed in their presence the power of the
Almighty and of his holy Mother. Having won this triumph the most
serene Empress proceeded on her way to the empyrean heaven, where She
was received with new and admirable jubilee, remaining there for
twenty–four hours.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
She prostrated Herself before the
throne of the blessed Trinity and adored It in the unity of its
undivided nature and majesty. She prayed for the Church, in order
that the Apostles might understand and resolve what was proper for
the establishment of the evangelical law and the termination of the
law of Moses. In answer to these petitions She heard a voice from the
throne, by which the three divine Persons, One after the Other and
each One for Himself, promised to assist the Apostles and disciples
in declaring and establishing the truth, assuring Her, that the
Father would direct its establishment by His Omnipotence, the Son, as
head of the Church, assist it by His Wisdom, and the Holy Ghost, as
its Spouse, by His Love and His enlightening gifts. Then the heavenly
Mother saw, that the most holy humanity of her Son presented to the
Father the prayers and petitions, which She Herself had offered for
the Church, and how, approving of them, He proposed the reasons why
they should be fulfilled, in order that the faith of the Gospel and
his entire holy law might be established in the world in accordance
with the decrees of the divine will and mind.</div>
<div class="western">
Immediately, in execution of this will and
proposal of Christ our Savior, the Lady saw issuing forth from the
Divinity and immutable essence of God the form of a temple or Church,
beautiful, clear and resplendent as if built of diamond or the
sparkling crystal, adorned with many enamels and reliefs to enhance
its beauty. The angels and saints saw it and in astonishment
exclaimed: “Holy, holy, holy and powerful art Thou, Lord in thy
works” (Apoc. 4, 8). This Church or temple the most blessed
Trinity placed in the hands of the most holy humanity of Christ, and,
in a manner which cannot be described in words, He united it with
Himself. Thereupon He turned it over to the holy Mother and as soon
as Mary received it, She was filled with new splendor. She
annihilated Herself within Herself and then saw the Divinity, clearly
and intuitively, by eminent and beatific vision.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The great Queen
remained in this joy for hours, truly introduced into the cellar of
fermented wine spoken of in the Canticles (Canticle 8, 2).</span>
<span lang="en-US">Since what She experienced and received there
surpasses created thought or capacity, it suffices here to say, that
anew was ordered in Her love (Cant. 2, 4) and directed with new
fervor toward the Church consigned to Her under the above symbol.
Enriched by these favors, She was borne back by the angels to the
Cenacle, having in her hands the mystical temple She had received
from her divine Son. She remained in prayer during the other nine
days without motion and without interrupting the acts, in which She
had been left by the beatific vision. They fall not within human
thought, and can much less be indicated by human words. Among other
things which She did, was to distribute the treasures of the
Redemption among the children of the Church. Commencing with the
Apostles and going through the different ages, She applied them
separately to the just and the saints, according to the secret
disposition of eternal predestination. The execution of these decrees
her divine Son had consigned to the most holy Mary, giving Her
dominion over the whole Church and the dispensation of all the
graces, that each one earn through the merits of the Redemption.
Regarding a mystery so exalted and hidden, I cannot say more than
this.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">On the last of the
ten days saint Peter celebrated the other Mass and all received holy
Communion as in the first. Then, all being gathered in the name of
the Lord, they invoked the Holy Ghost and began to consult about the
solution of the difficulties that had arisen in the Church. Saint
Peter, as the head and the highpriest, spoke</span> <span lang="en-US">first,
then saint Paul and Barnaby, and saint James the Less,</span> <span lang="en-US">as
is related by saint Luke in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts. The
first decision of this council was, that the exact law of the
circumcision and the law of Moses should not be imposed upon the
baptized; since eternal salvation was given through Baptism and faith
in Christ. Although saint Luke principally mentions this decision,
yet there were others, which defined certain matters concerning the
government and the ceremonies of the Church, in order to stop some
abuses introduced by the indiscreet piety of some of the faithful.
This is held to be the first council of the Apostles, although they
had also gathered to establish the Credo and other things as
mentioned before. However, at that only the Apostles had convened,
whereas now also those disciples took part, who could come. Also the
manner of conferring and of resolving was different being a formal
decision, as is clear from the words of saint Luke: “It has
seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us,” etc. (Luke 15, 28).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Couched in these terms the decision
of the council was sent by letter to the faithful and to the churches
of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia; and they remitted these letters
through the hands of saint Paul and Barnaby and of other disciples.
In order that the approbation of the Lord might not be wanting, it
happened, that, both in the Cenacle at coming to their decision, and
in Antioch when the letters were read before the faithful, the Holy
Ghost descended in visible fire, so that all the faithful were
consoled and confirmed in the Catholic truth. The most holy Mary gave
thanks to the Lord for the blessings thus bestowed upon the Church.
She immediately despatched saint Paul and Barnaby with the rest and
for their consolation She gave them as relics part of the clothes of
Christ our Lord and some objects She had still left of the Passion.
Offering them her protection and prayers, She sent them filled with
new consolation and spiritual force upon the labors still awaiting
them. During all these days of the council, on account of the terror
with which most holy Mary had inspired him, Lucifer and his ministers
could not come near the Cenacle; yet they prowled about in the
distance, without being able to execute any of their malice against
its members. Happy age, and fortunate congregation!</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962868"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, in the constancy and
invincible fortitude with which I vanquished the demons, thou hast
one of the most urgent motives for persevering in grace and acquiring
great crowns. The human nature and that of the angels (even though
they be devils) are subject to contrary and opposite conditions; for
the spiritual nature is indefatigable, and that of mortals weak and
so prone to fatigue, that it soon tires and succumbs in labor. As
soon as it finds any difficulty in the practice of virtue it is
discouraged and turns back; what it pursues with pleasure on one day,
it condemns the next; what seemed agreeable today, it finds hard
tomorrow; now it wishes, then again it does not wish; sometimes it is
fervent, sometimes lukewarm. But the demon is never fatigued or
weakened in his efforts at tempting souls. The Almighty, however, is
not wanting in his providence; for He limits and restrains the power
of the demons, so that they cannot pass the measure set for them, nor
exert all their indefatigable powers for the persecution of souls. On
the other hand He supports the weakness of men, giving them grace and
strength to resist and overcome their enemies on the prescribed
battleground.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Hence the inconstancy of souls in
virtuously maintaining their position during temptation and in not
bearing with fortitude and patience the inconveniences of doing good
and fighting against the demons, is not excusable. The bent of
passion, drawing man toward the sensible and pleasurable, suddenly
presents itself across the path of duty and the demons, with
diabolical astuteness, seek to exaggerate the hardship and
disagreeableness of mortification, representing it as dangerous to
health and life. Thus he deludes innumerable souls to precipitate
themselves from one abyss to another. In this Thou hast before thy
eyes, my daughter, a very common aberration of the worldly–minded,
but which is very abominable in the sight of the Lord and myself.
Hence that many men are weak, wavering and indisposed toward the
practice of virtue or penitential mortification for their sins. And
the very ones who are so weak in good, are strong in doing evil. In
the service of the devil they are constant and are ready to undergo
much more difficult and arduous tasks in sinning, than the law of God
commands for the practice of virtue. They show themselves tardy and
imbecile in the work of saving their souls, eager and strong to load
upon themselves eternal damnation.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This damage also those who profess a
life of perfection are wont in part to incur, if they unduly consider
the hardships attached to such a life. Drawn into this deception,
they either hinder their advance in perfection or afford the devil
many victories in temptation. In order that thou, my daughter, mayest
not incur this danger, thou shouldst consider the fortitude and
constancy with which I resisted Lucifer and all hell, and the
magnanimity with which I despised his illusions and temptations, not
permitting myself to be disturbed, or to pay any attention to them;
for this is the best way to overcome his haughty pride. Nor was I
ever led by temptation to remissness in my labors or in my exercises;
but I augmented them, together with my prayers, petitions and tears,
as is necessary in the time of battle with those enemies. Hence I
exhort thee to do the same in eager watchfulness; because thy
temptations are not of the ordinary kind, but are directed against
thee in highest malice and astuteness. Of this I have warned thee
many times and this experience teaches thee.</div>
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Since thou hast noticed the great
terror caused to the demons at perceiving the sacramental Lord
resting in my bosom, I wish to call thy attention to two things.
First, that for the overthrow of hell and for causing fear in the
demons, all the holy Sacraments of the Church are most powerful
means; but above all the holy sacrament of the Eucharist. This was
one of the hidden purposes of the Lord my Son, in the institution of
this sovereign mystery and of the other Sacraments. If in our time
men do not ordinarily feel these powerful effects, it is because in
the frequency of the reception of the Sacraments much of the
veneration and estimation in receiving them has been lost. But do not
doubt, that souls who frequent them with devotion and piety, are
formidable to the demons and that they exercise great power and
dominion over them in the same way as thou hast seen and described it
of me. The explanation of this fact is: that this divine fire, in the
pure souls, finds itself as it were in its own element. In me it was
active to the limit of possibility in a mere creature, and therefore
I inspired such terror to the demons</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span><br />
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<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
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<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Reference</span></h2>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-61095325602293716472018-08-19T15:23:00.000-05:002018-08-19T15:23:02.832-05:00Sunday August 19, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Fortitude; Reading 1, Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Reading 2, Ephesians 5:15-20; Gospel and Lectio Divina, John 6:51-58; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux; Snippet I -Feast Day of Coronation of Our Blessed Mother Mary ; Snippet II - Marian Apparitions; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 6 The Conversion of Saint Paul, The Creed, The Departure of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 2 - The Father; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday August 19, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Fortitude; </i><i>Reading 1, Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Reading 2, Ephesians 5:15-20; Gospel and Lectio Divina, John 6:51-58; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - </i><i>Saint Bernard of Clairvaux;<b> </b>Snippet I -</i><i><i>Feast Day of Coronation of Our Blessed Mother Mary </i> </i><i>; Snippet II - Marian Apparitions; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 6 The Conversion of Saint Paul, The Creed, The Departure of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 2 - The Father; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>August 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
With a motherly love I am calling you to open your heart to peace; to open your heart to my Son, so that in your heart love for my Son may sing, because only out of that love does peace comes into the soul. <br />
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My children, I know that you have goodness, I know that you have love – a merciful love, but many of my children still have a closed heart. They think that they can do it without directing their thoughts towards the Heavenly Father who illuminates–towards my Son who is always with you anew in the Eucharist and who desires to listen to you. <br />
My children, why do you not speak to Him? The life of each of you is important and precious, because it is a gift from the Heavenly Father for eternity. Therefore, do not ever forget to keep on thanking Him: Speak to Him. <br />
I know, my children, that what is to come afterwards is unknown to you, but when your hereafter does come you will receive all the answers. My motherly love desires that you be ready. <br />
My children, keep putting good feelings in the hearts of the people whom you meet, feelings of peace, goodness, love and forgiveness. Through prayer, hearken to what My Son is saying and act accordingly. <br />
Anew, I am calling you to prayer for your shepherds, for those whom my Son has called. Remember that they need prayers and love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church<br />
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<b>July 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b> <br />
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“Dear children! God called me to lead you to Him because He is your strength. That is why I am calling you to pray to Him and to trust in Him, because He is your refuge from every evil that lurks and carries souls far from the grace and joy to which you are all called. Little children, live Heaven here on earth so that it will be good for you; and may the commandments of God be a light on your way. I am with you and I love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church </div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope at Angelus: At Mass we anticipate heaven on earth</h2>
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<i>Pope Francis reflects on Christ’s Eucharistic discourse during the Angelus on Sunday</i></div>
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<b>By Christopher Wells</b><br />
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“Going to Mass and receiving Communion” is very important, Pope
Francis said at Sunday’s Angelus, “because to receive Communion is to
receive this living Christ, who transforms us interiorly, and prepares
us for heaven.”<br />
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The Holy Father based his reflection on Sunday’s Gospel reading, which
contains the second part of Jesus’ discourse on the Eucharist. Jesus
presents Himself to us as “the living bread come down from heaven,” and
adds, “the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the
world.”<br />
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Entering into communion with Him</h2>
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When the Lord says, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, you have no life in you,” the people understand
that “He is inviting them to enter into communion with Him, to ‘eat’
Him, His humanity, to share with Him” His gift of life for the world.<br />
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Anticipating heaven on earth</h2>
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“This bread of life, the sacrament of the Body and Blood of
Christ, comes to us given freely at the table of the Eucharist,” the
Pope said. “Around the altar we find that which feeds us and quenches us
spiritually today and for eternity. Each time we participate at the
Holy Mass, in a certain sense, we anticipate heaven on earth, because
from the Eucharistic food, the Body and Blood of Jesus, we learn what
eternal life is.”<br />
Jesus, he continued, never grows tired “of inviting us to His banquet
in order to satiate ourselves with Him, ‘the living bread come down
from heaven’.” When we nourish ourselves on this bread, Pope Francis
concluded, “we are able to enter into full harmony with Christ, with His
sentiments, with His way of acting.”<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 0<b>8</b>/19/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - fortitude</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">fawr</span>-ti-tood</span>]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
<h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1350–1400;</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="middle">Middle</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="english">English</span></span> < <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="latin">Latin</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fortitūdō">fortitūdō</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="strength">strength,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="firmness">firmness,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="courage">courage,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="equivalent">equivalent</span> to <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fortis">forti(s</span></span>) <span class="one-click" data-term="strong">strong</span> + <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="-tūdō">-tūdō</span></span> -tude</span></h4>
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<section class="css-1sdcacc e10vl5dg0"><header class="css-1y60q53 e10vl5dg1"><span class="css-1pomevn e10vl5dg2"><span class="luna-pos">noun</span></span></header><ol class="css-zw8qdz e10vl5dg3">
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="mental">mental</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="and">and</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="emotional">emotional</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="strength">strength</span> in <span class="one-click" data-term="facing">facing</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="difficulty">difficulty,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="adversity">adversity,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="danger">danger,</span> or <span class="one-click" data-term="temptation">temptation</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="courageously">courageously:</span> <span class="luna-example italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="never">Never</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="once">once</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="did">did</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="her">her</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="fortitude">fortitude</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="waver">waver</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="during">during</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="that">that</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="long">long</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="illness">illness.</span></span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10</h2>
19 Then the sanctuary of God in
heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Then
came flashes of lightning, peals of thunder and an earthquake and
violent hail.<br />
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman,
robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of
twelve stars.<br />
2 She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.<br />
3 Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon
with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with
a coronet.<br />
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky
and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the
woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that it could eat the
child as soon as it was born.<br />
5 The woman was delivered of a boy,
the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the
child was taken straight up to God and to his throne,<br />
6 while the
woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her
to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.<br />
10 Then I
heard a voice shout from heaven, 'Salvation and power and empire for
ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now
that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before our God,
has been brought down.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15</h2>
2 I will praise Yahweh from my heart; let the humble hear and rejoice.<br />
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh, let us acclaim his name together.<br />
10 Young lions may go needy and hungry, but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.<br />
11 Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.<br />
12 Who among you delights in life, longs for time to enjoy prosperity?<br />
13 Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from any breath of deceit.<br />
14 Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.<br />
15 The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright, his ear turned to their cry.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Ephesians 5:15-20</h2>
15 So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people.<br />
16 Make the best of the present time, for it is a wicked age.<br />
17 This is why you must not be thoughtless but must recognise what is the will of the Lord.<br />
18 Do not get drunk with wine; this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit.<br />
19 Sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs among yourselves, singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts,<br />
20 always and everywhere giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>John 6: 51-58</b></span></span></span></h2>
Jesus the bread of life. <br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
<br />
Let us invoke the presence of God<br />
Shaddai, God of the mountain,<br />
You who make of our fragile life<br />
the rock of your dwelling place,<br />
lead our mind<br />
to strike the rock of the desert,<br />
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.<br />
May the poverty of our feelings<br />
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night<br />
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence<br />
until the dawn,<br />
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,<br />
may bring us,<br />
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute<br />
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,<br />
the flavour of the holy memory.<br />
<br />
<br />
a) The text: John 6:51-58<br />
51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who
eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is
my flesh, for the life of the world.' 52 Then the Jews started arguing
among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' 53 Jesus
replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of
the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone
who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall
raise that person up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and
my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me and I live in that person. 57 As the living Father sent me
and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life
from me. 58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not
like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats
this bread will live for ever.<br />
<br />
b) A moment of silence:<br />
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Mediatio</h3>
a) Some questions:<br />
- I am the bread of life… Jesus, flesh and
blood, bread and wine. These words work a change on the altar, as
Augustine says: «If you take away the words, all you have is bread and
wine; add the words and it becomes something else. This something else
is the body and blood of Christ. Take the words away, all you have is
bread and wine; add the words and they become sacrament». How important
is the word of God for me? If the word is pronounced over my flesh can
it make me become bread for the world?<br />
<br />
b) Let us enter into the text:<br />
v. 51. ”I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone
who eats this bread will live for ever and the bread that I shall give
is my flesh, for the life of the world”. John’s Gospel does not recount
the institution of the Eucharist, but rather the meaning it assumes in
the life of the Christian community. The symbolism of the washing of the
feet and the new commandment (Jn 13:1-35) point to the bread broken and
the wine poured. The theological content is the same as that in the
synoptic Gospels. John’s ritual tradition can, however, be found in the
“eucharistic discourse” that follows the miracle of the multiplication
of the loaves (Jn 6:26-65). This text brings to light the deep meaning
of Christ’s existence given for the world, a gift that is the source of
life and that leads to a deep communion in the new commandment of
membership. The reference to the ancient miracle of the manna explains
the paschal symbolism where the idea of death is taken up and overcome
by life: «Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead; but
this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat
it and not die» (Jn 6:49-50). The bread of heaven (cfr Es 16; Jn
6:31-32) figuratively or in reality is not meant so much for the
individual as for the community of believers, even though everyone is
called to partake personally of the food given for all. Anyone who eats
the living bread will not die: the food of the revelation is the place
where life never ends. From the bread, John goes on to use another
expression to point to the body: sarx. In the Bible this word denotes a
human person in his or her fragile and weak reality before God, and in
John it denotes the human reality of the divine Word made man (Jn
1:14a): the bread is identified with the very flesh of Jesus. Here it is
not a question of metaphorical bread, that is of the revelation of
Christ in the world, but of the eucharistic bread. While revelation,
that is the bread of life identified with the person of Jesus (Jn 6:35),
is the gift of the Father (the verb to give is used in the present, v.
32), the eucharistic bread, that is the body of Jesus will be offered by
him through his death on the cross prefigured in the consecration of
the bread and wine at the supper: «and the bread that I shall give is my
flesh, for the life of the world» (Jn 6:51).<br />
<br />
v. 52. Then the
Jews started arguing among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?’. Here begins the drama of a way of thinking that stops at
the threshold of the visible and material and dares not cross the veil
of the mystery. This is the scandal of those who believe without
believing… of those who pretend to know but do not know. Flesh to eat:
the celebration of the Passover, the perennial rite that will go on from
generation to generation, a feast for the Lord and a memorial (cfr Es
12:14), whose meaning is Christ. Jesus’ invitation to do what he has
done “in memory” of him, is paralleled in the words of Moses when he
prescribes the paschal anamnesis: “This day must be commemorated by you,
and you must keep it as a feast ” (Ex 12,14). Now, we know that for the
Jews the celebration of the Passover was not just a remembrance of a
past event, but also its ritualization, in the sense that God was ready
to offer again to his people the salvation needed in new and different
circumstances. Thus the past intruded into the present, leavening by its
saving power. In the same way the eucharistic sacrifice “will be able”
to give to the centuries “flesh to eat”.<br />
<br />
vv. 53. Jesus said: “In
all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and
drink his blood, you have no life in you”. John, like the synoptic
Gospels, uses various expressions when speaking of Christ’s giving of
himself in death, not wishing thus to convey a separation of parts, but
the totality of the person given: the spiritualized corporeity of the
risen Christ, fully permeated by the Holy Spirit in the Paschal event,
will become source of life for all believers, especially through the
Eucharist, that unites closely each on of them with the glorified Christ
seated at the right hand of the Father, and making each one partake of
his own divine life. John does not mention bread and wine, but directly
what is signified by them: flesh to eat because it is Christ's presence
that nourishes and blood to drink – a sacrilegious act for the Jews –
because Christ is the sacrificed lamb. The sacramental liturgical
character is here evident: Jesus insists on the reality of the flesh and
of the blood referring to his death, because in the act of sacrificing
the sacrificial victims the flesh became separated from the blood.<br />
<br />
54. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life,
and I shall raise that person up on the last day. The Passover
celebrated by Jesus, the Jew, and by the early Christians acquires a new
soul: that of the resurrection of Christ, the final exodus of perfect
and full freedom (Jn 19: 31-37), which in the Eucharist finds the new
memorial, symbol of the Bread of life that sustains during the journey
in the desert, sacrifice and presence that sustains the people of God,
the Church, that, having crossed the waters of regeneration, will not
tire of making memory, as he said, (Lk 22:19; 1Cor 11:24) until the
eternal Passover. Attracted and penetrated by the presence of the Word
made flesh, Christians will live their Pesach throughout history, the
passage from the slavery of sin to the freedom of children of God. In
conforming themselves to Christ, they will be able to proclaim the
wonderful works of his admirable light, offering the eucharist of his
corporeity: living sacrifice, holy and pleasing in a spiritual cult (Rom
12:1) that befits the people of his victory, a chosen race, a royal
priesthood (cfr 1Pt 2:9).<br />
<br />
vv. 55-56. For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me and I live in that person. This promise of the life of
Christ influences greatly the life of believers: «Whoever eats my flesh
and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person» (Jn 6:56).
The communion of life that Jesus has with the Father is offered to all
who eat the sacrificed body of Christ. This is not to be understood as
the magic concession of a sacramental food that automatically confers
eternal life to those who eat it. This giving of the flesh and blood
needs explanation to make it intelligible and to provide the necessary
understanding of God’s action, it needs faith on the part of those who
take part in the eucharistic banquet, and it needs first God’s action,
that of his Spirit, without which there can be no listening or faith.<br />
<br />
v. 57. As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so
whoever eats me will also draw life from me. The stress is not placed
on the cult as the peak and foundation of love, but on the unity of the
body of Christ living and working within the community. There is no
liturgy without life. «A Eucharist without fraternal love is equal to
self condemnation, because the body of Christ, that is the community, is
despised». Indeed, in the eucharistic liturgy the past, present and
future of the history of salvation find an efficient symbol for the
Christian community, which expresses but never substitutes for the
experience of faith that must always be present in history. Through the
inseparable Supper and Cross, the people of God have come into the
ancient promises, the true land across the sea, across the desert,
across the river, a land of the milk and honey, of freedom capable of
obedience. All the great ancient plans find in this hour (cfr Jn 17:1)
their fulfilment; from the promise made to Abraham (Gn 17:1-8) to the
Passover of the Exodus (Ex 12:1-51). This is a decisive moment that
gathers the whole past of the people (cfr DV 4) and the first most noble
Eucharist ever celebrated of the new covenant is offered to the Father:
the fruitful fulfilment of all expectations on the altar of the cross.<br />
<br />
v. 58. “This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not
like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats
this bread will live for ever”. When Jesus pronounces the words: «This
is my body», and, «This is my blood», he establishes a real and
objective relationship between those material elements and the mystery
of his death, which finds its crowning glory in the resurrection. These
are creative words of a new situation with common elements in human
experience, words that will always and truly realise the mysterious
presence of the living Christ. The elements chosen were meant to be and
are symbol and instrument at the same time. The element of bread, which
because of its relationship to life has by itself an eschatological
significance (cfr Lk 14:15), is easily seen as an indispensable food and
a universal means of sharing. The element of wine, because of its
natural symbolism, connotes the fullness of life and the expansion of
the joy of a person (cfr Ps 103:15). In the existential Semite view, the
effectiveness of the system of signs is taken for granted. It makes
distinctions that make it possible to comprehend mysteries by faith
where the senses fail. By referring and going back to the desert and the
manna, this different “Pasch”, the material object and the sign come
together, but concupiscence, which is from the flesh, transforms the
sign into matter, while the desire, which is from the spirit, transforms
the matter into sign» (P. Beauchamp, L’uno e l’altro testamento,
Paideia Ed., Brescia 1985, p. 54). In fact, the manna from heaven comes
from God in an invisible form and thus lacks identity. This lack of
evidence is seen clearly in the etymology of the word “manna”: «What is
it?» (Ex 16:15). This says what it is, a name given to almost nothing, a
sign and not a thing, a signed sign. It is proven in the moment it
disappears, because one is tempted to remedy that which disappears, to
make provision of manna so as not to run short. This is the price of
what disappears to the senses. The alternation is the time of the
desert. The manna is bread that obeys the laws of him who gives it. The
law, that the manna signifies, is to expect everything from him: what is
required is belief. Because of its lack of substance, manna creates the
desire for more solid support; but in the place called “sepulchres of
greed” the thing, deprived of sign, brings death (Nm 11:34). In the
desert that which urges people to go ahead with confidence is this
seeing the manna either as a sign or as a thing in itself and thus
either believe or die.<br />
<br />
c) Let us meditate:<br />
Jesus fulfils
the true Pesach of human history: «Before the festival of the Passover,
Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the
Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the
end. While they were at supper…» (Jn 13;,1). To pass over: the new Pasch
is precisely this passing over of Christ from this world to the Father
through the blood of his sacrifice. The Eucharist is the memorial, bread
of the desert and saving presence, covenant of fidelity and communion
written in the person of the Word. The history of salvation that for
Israel is made up of events, names and places, leads to a reflection of
faith over an experience of life that makes the name of Yahweh not just
one name among many but the only Name. Everything begins from an
encounter, a dialogical event between God and humanity that translates
into a covenant of alliance, old and new. The sea of rushes is the last
frontier of slavery and beyond it lies the spacious territory of
freedom. In this watery sepulchre the old body of Israel is laid to rest
and the new and free Israel rises. This is where Israel’s identity is
born. Every time that this passage through the waters of birth is evoked
more than just as a historical event to be remembered, the
eschatological event will arise, capable of a divine fullness that
becomes present, sacramental sign of God’s faithful initiative today for
the new generations, in expectation of the final liberation that the
Lord will provide. It is the gasp of a people that on the eve of the
Pesach finds its deep identity individually and as a people, the eve
when the son of the living God gives himself wholly in the form of food and drink.</div>
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<h3>
3. Oriatio</h3>
Psalm 116<br />
<br />
What return can I make to Yahweh<br />
for his generosity to me?<br />
I shall take up the cup of salvation<br />
and call on the name of Yahweh.<br />
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,<br />
witnessed by all his people.<br />
Costly in Yahweh's sight<br />
is the death of his faithful.<br />
I beg you, Yahweh!<br />
I am your servant,<br />
I am your servant<br />
and my mother was your servant;<br />
you have undone my fetters.<br />
I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving<br />
and call on the name of Yahweh.<br />
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,<br />
witnessed by all his people,<br />
in the courts of the house of Yahweh,<br />
in your very heart, Jerusalem.<br />
<h3>
4. Contemplatio</h3>
When we think of you, Lord, we do not recall events that took place and
were fulfilled long ago, but we come into contact with your reality ever
present and alive, we see your constant passage among us. You intervene
in our life to restore our likeness to you, so that we may not be
disfigured by the stones of the law, but may find our fullest expression
in your face as Father, revealed in the face of a man, Jesus, the
promise of fidelity and love even unto death. It is not necessary at all
to go out of ordinary existence so as to meet you because the care you
take of your creatures unfolds over our human affairs like a scroll in
the proximity of an experience. You, Creator of heaven and earth, indeed
do hide in the folds of history and, even though at first obscurely and
implicitly, you allow us to meet you in your transcendence, which is
never absent from ordinary events. When our reflection on life brings us
to an acknowledgement of your liberating presence, this meeting can
only be celebrated, sung, expressed by sacred symbols, relived festively
in great joy. Thus we do not come to you alone, but as a people of the
covenant. The wonder of your presence is always purely gratuitous: in
the members of the Church, where two or three are gathered in the name
of Jesus (Mt 18:20), in the pages of Sacred Scripture, in eva</div>
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ngelical
preaching, in the poor and suffering (Mt 25:40), in the sacramental
actions of ordained ministers. But it is in the eucharistic sacrifice
that your presence becomes real; in the Body and Blood there is the
whole of the humanity and divinity of the risen Lord, present
substantially.<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span><span style="font-size: small;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"></span></span><b>St Bernard of Clairvaux</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day:</b> August 20</div>
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<b>Died</b>: 1153</div>
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<b>Patron Saint of</b> : Cistercians, Burgundy, beekeepers, candlemakers, Gibraltar, Queens' College, Cambridge, Speyer Cathedral, Knights Templar<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Bernard of Clairvaux<br />
Fra Angelica, 1440</td></tr>
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<b>Bernard of Clairvaux</b>, O.Cist (1090 – August
20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming
Cistercian order. After the death of his mother, Bernard sought
admission into the
Cistercian order. "Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey
at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the <i>Val d'Absinthe</i>, about 15 km southeast of Bar-sur-Aube. According to tradition, Bernard founded the monastery on 25 June 1115, naming it <i>Claire Vallée</i>, which evolved into <i>Clairvaux.</i> There Bernard would preach an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bernard_of_Clairvaux_0-0">[1]</sup>
In the year 1128, Bernard assisted at the Council of Troyes, at which
he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar, who soon
became the ideal of Christian nobility.<br />
<br />
On the death of
Pope Honorius II a schism broke out in the Church. Louis VI of France
convened a national council of the French bishops at Étampes
in 1130, and Bernard was chosen to judge between the rivals for pope.
After the council of Étampes, Bernard went to speak with the King of
England, Henry I, Beauclerc, about the king's reservations regarding
Pope Innocent II. Beauclerc was sceptical because most the bishops of
England supported Anacletus II; he convinced him to support Innocent.
Germany had decided to support Innocent through Norbert of Xanten, who
was a friend of Bernard's. However, Innocent insisted on Bernard's
company when he met with Lothair III of Germany. Lothair became
Innocent's strongest ally among the nobility. Despite the councils of
Étampes, Wurzburg, Clermont, and Rheims all supporting Innocent, there
were still large portions of the Christian world supporting Anacletus.<br />
<br />
At the end of 1131, the kingdoms of France, England, Germany, Castile,
and Aragon supported Innocent; however, most of Italy, southern France,
and Sicily, with the patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, and
Jerusalem, supported Anacletus. Bernard set out to convince these other
regions to rally behind Innocent. The first person whom he went to was
Gerard of Angoulême. He proceeded to write a letter, called Letter 126.
This letter questioned Gerard's reasons for supporting Anacletus.
Bernard would later comment that Gerard was his most formidable opponent
during the whole schism. After convincing Gerard, Bernard traveled to
visit the Count of Poitiers. He was the hardest for Bernard to convince.
He did not pledge allegiance to Innocent until 1135. After that,
Bernard spent most of his time in Italy convincing the Italians to
pledge allegiance to Innocent. He traveled to Sicily in 1137 to convince
the king of Sicily to follow Innocent. The whole conflict ended when
Anacletus died on January 25, 1138.<br />
<br />
In 1139, Bernard
assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran. Bernard denounced the
teachings of Peter Abelard to the pope, who called a council at Sens in
1141 to settle the matter. Bernard soon saw one of his disciples elected
as Pope Eugenius III.
Having previously helped end the schism within the church, Bernard was
now called upon to combat heresy. In June 1145, Bernard traveled in
southern France and his preaching there helped strengthen support
against heresy.<br />
<br />
Following the Christian defeat at the
Siege of Edessa, the pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second
Crusade.
The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the
crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him.
Bernard died at age 63, after 40 years spent in the cloister. He was the
first Cistercian placed on the calendar of saints, and was canonized by
Pope Alexander III on 18 January 1174. In 1830, Pope Pius VIII bestowed
upon Bernard the title "Doctor of the Church".<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life_.281090.E2.80.931113.29">Early life (1090–1113)</span></h2>
Bernard's
parents were Tescelin, Lord of Fontaines, and Aleth of Montbard, both
belonging to the highest nobility of Burgundy.
Bernard was the third of a family of seven children, six of whom were
sons. At the age of nine years, Bernard was sent to school at
Châtillon-sur-Seine, run by the secular canons
of Saint-Vorles. Bernard had a great taste for literature and devoted
himself for some time to poetry. His success in his studies won the
admiration of his teachers. Bernard wanted to excel in literature in
order to take up the study of the Bible. He had a special devotion to
the Virgin Mary, and he would later write several works about the Queen
of Heaven.<br />
<br />
Bernard would expand upon Anselm of
Canterbury's role in transmuting the sacramentally ritual Christianity
of the Early Middle Ages
into a new, more personally held faith, with the life of Christ as a
model and a new emphasis on the Virgin Mary. In opposition to the
rational approach to divine understanding that the scholastics adopted,
Bernard would preach an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was
the Virgin Mary. Bernard played the leading role in the development of
the cult of the Virgin, which is one of the most important
manifestations of the popular piety of the twelfth century. In early
medieval thought, the Virgin Mary had played a minor role, and it was
only with the rise of emotional Christianity in the eleventh century
that she became the prime intercessor for humanity with the deity.
Bernard was only nineteen years of age when his mother died. During his
youth, he did not escape trying temptations and around this time he
thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and
prayer.<br />
<br />
In 1098, Saint Robert of Molesme had founded
Cîteaux Abbey, near Dijon, with the purpose of restoring the Rule of St
Benedict in all its rigour. Returning to Molesme, he left the government
of the new abbey to Saint Alberic, who died in the year 1109. In 1113,
Saint Stephen Harding had just succeeded him as third Abbot of Cîteaux
when Bernard and thirty other young noblemen of Burgundy sought
admission into the Cistercian order.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Abbot_of_Clairvaux_.281113.E2.80.9328.29">Abbot of Clairvaux (1113–28)</span></h2>
The little community of reformed Benedictines at Cîteaux, which would have so profound an influence on Western monasticism,
grew rapidly. Three years later, Bernard was sent with a band of twelve
monks to found a new house at Vallée d'Absinthe, in the Diocese of Langres.
This Bernard named Claire Vallée, or Clairvaux, on 25 June 1115, and
the names of Bernard and Clairvaux would soon become inseparable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bunson_1998_p.129_4-1">[5]</sup>
During the absence of the Bishop of Langres, Bernard was blessed as
abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. From that
moment a strong friendship sprang up between the abbot and the bishop,
who was professor of theology at Notre Dame of Paris, and the founder of
the Abbey of St. Victor.<br />
<br />
The beginnings of Clairvaux
Abbey were trying and painful. The regime
was so austere that Bernard became ill, and only the influence of his
friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the general chapter
could make him mitigate the austerities. The monastery, however, made
rapid progress. Disciples flocked to it in great numbers and put
themselves under the direction of Bernard. His father and all his
brothers entered Clairvaux to pursue religious life, leaving only
Humbeline, his sister, in the secular world. She, with the consent of
her husband, soon took the veil in the Benedictine nunnery of
Jully-les-Nonnains. Gerard of Clairvaux, Bernard's older brother, became
the cellarer of Citeaux. The abbey became too small for its members and
it was necessary to send out bands to found new houses. In 1118,
Trois-Fontaines Abbey was founded in the diocese of Châlons; in 1119,
Fontenay Abbey in the Diocese of Autun and in 1121, Foigny Abbey near
Vervins, in the diocese of Laon.
In addition to these victories, Bernard also had his trials. During an
absence from Clairvaux, the Grand Prior of Cluny went to Clairvaux and
enticed away Bernard's cousin, Robert of Châtillon. This was the
occasion of the longest and most emotional of Bernard's letters.<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
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In the year 1119, Bernard was present at the first general chapter of
the order convoked by Stephen of Cîteaux. Though not yet 30 years old,
Bernard was listened to with the greatest attention and respect,
especially when he developed his thoughts upon the revival of the
primitive spirit of regularity and fervour in all the monastic orders.
It was this general chapter that gave definitive form to the
constitutions of the order and the regulations of the <i>Charter of Charity</i> which Pope Callixtus II confirmed 23 December 1119. In 1120, Bernard authored his first work, <i>De Gradibus Superbiae et Humilitatis</i>, and his homilies which he entitled <i>De Laudibus Mariae.</i>
The monks of the abbey of Cluny were unhappy to see Cîteaux take the
lead rôle among the religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church. For
this reason, the Black Monks
attempted to make it appear that the rules of the new order were
impracticable. At the solicitation of William of St. Thierry, Bernard
defended the order by publishing his <i>Apology</i> which was divided
into two parts. In the first part, he proved himself innocent of the
charges of Cluny and in the second he gave his reasons for his
counterattacks. He protested his profound esteem for the Benedictines of
Cluny whom he declared he loved equally as well as the other religious
orders. Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny, answered Bernard and
assured him of his great admiration and sincere friendship. In the
meantime Cluny established a reform, and Abbot Suger, the minister of Louis VI of France, was converted by the <i>Apology</i>
of Bernard. He hastened to terminate his worldly life and restore
discipline in his monastery. The zeal of Bernard extended to the
bishops, the clergy, and lay people. Bernard's letter to the archbishop of Sens was seen as a real treatise, <i>"De Officiis Episcoporum."</i> About the same time he wrote his work on <i>Grace and Free Will</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Doctor_of_the_Church_.281128.E2.80.9346.29">Doctor of the Church (1128–46)</span></h2>
In
the year 1128, Bernard participated in the Council of Troyes, which had
been convoked by Pope Honorius II, and was presided over by Cardinal
Matthew, Bishop of Albano. The purpose of this council was to settle
certain disputes of the bishops of Paris, and regulate other matters of
the Church of France.
The bishops made Bernard secretary of the council, and charged him with
drawing up the synodal statutes. After the council, the bishop of
Verdun was deposed. It was at this council that Bernard traced the
outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar who soon became the ideal of
Christian nobility. He later praised them in his <i>De Laude Novae Militiae</i>.<br />
<br />
Again reproaches arose against Bernard and he was denounced, even in
Rome. He was accused of being a monk who meddled with matters that did
not concern him. Cardinal Harmeric, on behalf of the pope, wrote Bernard
a sharp letter of remonstrance stating, "It is not fitting that noisy
and troublesome frogs should come out of their marshes to trouble the
Holy See and the cardinals."<br />
<br />
Bernard answered the letter by saying that, if he had assisted at the
council, it was because he had been dragged to it by force. In his
response Bernard wrote,<br />
<blockquote class="templatequote">
<div class="Bug6200">
Now illustrious Harmeric if you so wished, who
would have been more capable of freeing me from the necessity of
assisting at the council than yourself? Forbid those noisy troublesome
frogs to come out of their holes, to leave their marshes . . . Then your
friend will no longer be exposed to the accusations of pride and
presumption.</div>
</blockquote>
This letter made a positive impression on Harmeric, and in the Vatican.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Schism">Schism</span></h3>
Bernard's
influence was soon felt in provincial affairs. He defended
the rights of the Church against the encroachments of kings and princes,
and recalled to their duty Henri Sanglier, archbishop of Sens and
Stephen of Senlis, bishop of Paris. On the death of Pope Honorius II,
which occurred on 14 February 1130, a schism broke out in the Church by
the election of two popes, Pope Innocent II and Pope Anacletus II.
Innocent II, having been banished from Rome by Anacletus, took refuge
in France. King Louis VI convened a national council of the French
bishops at Étampes, and Bernard, summoned there by consent of the
bishops, was chosen to judge between the rival popes. He decided in
favour of Innocent II. This caused the pope to be recognized by all the
great powers. He then went with him into Italy and reconciled Pisa with
Genoa, and Milan with the pope. The same year Bernard was again at the
Council of Reims at the side of Innocent II. He then went to Aquitaine
where he succeeded for the time in detaching William X of Aquitaine,
Count of Poitiers, from the cause of Anacletus.<br />
<br />
In
1132, Bernard accompanied Innocent II into Italy, and at Cluny the
pope abolished the dues which Clairvaux used to pay to that abbey. This
action gave rise to a quarrel between the White Monks and the Black
Monks which lasted 20 years. In May of that year, the pope, supported by
the army of Emperor Lothair III,
entered Rome, but Lothair, feeling himself too weak to resist the
partisans of Anacletus, retired beyond the Alps, and Innocent sought
refuge in Pisa in September 1133. Bernard had returned to France in June
and was continuing the work of peacemaking which he had commenced in
1130. Towards the end of 1134, he made a second journey into Aquitaine,
where William X had relapsed into schism. Bernard invited William to the
Mass which he celebrated in the Church of La Couldre. At the Eucharist,
he "admonished the Duke not to despise God as he did His servants".
William yielded and the schism ended. Bernard went again to Italy, where
Roger II of Sicily
was endeavouring to withdraw the Pisans from their allegiance to
Innocent. He recalled the city of Milan to obedience to the pope as they
had followed the deposed Anselm V, Archbishop of Milan. For this, he
was offered, and he refused, the archbishopric of Milan.
He then returned to Clairvaux. Believing himself at last secure in his
cloister, Bernard devoted himself with renewed vigour to the composition
of the works which would win for him the title of "Doctor of the
Church". He wrote at this time his sermons on the <i>Song of Songs.</i>
In 1137, he was again forced to leave his solitude by order of the pope
to put an end to the quarrel between Lothair and Roger of Sicily. At
the conference held at Palermo, Bernard succeeded in convincing Roger of
the rights of Innocent II. He also silenced the final supporters who
sustained the schism. Anacletus died of "grief and disappointment" in
1138, and with him the schism ended.<br />
<br />
In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran, in
which the surviving adherents of the schism were definitively condemned.
About the same time, Bernard was visited at Clairvaux by Saint Malachy, Primate of All Ireland,
and a very close friendship formed between them. Malachy wanted to
become a Cistercian, but the pope would not give his permission. Malachy
would die at Clairvaux in 1148.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Contest_with_Abelard">Contest with Abelard</span></h3>
Towards
the close of the 11th century, a spirit of independence flourished
within schools of philosophy and theology. This led for a time to the
exaltation of human reason and rationalism. The movement found an ardent
and powerful advocate in Peter Abelard. Abelard's treatise on the
Trinity
had been condemned as heretical in 1121, and he himself had thrown his
book into the fire. However, Abelard continued to develop his teachings,
which were controversial in some quarters. Bernard, informed of this by
William of St-Thierry, is said to have held a meeting with Abelard
intending to persuade him to amend his writings, during which Abelard
repented and promised to do so. But once out of Bernard's presence, he
reneged.<sup> </sup>Bernard then denounced Abelard to the pope and cardinals of the Curia.
Abelard sought a debate with Bernard, but Bernard initially declined,
saying he did not feel matters of such importance should be settled by
logical analyses. Bernard's letters to William of St-Thierry also
express his apprehension about confronting the preeminent logician.
Abelard continued to press for a public debate, and made his challenge
widely known, making it hard for Bernard to decline. In 1141, at the
urgings of Abelard, the archbishop of Sens called a council of bishops,
where Abelard and Bernard were to put their respective cases so Abelard
would have a chance to clear his name.<sup> </sup>
Bernard lobbied the prelates on the evening before the debate, swaying
many of them to his view. The next day, after Bernard made his opening
statement, Abelard decided to retire without attempting to answer.<sup> </sup>
The council found in favour of Bernard and their judgment was confirmed
by the pope. Abelard submitted without resistance, and he retired to
Cluny to live under the protection of Peter the Venerable, where he died
two years later.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Cistercian_Order_and_Heresy">Cistercian Order and Heresy</span></h3>
Bernard
had occupied himself in sending bands of monks from his
overcrowded monastery into Germany, Sweden, England, Ireland, Portugal,
Switzerland, and Italy. Some of these, at the command of Innocent II,
took possession of Three Fountains Abbey, from which Pope Eugenius III
would be chosen in 1145. Pope Innocent II died in the year 1143. His two
successors, Pope Celestine II and Pope Lucius II,
reigned only a short time, and then Bernard saw one of his disciples,
Bernard of Pisa, and known thereafter as Eugenius III, raised to the
Chair of Saint Peter. Bernard sent him, at the pope's own request,
various instructions which comprise the <i>Book of Considerations,</i>
the predominating idea of which is that the reformation of the Church
ought to commence with the sanctity of the pope. Temporal matters are
merely accessories; the principles according to Bernard's work were that
piety and meditation were to precede action.<br />
<br />
Having
previously helped end the schism within the Church, Bernard was now
called upon to combat heresy. Henry of Lausanne, a former Cluniac monk,
had adopted the teachings of the Petrobrusians, followers of Peter of
Bruys and spread them in a modified form after Peter's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eb11_10-0">[11]</sup>
Henry of Lausanne's followers became known as Henricians. In June 1145,
at the invitation of Cardinal Alberic of Ostia, Bernard traveled in
southern France.<sup> </sup>
His preaching, aided by his ascetic looks and simple attire, helped
doom the new sects. Both the Henrician and the Petrobrusian faiths began
to die out by the end of that year. Soon afterwards, Henry of Lausanne
was arrested, brought before the bishop of Toulouse, and probably
imprisoned for life. In a letter to the people of Toulouse, undoubtedly
written at the end of 1146, Bernard calls upon them to extirpate the
last remnants of the heresy. He also preached against the Cathars.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Second_Crusade_.281146.E2.80.9349.29">Second Crusade (1146–49)</span></h2>
News
came at this time from the Holy Land that alarmed Christendom.
Christians had been defeated at the Siege of Edessa and most of the
county had fallen into the hands of the Seljuk Turks. The Kingdom of
Jerusalem and the other Crusader states were threatened with similar
disaster. Deputations of the bishops of Armenia solicited aid from the
pope, and the King of France also sent ambassadors. The pope
commissioned Bernard to preach a Second Crusade and granted the same
indulgences for it which Pope Urban II had accorded to the First
Crusade.<br />
<br />
There was at first virtually no popular
enthusiasm for the crusade as
there had been in 1095. Bernard found it expedient to dwell upon the
taking of the cross as a potent means of gaining absolution for sin and
attaining grace. On 31 March, with King Louis present, he preached to an
enormous crowd in a field at Vézelay. When Bernard was finished the
crowd enlisted en masse; they supposedly ran out of cloth to make
crosses. Bernard is said to have given his own outer garments to be cut
up to make more. Unlike the First Crusade, the new venture attracted
royalty, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, then Queen of France; Thierry of
Alsace, Count of Flanders; Henry, the future Count of Champagne; Louis’
brother Robert I of Dreux; Alphonse I of Toulouse; William II of Nevers;
William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey; Hugh VII of Lusignan;
and numerous other nobles and bishops. But an even greater show of
support came from the common people. Bernard wrote to the pope a few
days afterwards, "Cities and castles are now empty. There is not left
one man to seven women, and everywhere there are widows to still-living
husbands."<br />
<br />
Bernard then passed into Germany, and the reported miracles which
multiplied almost at his every step undoubtedly contributed to the
success of his mission. Conrad III of Germany and his nephew Frederick Barbarossa, received the cross from the hand of Bernard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Riley-Smith_1991_p.48_12-1">[13]</sup>
Pope Eugenius came in person to France to encourage the enterprise. As
in the First Crusade, the preaching inadvertently led to attacks on
Jews; a fanatical French monk named Radulphe was apparently inspiring
massacres of Jews in the Rhineland, Cologne, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer,
with Radulphe claiming Jews were not contributing financially to the
rescue of the Holy Land. The archbishop of Cologne and the archbishop of
Mainz
were vehemently opposed to these attacks and asked Bernard to denounce
them. This he did, but when the campaign continued, Bernard traveled
from Flanders to Germany to deal with the problems in person. He then
found Radulphe in Mainz and was able to silence him, returning him to
his monastery.<br />
<br />
The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the
Second Crusade he had preached, the entire responsibility for which was
thrown upon him.<sup> </sup>Bernard considered it his duty to send an apology to the Pope and it is inserted in the second part of his <i>"Book of Considerations."</i>
There he explains how the sins of the crusaders were the cause of their
misfortune and failures. When his attempt to call a new crusade failed,
he tried to disassociate himself from the fiasco of the Second Crusade
altogether.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Final_years_.281149.E2.80.9353.29">Final years (1149–53)</span></h2>
The death of his contemporaries served as a warning to Bernard of his
own approaching end. The first to die was Suger in 1152, of whom
Bernard wrote to Eugenius III, "If there is any precious vase adorning
the palace of the King of Kings it is the soul of the venerable Suger".
Conrad III and his son Henry died the same year. From the beginning of
the year 1153, Bernard felt his death approaching. The passing of Pope
Eugenius had struck the fatal blow by taking from him one whom he
considered his greatest friend and consoler. Bernard died at age
sixty-three on 20 August 1153, after forty years spent in the cloister.<sup> </sup>He
was buried at the Clairvaux Abbey, but after its dissolution in 1792 by
the French revolutionary government, his remains were transferred to
the Troyes Cathedral.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theology">Theology</span></h2>
St.
Bernard of Clairvaux was named a Doctor of the Church in 1830. At the
800th anniversary of his death, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical on
Bernard, Doctor Mellifluus,
in which he labeled him "The Last of the Fathers." Bernard did not
reject human philosophy which is genuine philosophy, which leads to God;
he differentiates between different kinds of knowledge, the highest
being theological. Three central elements of Bernard's Mariology are how
he explained the virginity of Mary, <i>the "Star of the Sea"</i>, how the faithful should pray on the Virgin Mary, and how he relied on the Virgin Mary as Mediatrix.<br />
<br />
Bernard also held some doctrines which the Reformers would later
rekindle at the beginnings of the Protestant movement. Some people have
therefore equated him with a Protestant before there were Protestants.
In truth he held to a mix of the Reformers' doctrines and the doctrines
of the Roman Catholic Church of his day.<sup> </sup> Bernard fought against the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Also of great importance to the Reformers would be Bernard's conception
of justification. Calvin quotes Bernard several times to show the
historical valididy of <i>Sola Fide</i>, which Luther described as the article upon which the church stands or falls.<sup> </sup>
Calvin also quotes him in setting forth his doctrine of a forensic
alien righteousness, or as it is commonly called imputed righteousness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Spirituality">Spirituality</span></h2>
Bernard
was instrumental in re-emphasizing the importance of Lectio Divina and
contemplation on Scripture within the Cistercian order.
Bernard had observed that when Lectio Divina was neglected monasticism
suffered. Bernard considered Lectio Divina and contemplation guided by
the Holy Spirit the keys to nourishing Christian spirituality.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
Bernard's theology and Mariology continue to be of major importance, particularly within the Cistercian and Trappist orders.<sup> </sup>Bernard
led to the foundation of 163 monasteries in different parts of
Europe. At his death, they numbered 343. His influence led Pope
Alexander III to launch reforms that would lead to the establishment of
canon law.<sup> </sup>He was the first Cistercian monk placed on the
calendar of saints and was canonized by Pope Alexander III 18 January
1174. Pope Pius VIII
bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church. He is fondly
remembered as the "Mellifluous Doctor" (the Honey-Sweet(-voiced) Doctor)
for his eloquence. The Cistercians honour him as only the founders of
orders are honoured, because of the widespread activity which he gave to
the order.<sup> </sup> The works of Bernard are as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>De Gradibus Superbiae,</i> his first treatise.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Homilies on the Gospel, <i>Missus est</i>, written in 1120.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>"Apology to William of St. Thierry" against the claims of the monks of Cluny.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>"On the Conversion of Clerics," a book addressed to the young ecclesiastics of Paris written in 1122.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>De Laude Novae Militiae,</i> addressed to Hugues de Payens, first
Grand Master and Prior of Jerusalem (1129). This is a eulogy of the
military order instituted in 1118, and an exhortation to the knights to
conduct themselves with courage in their several stations.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>De Amore Dei"</i> wherein Bernard argues that the manner of loving God is to love without measure and gives the different degree of this love.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>"Book of Precepts and Dispensations" (1131), which contains answers
to questions upon certain points of the Rule of St Benedict from which
the abbot can, or cannot, dispense.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio</i> in which the Roman Catholic dogma of grace and free will was defended according to the principles of St Augustine.</li>
<li><i>De Consideratione</i> ("On Consideration"), addressed to Pope Eugenius III.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>De Officiis Episcoporum,</i> addressed to Henry, Archbishop of Sens.</li>
</ul>
His sermons are also numerous:<br />
<ul>
<li>On Psalm 90, <i>Qui habitat,</i> written about 1125.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>"On the Song of Songs". [with an autobiographical passage, sermon 26, mourning the death of his brother, Gerard]<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>There are also 86 "Sermons for the Whole Year."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>530 letters survive.</li>
</ul>
Many letters, treatises, and other works, falsely attributed to him survive, such as the <i>l'Echelle du Cloître</i>, <i>les Méditations</i>, and <i>l'Edification de la Maison intérieure</i>.
Saint Bernard's Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus is often
published in Catholic prayer books. Saint Bernard's views on the Virgin
Mary also influenced other saints, e.g., in the classic text on
Mariology, "The Glories of Mary", Saint Alphonsus Liguori based his
analysis of Mary as the "Gate to Heaven" on Saint Bernard's statement:<br />
<blockquote>
No one can enter Heaven unless by Mary, as though through a door.</blockquote>
Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" places him as the last guide for Dante, as he travels through the Empyrean (<i>Paradiso</i>,
cantos XXXI–XXXIII). Dante's choice appears to be based on Bernard's
contemplative mysticism, his devotion to Mary, and his reputation for
eloquence. He is also the attributed author of the poem often translated in English hymnals as "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded".<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
References: </h2>
<ul>
<li> This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Blessed Jean Eudes". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span> </li>
</ul>
<span class="reference-text"> </span>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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<b> </b></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: </b></span></span></span></span></span><b style="color: #660000;">The </b><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Feast of the Coronation of Blessed Mother Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven</b></span> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Feast Day:</b> August 22</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="272" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Botticelli%2C_incoronazione_della_vergine.jpg/180px-Botticelli%2C_incoronazione_della_vergine.jpg" width="180" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Botticelli, the coronation of the Virgin</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Coronation of the Virgin</b> or <b>Coronation of Mary</b>
is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th
to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century
and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God the Father and the
Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, places a crown on the head of Mary
as Queen of Heaven. In early versions the setting is a Heaven imagined
as an earthly court, staffed by saints and angels; in later versions
Heaven is more often seen as in the sky, with the figures seated on
clouds. The subject is also notable as one where the whole Christian
Trinity are often shown together, sometimes in unusual ways. Although
crowned Virgins may be seen in Eastern Orthodox icons, the coronation
by the deity is not. Mary is sometimes shown, in both Eastern and
Western Christian art, being crowned by one or two angels, but this is
considered a different subject.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
subject became common as part of a general increase in devotion to
Mary in the Early Gothic period, and is one of the commonest subjects
in surviving 14th century Italian panel paintings, mostly made to go on
a side-altar in a church. The great majority of Catholic churches had
(and have) a side-altar or "Lady chapel" dedicated to Mary. The subject
is still often enacted in rituals or popular pageants called May
crownings, although the crowning is performed by human figures.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The belief in Mary as Queen of Heaven obtained the papal sanction of Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (<i>English: Queenship of Mary in Heaven</i>) of October 11, 1954.<sup> </sup>It
is also the fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary. The Roman Catholic
Church celebrates the feast every August 22nd, where it replaced the
former octave of the Assumption of Mary in 1969, a move made by Pope
Paul VI. The feast was formerly celebrated on May 31st, at the end of
the Marian month, where the present general calendar now commemorates
the Feast of the Visitation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Ad Caeli Reginam</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYskufNXbf4e4h0hC4iXIwjjqm1IbftmF07ghwD2zSYggCxB7Lql6bVzan7cCz0vgw0Oz4hRYUTaS4WpDQoDpaUo8ce6HVcOBDDQ4z5HlwGlryQN6gyIMdRWEyvKyv12L183F6h6zP8xb/s1600/11immacu%255B1%255D.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYskufNXbf4e4h0hC4iXIwjjqm1IbftmF07ghwD2zSYggCxB7Lql6bVzan7cCz0vgw0Oz4hRYUTaS4WpDQoDpaUo8ce6HVcOBDDQ4z5HlwGlryQN6gyIMdRWEyvKyv12L183F6h6zP8xb/s320/11immacu%255B1%255D.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>
<b>Ad caeli reginam</b>
is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII, given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on
the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh
day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of his Pontificate. The
encyclical is an important element of the Mariology of Pope Pius XII. It
established the feast Queenship of Mary.<br />
<br />
The Church,
as the encyclical, always taught that Mary is far above all other
creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all.
"You have surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be
more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this
grace, which you alone have received from God"? To this St. Germanus
adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your
greatness places you above the angels." And St. John Damascene goes so
far as to say: "Limitless is the difference between God's servants and
His Mother." Previous Popes are quoted: Pope Pius IX, "With a heart
that is truly a mother's," does she approach the problem of our
salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of
heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and
saints, and standing at the right hand of her only Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers,
obtains what she seeks, and cannot be refused." Leo XIII, said that an
"almost immeasurable" power has been given Mary in the distribution of
graces; St. Pius X adds that she fills this office "as by the right of a
mother." Pope Pius admonishes theologians and preachers from straying
from the correct course, avoiding two extremes, Marian exaggerations
and excessive narrowness of mind. in, our salvation."<br />
<br />
The
encyclicals points to some countries of the world, where people are
unjustly persecuted for their Christian faith and who are deprived of
their divine and human rights to freedom. Reasonable demands and
repeated protests have not helped them. “May the powerful Queen of
creation, whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings
back cloudless skies, look upon these her innocent and tormented
children with eyes of mercy” </div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis">Theological basis</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Queen of Heaven (Latin <i>Regina Caeli</i>)
is one of many Queen titles used of the Virgin Mary. The title derived
in part from the ancient Catholic teaching that Mary, at the end of
her earthly life, was bodily and spiritually assumed into heaven, and
that she is there honored as Queen.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pius XII explained on the theological reasons for her title of Queen in a radio message to Fatima of May 13, 1946, <i>Bendito seja</i>:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
He,
the Son of God, reflects on His heavenly Mother the glory, the majesty
and the dominion of His kingship, for, having been associated to the
King of Martyrs in the ... work of human Redemption as Mother and
cooperator, she remains forever associated to Him, with a practically
unlimited power, in the distribution of the graces which flow from the
Redemption. Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right
of conquest: through Him, with Him, and subordinate to Him, Mary is
Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by
singular choice [of the Father].</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According
to Catholic doctrine, Mary was assumed into heaven and is with Jesus
Christ, her divine Son and is represented in the Book of Revelation
(chapter 11:19-12:6) as the woman clothed with the sun who gives birth
to Christ.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In his 1954 encyclical <i>Ad caeli reginam</i>
("To the Queen of Heaven"), Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the
title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated
as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent
perfection and because of her intercessory power. <i>Ad caeli reginam</i>
states that the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary
rests is her Divine Motherhood. ... So with complete justice St. John
Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly
became Queen of every creature.".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Biblical_basis">Biblical basis</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Old Testament, under some Davidic kings, the gebirah, the "Great
Lady", usually the Mother of the King, held great power as advocate
with the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba,
seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will
not refuse you." Fr. William G. Most sees here a sort of type of Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-most_4-1"> </sup>In
the New Testament, the title has several biblical sources. At the
Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel announces that [Jesus] "... will be
great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his father David. He will rule over the
house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end."(Luke 1:32)
The biblical precedent in ancient Israel is that the mother of the king
becomes the queen mother. Mary's queenship is a share in Jesus’
kingship.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Roman Catholic Church views Mary as the woman clothed with the sun in the Book of Revelation 12:1-3:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Rev12_5-1">[5]</sup>
"1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on
her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads."
The Church accepts Revelation 12 as a reference to Mary, Israel, and
the Church as a three-fold symbolism through the Book of Isaiah and
affirms Mary as the mother of Jesus as the prophetic fulfilment
described in Revelation 12 (cf. Isaiah 7:14, 26:17, 54:1, 66:7).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Old Testament the term "queen of heaven" appears in a context
unrelated to Mary. The prophet Jeremiah writing circa 628 BC refers to a
"queen of heaven" in chapters 7 and 44 of the Book of Jeremiah when
he scolds the people for having "sinned against the Lord" due to their
idolatrous practices of burning incense, making cakes and pouring out
drink offerings to her. This title was probably given to Asherah, a
Caananite idol and goddess worshipped in ancient Israel and Judah. For a
discussion of "queen of heaven" in the Old Testament, see Queen of
heaven (Antiquity).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Historical_practice">Historical practice</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="225" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Fra_Angelico_082.jpg/220px-Fra_Angelico_082.jpg" width="220" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Fra Angelico</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the fourth century St. Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later
Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. A text probably
coming from Origen (died c. 254) gives her the title domina, the
feminine form of Latin dominus, Lord. That same title also appears in
many other early writers, e.g., Jerome, and Peter Chrysologus. The first
Mariological definition and basis for the title of <i>Mary Queen of Heaven</i>
developed at the Council of Ephesus, where Mary was defined to be the
Mother of God. The Council fathers specifically approved this version
against the opinion, that Mary is "only" the mother of Jesus. Nobody
had participated in the life of her son more, than Mary, who gave birth
to the Son of God.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
word "Queen" appears about the sixth century, and is common thereafter.
Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy
Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican
rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in
Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship. For centuries she has been
invoked as the Queen of heaven.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Litany_of_Loreto">Litany of Loreto</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<div class="thumbcaption">
Rubens, 1609</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
She is invoked in the Litany of Loreto as:</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Queen of the Angels,</li>
<li>Queen of Patriarchs,</li>
<li>Queen of Prophets,</li>
<li>Queen of Apostles,</li>
<li>Queen of Martyrs,</li>
<li>Queen of Confessors,</li>
<li>Queen of Virgins,</li>
<li>Queen of all Saints</li>
<li>Queen of Families.</li>
<li>Queen conceived without original sin</li>
<li>Queen assumed into Heaven</li>
<li>Queen of the Most Holy Rosary</li>
<li>Queen of Peace</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_titles">Other titles</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other titles have been added to reflect modern scientific understanding. The Second Vatican Council in 1964 referred to Mary as <i>Queen of the Universe</i>. Section 59 of <i>Lumen Gentium</i>,
the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from Vatican II, stated:
"Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of
original sin, on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up
body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as <i>Queen of the universe</i>,
that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of
lords and the conqueror of sin and death." This reference came at a time
during which space exploration was beginning.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Liturgy_of_the_Hours">Liturgy of the Hours</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="252" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Beslotentuinfeest.jpg/180px-Beslotentuinfeest.jpg" width="180" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Crowned statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, Warfhuizen, Holland.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The four ancient Marian antiphons of the Liturgy of the Hours express the Queenship of the Virgin Mary: the <i>Salve Regina</i>, the <i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i>, the <i>Alma Redemptoris Mater</i>, and the <i>Regina Caeli</i>. These are prayed at different times of the year, at the end of Compline.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Salve_Regina"><i>Salve Regina</i></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mary as Queen of Heaven is praised in the <i>Salve Regina</i>
"(Hail Queen)", which is sung in the time from Trinity Sunday until
the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. In the vernacular, as a
prayer to the Virgin Mary, the Hail Holy Queen is the final prayer of
the Rosary. A German Benedictine monk, Hermann of Reichenau
(1013-1054), allegedly composed it and it originally appeared in Latin,
the prevalent language of the Catholic Church until Vatican II.
Traditionally it has been sung in Latin, though many translations exist.
In the Middle Ages, <i>Salve Regina</i> offices were held every Saturday.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> In the 13th century, the custom developed to greet the Queen of Heaven with the <i>Salve Regina</i>, which is considered the oldest of the four Marian antiphons. As a part of the Catholic Reformation, the <i>Salve Regina</i> was prayed every Saturday by members of the Sodality of Our Lady, a Jesuit Marian congregation. The <i>Hail Holy Queen</i> is also the final prayer of the Rosary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Ave_Regina_Caelorum"><i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i>
(Hail, Queen of Heaven) is an early Marian antiphon, praising Mary,
the Queen of Heaven. It is traditionally said or sung after each of the
canonical hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. The prayer is used
especially after Compline, the final canonical hour of prayer before
going to sleep. It is prayed from the Feast of the Presentation
(February 2) through the Wednesday of Holy Week. It used to be sung on
the feast of the Assumption of Mary. The <i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i> dates back in a different musical intonation to the 12th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> Today's version is slightly different from a 12th-century intonation. The <i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i> has four parts: <i>Ave</i>, <i>Salve</i>, <i>Gaude</i> and <i>Vale</i> (in English: hail, rejoice, farewell). It was used for processions in honour of the <i>Queen of Heaven.</i> The <i>Ave Regina Caelorum</i> received numerous musical versions, a famous one of which was composed in 1773 by Joseph Haydn.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Alma_Redemptoris_Mater"><i>Alma Redemptoris Mater</i></span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="283" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Peter_Paul_Rubens_079.jpg/180px-Peter_Paul_Rubens_079.jpg" width="180" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<i>The coronation of the Virgin Mary</i> by Rubens, c. 1625</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Alma Redemptoris Mater</i>
(Loving Mother of our Savior) is recited in the Catholic Church at
Compline only from the first Sunday in Advent until the Feast of the
Purification (February 2). Continuing theological discussions exist as
to the origin and exact timing of this Marian antiphon. It has two equal
parts. The Virgin Mary is the loving Mother of the Savior, the
ever-virgin with a very high position in heaven. May she listen to her
people with mercy in their need for her help.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Regina_Coeli"><i>Regina Coeli</i></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Regina Coeli</i>
(Queen of Heaven) is an anthem of the Roman Catholic Church which
replaces the Angelus at Eastertide (from Holy Saturday until the
Saturday after Pentecost). It is named for its opening words in Latin.
The <i>Regina Coeli</i> was the subject of numerous intonations
throughout the centuries by known and unknown composers. Not all
attributions are correct however, as an often quoted <i>Regina Coeli</i> by Joseph Haydn had other authors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Haydn.2Cin_Marienlexikon.2C_88_16-1">[16]</sup>
Of unknown authorship, the anthem was in Franciscan use in the first
half of the 13th century. Together with three other Marian anthems, it
was incorporated in the Minorite Roman Curia Office, which the
Franciscans soon popularized everywhere, and which by order of Pope
Nicholas III (1277–1280) replaced all the older breviaries in the
churches of Rome.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Catholic faith states, as a dogma, that Mary is assumed into heaven
and is with Jesus Christ, her divine son. Mary should be called Queen,
not only because of her Divine Motherhood of Jesus Christ, but also
because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of
eternal salvation. Roman Catholicism employs the liturgical Latin
phrase <i>Ora Pro Nobis</i>, meaning <i>pray for us</i>, and does not
teach adherents to pray to saints or worship saints, but rather asks
those saints to pray for them. The encyclical <i>Ad Caeli Reginam</i>
maintains that Christ as redeemer is Lord and King. The Blessed Virgin
is Queen, because of the unique manner in which she assisted in our
redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for
us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest. Mary
was chosen Mother of Christ so she might help fulfill God's plan in the
redemption of humankind; The Catholic Church from the earliest times
venerated the Queen of Heaven, according to Pius XII:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><i>From
the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether
in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed
prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the <b>Queen of Heaven</b>
and never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the
Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we
are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's
solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly
blessedness with the glory of a Queen.</i></dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Queenship of Mary is commemorated in the last of the Glorious
Mysteries of the Holy Rosary — the Coronation of the Virgin as Queen of
Heaven and Earth.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Parishes
and private groups often process and crown an image of the Blessed
Virgin Mary with flowers. This often is referred to as a “May
Crowning.” This rite may be done on solemnities and feasts of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, or other festive days, and offers the Church a
chance to reflect on Mary’s role in the history of salvation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Virgin has been called “Queen of France” since 1638 when, partly in
thanksgiving for a victory over the Huguenots and also in hope of the
birth of an heir after years of childless marriage, Louis XIII
officially gave her that title. Siena, Tuscany, hails the Virgin as
Queen of Siena, and annually observes the race and pageant called the
“palio” in her honor.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_of_Queenship_of_Mary">Feast of Queenship of Mary</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 302px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="222" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/PiusXIISaluspopuli.jpg/300px-PiusXIISaluspopuli.jpg" width="300" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
The coronation of the Salus Populi Romani icon by Pope Pius XII in 1954.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Queenship of Mary</i>
is a Marian feast day in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic
Church, created by Pope Pius XII. On 11 October 1954, the Pontiff
pronounced the new feast in his encyclical <i>Ad caeli reginam</i>. The
feast was celebrated on May 31, the last day of the Marian month. The
feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on
the octave day of that feast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_6-3">[6]</sup> In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the feast day to August 22.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It
has been placed eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption, in
order to emphasize the close bond between Mary's queenship and her
glorification in body and soul next to her Son. The Second Vatican
Council's Constitution on the Church states that "Mary was taken up body
and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the
universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son" (Lumen
Gentium, 59).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gandolpho_11-2">[11]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
movement to officially recognise the Queenship of Mary was initially
promoted by several Catholic Mariological congresses in Lyon, France;
Freiburg, Germany; and Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Gabriel Roschini
founded in Rome, Italy, an international society to promote the
Queenship of Mary, <i>Pro Regalitate Mariae</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup>
Several popes had described Mary as Queen and Queen of Heaven, which
was documented by Gabriel Roschini. Pope Pius XII repeated the title in
numerous encyclicals and apostolic letters, especially during World War</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<h2>
References</h2>
<ul>
<li>Pope Pius XII, Mariological encyclicals and bulls <ul>
<li>Encyclical <i><b>Fulgens Corona</b></i> on the Vatican website</li>
<li><i><b>Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam <i><b>on the Vatican website</b></i></b></i></li>
<li>Encyclical <i><b>Deiparae Virginis Mariae</b></i> on the Vatican Website</li>
<li>Encyclical <i><b>Ingruentium Malorum</b></i> on the Vatican website</li>
<li>Encyclical <i><b>Le Pelerinage de Lourdes</b></i> on the Vatican website</li>
<li>Encyclical <i><b>Mystici Corporis Christi</b></i> on the Vatican website</li>
<li>Apostolic Constitution <i><b>Munificentissimus Deus</b></i> on the Vatican Website</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Acta Apostolicae Sedis. (AAS), Vatican City 1939-1958. Official documents of the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Calendarium133_5-0"> </sup> <br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b></b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="color: #274e13;">
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</div>
</b></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
Snippet II: <span dir="auto">Marian Apparitions</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 272px;">
<span style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="260" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Fra_bartolomeo_02_Vision_of_St_Bernard_with_Sts_Benedict_and_John_the_Evangelist.jpg/270px-Fra_bartolomeo_02_Vision_of_St_Bernard_with_Sts_Benedict_and_John_the_Evangelist.jpg" width="270" /></span> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<span style="color: black;"><i>The Vision of St Bernard</i>, by Fra Bartolommeo, c. 1504 (Uffizi).</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">A <b>Marian apparition</b>
is a supernatural appearance by the Blessed Virgin Mary. The figure
is often named after the town where it is reported, or on the
sobriquet given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition. They have
been interpreted in religious terms as theophanies.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Marian
apparitions sometimes are reported to recur at the same site over an
extended period of time. In the majority of Marian apparitions only a
few people report having witnessed the apparition. Exception to this
include Zeitoun, and Assiut where thousands claimed to have seen her
over a period of time.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions_and_appearances">Apparitions and appearances</span></span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 277px;">
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
term "appearance" has been used in different apparitions within a
wide range of contexts and experiences. And its use has been different
with respect to Marian apparitions and visions of Jesus Christ.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
some apparitions such as Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fátima an
actual vision is reported, fully resembling that of a person being
present. In some of these reports the viewers (at times children) do not
initially report that they saw the Virgin Mary, but that they saw "<i>a Lady</i>"
(often but not always dressed in white) and had a conversation with
her. In these cases the viewers report experiences that resemble the
visual and verbal interaction with a person present at the site of the
apparition. In most cases, there are no clear indications as to the
auditory nature of the experience, i.e. whether the viewers heard the
voices via airwaves or an "interior" or subjective sense of
communication. Yet, the 1973 messages of Our Lady of Akita are due to
Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa who went deaf before 1973 and remained
deaf until 1982 when she was cured during Sunday Mass as foretold in
her messages; this suggests means of communication other than airwaves.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
some apparitions just an image is reported, often with no verbal
interaction, and no conversation. An example is the reported apparitions
at Our Lady of Assiut in which many people reported a bright image
atop a building, accompanied by photographs of the image. The
photographs at times suggest the silhouette of a statue of the Virgin
Mary but the images are usually subject to varying interpretations, and
critics suggest that they may just be due to various visual effects
of unknown origin. However, such <i>image-like</i> appearances are
hardly ever reported for visions of Jesus and Mary. In most cases
these involve some form of reported communication.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">And
apparitions should be distinguished from interior locutions in which
no visual contact is claimed. In some cases of reported interior
locutions such as those of Father Stefano Gobbi a large amount of text
is produced, but no visual contact is claimed. Interior locutions
usually do not include an auditory component, but consist of inner
voices. Interior locutions are generally not classified as apparitions.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Physical
contact is hardly ever reported as part of Marian apparitions, unlike
in cases of interaction with Jesus Christ. In rare cases a physical
artifact is reported in apparitions. A well-known example is the image
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is reported to have been miraculously
imprinted on the cloak of Saint Juan Diego.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Catholic_belief">Catholic Doctrine</span></span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="274" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Eternal_father_painting_guadalupe.jpg/200px-Eternal_father_painting_guadalupe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">Eternal Father painting the Virgin of Guadalupe. </sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">Anonymous, 18th century, an example of</sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> Roman Catholic Marian art related to an apparition</sup></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">According
to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the era of public revelation
ended with the death of the last living Apostle. A Marian apparition,
if deemed genuine by Church authority, is treated as private
revelation that may emphasize some facet of the received public
revelation for a specific purpose, but it can never add anything new
to the deposit of faith. The Church will confirm an apparition as
worthy of belief, but belief is never required by divine faith. The
Holy See has officially confirmed the apparitions at Guadalupe,
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, Paris (Rue du Bac, Miraculous Medal), La
Salette, Lourdes, Fátima, Pontmain, Beauraing, and Banneux.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">As
a historical pattern, Vatican approval of apparitions seems to have
followed general acceptance of a vision by well over a century in most
cases. According to Father Salvatore M. Perrella of the Marianum
Pontifical Institute in Rome, of the 295 reported apparitions studied by
the Holy See through the centuries only 12 have been approved, the
latest being the May 2008 approval of the 17th- and 18th-century
apparitions of Our Lady of Laus. Other apparitions continue to be
approved at the local level, e.g. the December, 2010 local approval of
the 19th-century apparitions of Our Lady of Good Help, the first
recognized apparition in the United States.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">An
authentic apparition is believed not to be a subjective experience,
but a real and objective intervention of divine power. The purpose of
such apparitions is to recall and emphasize some aspect of the
Christian message. The church states that cures and other miraculous
events are not the purpose of Marian apparitions, but exist primarily
to validate and draw attention to the message. Apparitions of Mary are
held as evidence of her continuing active presence in the life of the
church, through which she "cares for the brethren of her son who
still journey on earth."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Not
all claims of visitations are dealt with favourably by the Roman
Catholic Church. For example, claimed apparitions of Our Lady, under
the title of "Our Lady of the Roses, Mary, Help of Mothers", Jesus
Christ and various saints at Bayside, New York have not been condoned
or sanctioned in any way, nor those at the Necedah Shrine in Necedah,
Wisconsin. The behavior of Ms Veronica Lueken and Mary Ann Van Hoof,
who claimed these heavenly favors, was deemed not to compare favorably
with the "quiet pragmatism" of St. Bernadette Soubirous — Church
authorities are said to use Bernadette as a model by which to judge
all who purport to have visitations. Indeed, both women seriously
criticized the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, allegedly even harshly,
and Mrs. Van Hoof is said to have subsequently left Roman Catholicism
for an independent local Old Catholic Church.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Possibly the best-known apparition sites are Lourdes and Fátima<sup> </sup>Over
sixty spontaneous healings, out of thousands reported at the Lourdes
Spring, have been classified as "inexplicable" by the physicians of
the Lourdes Bureau, a medical centre set up by the Church in
association with local medical institutes to assess possible miracles.
The Three Secrets of Fátima received a great deal of attention in the
Catholic and secular press.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Criteria_for_evaluating_apparitions">Criteria for evaluating apparitions</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In 1978 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly <i>of the Holy Office</i>)
issued "Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged
Apparitions and Revelations" containing the following provisions:</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">The
diocesan bishop can initiate a process on his own initiative or at
the request of the faithful to investigate the facts of an alleged
apparition. The bishop may refrain from looking into it if he chooses,
especially if he thinks that not much will come of the event.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The
national conference of bishops may intervene if the local diocesan
bishop refers it to him or if the event becomes important nationally
or at least in more than one diocese.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The
Apostolic See (the Vatican) can also intervene at the request of the
local bishop himself, at the request of a group of the faithful, or on
its own initiative.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
steps of the investigation are mandated as follows: An initial
evaluation of the facts of the alleged event, based on both positive
and negative criteria:</span></div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><span style="color: black;"><b>Positive Criteria </b></span>
<br />
<dl><dd><ol>
<li><span style="color: black;">moral
certainty (the certainty required to act morally in a situation of
doubt) or at least great probability as to the existence of a private
revelation at the end of a serious investigation into the case</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">evaluation
of the personal qualities of the person in question (mental balance,
honesty, moral life, sincerity, obedience to Church authority,
willingness to practice faith in the normal way, etc.)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">evaluation
of the content of the revelations themselves (that they do not
disagree with faith and morals of the Church, freedom from theological
errors)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">the
revelation results in healthy devotion and spiritual fruits in
people's lives (greater prayer, greater conversion of heart, works of
charity that result, etc.)</span></li>
</ol>
<br /></dd></dl>
</dd><dd><span style="color: black;"><b>Negative Criteria</b></span> <br />
<dl><dd><ol>
<li><span style="color: black;">glaring errors in regard to the facts</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">doctrinal errors attributed to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to the Holy Spirit in how they appear</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">any pursuit of financial gain in relation to the alleged event</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">gravely immoral acts committed by the person or those associated with the person at the time of the event</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">psychological disorders or tendencies on the part of the person or persons associated</span></li>
</ol>
</dd></dl>
</dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">After
this initial investigation, if the occurrence meets the criteria,
positive and negative, an initial cautionary permission can be granted
that states: "for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it". This
permits public participation in the devotion in regard to the alleged
apparition.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Ultimately, a final judgment and determination needs to be given, giving or withholding approval of the event.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Local_diocese_approval">Local diocese approval</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">If
the local bishop authorizes devotion inspired by an apparition to
proceed based on an initial assessment, that permission does not
constitute formal approval, which recognizes an event as being
supernatural in origin. Such approval may follow years or even centuries
later. A recent example of such a delay is the case of Our Lady of
Laus, in which devotion was approved by the local diocese in 1665, but
obtained formal recognition as a supernatural event only in 2008.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Moreover,
Marian apparitions often involve complications at the local diocese,
and a letter of approval or disapproval from a local bishop, does not
automatically signal approval or denial. A recent example is the
apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho in the 1980s in Kibeho, Rwanda. In
1982 the teenagers who saw the visions reported truly gruesome sights
and said that the Virgin Mary asked everyone to pray to prevent a
terrible war. Some today regard the visions as an ominous foreshadowing
of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, and particularly in that specific
location in 1995, where some teenagers died a decade after their
vision. The apparitions were accepted by the local bishop (accused by
many of complicity in the genocide himself), but have not been given
final approval by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions_and_statues">Apparitions and statues</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Marian
apparitions are sometimes reported along with weeping statues of the
Virgin Mary. However, to date only one single example of a combined
weeping statue and apparition (namely Our Lady of Akita) has been
approved by the Vatican and the rest have usually been dismissed as
hoaxes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Impact_of_apparitions">Impact of apparitions</span> </span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">While
Marian apparitions may at times seem like fanciful tales even to
devout Catholics, factual analysis indicates that the effect of
apparitions on the Roman Catholic Church has been significant. Marian
apparitions have led to, or affected, the Catholic Church, Roman
Catholic Mariology and the lives of millions of Roman Catholics in
several ways:</span></div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><ul>
<li><span style="color: black;">The conversion of millions of people to Roman Catholicism.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The construction of some of the largest Roman Catholic Marian churches ever.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The formation of the largest Marian Movements and Societies ever.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The spread of Marian devotions (such as the rosary) to millions of people.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The declaration of specific Marian dogmas and doctrines.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Hundreds of millions of Marian pilgrimages.</span></li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">A few cases can illustrate these items.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Conversions_and_shrines">Conversions and shrines</span></span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 272px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="100" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Basilica-PlazaMariana.jpg/270px-Basilica-PlazaMariana.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="270" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">By
all accounts, when Juan Diego, age 57, reported the apparition of Our
Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac hill in Mexico in 1531, he did not
receive a lot of attention in Rome, since the Church was busy with the
challenges of the Protestant Reformation of 1521 to 1579 and perhaps
very few Cardinals in Rome had ever heard the details of Mexico and
its environs. Yet, just as a large number of people were leaving the
Catholic Church in Europe as a result of the Reformation, Our Lady of
Guadalupe was instrumental in adding almost 8 million people to the
ranks of Catholics in the Americas between 1532 and 1538. The number
of Catholics in South America has grown significantly over the
centuries. Eventually with tens of millions of followers, Juan Diego
had an effect on Mariology in the Americas and beyond, and was
eventually declared venerable in 1987. Juan Diego was declared a saint
in 2002. Furthermore, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on
Tepeyac hill in Mexico is now the third largest Catholic Church in the
world, after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Basilica of the
National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil. Recent reported
apparitions such as Medjugorje have also attracted a large following.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Societies_and_devotions">Societies and devotions</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Marian apparition of Our Lady of Fátima on a remote mountain top to
three young Portuguese children in 1917 also seemed fanciful and the
local administrator initially jailed the children and threatened that
he would boil them one by one in a pot of oil. However, over the years
the effect of Fátima has been undeniable. With over 25 million
registered Catholic members, the<b> Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima</b>
(which was approved by Pope Pius XII in 1947) is the largest Marian
Society in the world. And the message of Fátima has inspired the spread
of other devotions. An example is Our Lady's Rosary Makers formed by
Brother Sylvan Mattingly in 1949 with $25 to distribute free rosaries,
based on his devotion to Fátima. Our Lady's Rosary Makers has since
distributed hundreds of millions of free rosaries to Catholic missions
worldwide.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The <b>Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima</b> (now most known as the <b>World Apostolate of Fátima</b>)
is a public international association of the Christian faithful that
has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of
the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of
the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents through faithful
adherence to the Message of Fátima and the promotion of the common
good by the spreading of that Message of Fátima".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>The Blue Army</b>
was founded in 1946 by Rev. Fr. Harold V. Colgan, parish priest of St.
Mary of Plainfield, New Jersey (USA). Father Colgan had fallen
seriously ill and was hospitalized. During his illness he prayed to Our
Lady of Fátima that if she should cure him he would spend the rest of
his life spreading devotion to her. He attributed his recovery to his
prayers and began preaching to his congregation on a regular basis
about the Virgin Mary.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
the spring of 1947 the message from apparition at Fátima began to
seep into the American mass media, and Fr. Colgan felt that this
revelation, and devotion to Our Lady of Fátima, were something that he
should impress upon his congregation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">He summed up the message of Our Lady's apparition as this:</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Daily recitation of the Rosary and</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Righteous observance of the duties of one's state of life.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">His
message was highly successful; however, he wanted to make more of a
lasting impression upon his congregation, and so he added two further
items of his own invention. The first was a signed promise that one
would try to uphold these values and the second was to wear a blue
ribbon or blue medal in order to remember the promise. This was also a
success and the congregation all enrolled. It was then that Fr. Colgan
began to think about extending this to other parishes and other
nations. Thus was born the Blue Army, from Colgan's own words: "We will
be the Blue army of Mary and Christ, against the red of the world and
of The Evil One"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Fr.
Colgan began preaching his message and gained massive success,
especially with the assistance of famous writer John Haffert who began
delivering conferences on the message of Fátima and the Blue Army.
Colgan then went to the Vatican in May 1947 to meet Pius XII in order
to present his project for approval from the Pontiff. The Holy Father
approved with the words, "As the world chief against communism I bless
you and all members of the Blue Army." In 1950 there were already one
million enrolled members, and in 1953 five million. Currently, there
are over 20 million members.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The World Apostolate of Fátima has its world headquarters in the <i>Domus Pacis</i>
("House of Peace"), a pilgrim guest house in Fátima, Portugal. While
the Blue Army was founded in 1947, because of its rapid spread around
the world, it became necessary to erect a new society. The Decree of
Erection of the World Apostolate of Fatima was signed on 7 October (the
Feast of the Holy Rosary), 2005. Then on 3 February 2006, the World
Apostolate of Fátima held an official ceremony for the consignment of
the decree and the approval of its statutes at the Pontifical Council
for the Laity in Rome.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Apostolate is broken up into prayer cells which are found in parishes
throughout the world. These cells fall under state and national
Apostolate centers which in turn are subordinate to the International
Secretariat based at Fátima in the <i>Domus Pacis</i>. The
International Secretariat exists in order to coordinate the activities
of the organization throughout the world and to carry out the policy
decisions of the Board of Trustees, an elected group of nine members
of the Apostolate who represent various regional centers of the
Apostolate. They meet once a year to discuss the internal affairs of
the Apostolate.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Membership in its most basic sense is through making a Pledge promising the following:</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">To offer up every day the sacrifices demanded by one's daily duty to the faithful observance of God's law</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">To say five decades of the Rosary daily while meditating on the mysteries</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">To wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a sign and reminder of personal consecration to our Lady and</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">On
the first Saturday of five consecutive months, with the intention of
making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, confess and receive
Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep company
with Our Lady for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of
the Rosary.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The official pledge of membership is :</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><i>I pledge myself to Our Lady and wish, thereby, to join the World Apostolate of Fátima.<br />
Dear Queen and Mother, who promised at Fátima to convert Russia and
bring peace to all mankind, in reparation for my sins and the sins of
the whole world, I solemnly promise to Your Immaculate Heart:</i></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: black;">To offer up every day the sacrifices demanded by my daily duty</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">To pray at least five decades of the Rosary daily while meditating on the Mysteries</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">To wear the Scapular of Mount Carmel as profession of this promise and as an act of consecration to You,</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">To
accomplish the devotion of the Five First Saturdays of the month,
including the fifteen minute meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: black;"><i>I shall renew this promise often, especially in moments of temptation.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The daily offering mentioned, is traditionally the following:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><i>O
my God in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (here kiss the
brown scapular). I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the
altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every
thought, word and action of this day.</i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><i>
O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can
and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate – that She
may best apply them to the interests of Thy Most Sacred Heart. Precious
Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Thus
are delineated the primary devotions of the World Apostolate. These
are the devotions mandated by the Blessed Virgin Mary during the
Apparitions at Fátima. Traditionally this pledge is printed, and signed
by the person who desires membership. It is also traditional that
this signed pledge is then sent to the international headquarters in
Fátima where it is then taken and buried near the shrine there.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Aside
from the daily offering, recitation of the rosary, the wearing of
the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the five Saturdays
in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Apostolate also
recommends to its members the practices of nine first Fridays in honor
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Home Enthronement of the Sacred Heart,
and family consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">A
further practice associated with the World Apostolate is the Pilgrim
statue of Our Lady of Fátima. There are several designated "pilgrim
statues," however the primary one is the international pilgrim statue
which has traversed the globe several times since its sculpting in
1947 by José Ferreira Thedim. The purpose of the statue is to renew
interest in Catholic parishes in the message of Fátima, and to stir up
affection to Our Lady.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
National Blue Army Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in
Washington Township (Warren County), New Jersey, is located on 150
acres (0.61 km<sup>2</sup>) and rises over the Muscontecong Valley. It hosts more than 50,000 pilgrims annually.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Symbol of the apostolate consists of a pair of doves forming an image
of praying hands holding a rosary. These are then surrounded by an
image of a brown scapular, containing the words in Latin <i>Orbis Unus Orans</i>,
(One World Praying) the motto of the Apostolate. All of these
surmounted on a blue disc, blue being the symbolic liturgical color of
the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">In
1996, John Haffert (co-founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima)
spoke about Fatima and his book “Meet the Witnesses” in which he
personally interviewed nearly 200 witnesses to the Fatima Miracle,
describing their detailed witness accounts.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Pilgrimages">Pilgrimages</span></span></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkHZZT8OqP8/USZe630IP3I/AAAAAAAAJAE/aH8t-DgzYYc/s1600/vue_aerienne_sanctuaire_by_night_0.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkHZZT8OqP8/USZe630IP3I/AAAAAAAAJAE/aH8t-DgzYYc/s320/vue_aerienne_sanctuaire_by_night_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Lourdes, France</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">Marian
apparitions are also responsible for tens of millions of Marian
pilgrimages per year. About 5 million pilgrims visit Lourdes every
year and within France only Paris has more hotels than Lourdes. And
about 10 million pilgrims visit Our Lady of Guadalupe each year, where
each mass can accommodate up to 40,000 people. Thus each decade, just
Lourdes and Guadalupe amount to over one hundred million Catholic
pilgrimages, based on Marian apparitions to two people on two remote
hilltops.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">The
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima also attracts a large number of Roman
Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to
the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and
October 13, the significant dates of Fatima apparitions. Overall,
about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">In
Canada, millions of Americans and Canadians have visited the national
shrine of Our Lady of the Cape, in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, where
the first pilgrimages began in 1888.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Historical_feasts">Historical Feasts</span></span></h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d3YLmsc0nak/USZfYeHU1UI/AAAAAAAAJAM/Q8_MmozTlp4/s1600/OLMC+Novelli+1641+FPD.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d3YLmsc0nak/USZfYeHU1UI/AAAAAAAAJAM/Q8_MmozTlp4/s320/OLMC+Novelli+1641+FPD.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Mount Carmel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">A
number of feasts based on historical traditions involving apparitions
are celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. These apparitions do not
technically fall in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
approved category, since they generally predate the formation of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1542. They are
recognized based on the papal declaration of the feast day rather than
formal analysis by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Mount_Carmel">Our Lady of Mount Carmel</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">The
Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Simon Stock,
who was Prior General of the Carmelite Order in the mid 13th century.
The earliest reference to the tradition of his Marian apparition,
dating from the late 14th century, states that "St. Simon was an
Englishman, a man of great holiness and devotion, who always in his
prayers asked the Virgin to favor his Order with some singular
privilege. The Virgin appeared to him holding the Brown Scapular in her
hand saying, 'This is for you and yours a privilege; the one who dies
in it will be saved.'" A scapular is an apron-like garment that forms
part of the Carmelite religious habit, and in the original context
the Blessed Virgin Mary's promise was an assurance that religious who
persevered in their vocation would be saved; beginning in the latter
half of the 16th century the small devotional scapular became very
popular as a sacramental.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">The
historicity of Saint Simon Stock's vision is disputed, and as a
result today neither the liturgy for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel (which originally had no association with scapular devotion,
but became strongly connected with Saint Simon Stock's vision in the
17th century), nor that of Saint Simon Stock make any reference to the
vision of Mary or the scapular.The Brown Scapular itself remains
warmly approved and recommended by the Catholic Church. Various
devotional sources quote an interview with Lucia Santos in which she
speaks about the Brown Scapular, saying "Our Lady wants all to wear
the Scapular", especially when praying the Rosary, because "the <i>Rosary and Scapular</i> are inseparable".</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_the_Pillar">Our Lady of the Pillar</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">In
the year AD 39, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to
Saint James the Great, in Zaragoza, Spain. The vision is now called Our
Lady of the Pillar and is the only reported Marian apparition before
her Assumption. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar was built in
Zaragoza, Spain and a key piece of Roman Catholic Marian art, the statue
of <i>Our Lady of the Pillar</i>, refers to this apparition.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_the_Snow">Our Lady of the Snow</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">Our
Lady of the Snow is based on a legend that during the pontificate of
Pope Liberius, during the night of August the 5th, snow fell on the
summit of the Esquiline Hill in Rome. Based on a vision that night, a
basilica was built in honour of Our Lady, on the spot that had been
covered with snow. The church built there is now the basilica of Santa
Maria Maggiore, and the feast was celebrated at that church for
centuries on August 5 each year. However, there was no mention of this
alleged miracle in historical records until a few hundred years later,
not even by Pope Sixtus III in his dedicatory inscription, and it
may be that the legend has no historical basis. However, in the 14th
century the feast was extended to all the churches of Rome and finally
it was made a universal feast by Pope Pius V.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Walsingham">Our Lady of Walsingham</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">According
to the tradition of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Virgin Mary appeared
in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman, in
1061 in Walsingham, England, instructing her to construct a shrine
resembling the place of the Annunciation. The shrine passed into the
care of the Canons Regular sometime between 1146 and 1174. Late in
1538, King Henry VIII’s soldiers sacked the priory at Walsingham,
killed two monks and destroyed the shrine. In 1897 Pope Leo XIII
re-established the restored 14th century Slipper Chapel as a Roman
Catholic shrine. The Holy House had been rebuilt at the Catholic Church
of the Annunciation at King's Lynn (Walsingham was part of this
Catholic parish in 1897). Today there are two shrines at Walsingham:
the Roman Catholic shrine centered on the Slipper Chapel and the Holy
House maintained by the Church of England. There are also two separate
feast days: September 24 in the Roman Catholic Church and October 15
in the Anglican Communion.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary">Our Lady of the Rosary</span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">The
apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary is by tradition attributed to
Saint Dominic in 1208 in the church of Prouille, in France. According to
the attribution, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Dominic and
introduced him to the rosary. Some sources suggest that Alan de Rupe
(rather than Saint Dominic) was the major influence on the rosary in
the 15th century, while other sources seek a middle ground to these two
views. For centuries, Dominicans became instrumental in spreading the
rosary and emphasizing the Catholic belief in the power of the rosary.
In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted "Our Lady of Victory" as an annual
feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, the victory being
attributed to Our Lady. In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the
feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Approved_apparitions">Approved Marian Apparitions</span></span></h2>
<span style="color: black;">A
Roman Catholic approved Marian apparition is one that has been
examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith either
based on the criteria listed above (or internal procedures in place
before that) and has been granted approval either through the local
Bishop based on the direction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith or received a direct approval from the Holy See.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">Although
a local bishop may provide a preliminary assessment (and allow the
devotion to proceed forward), formal approval can only be provided
after detailed analysis by the Holy See. For instance, although the
apparitions at Our Lady of Laus were recognized by the local diocese in
1665, they received approval from the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith centuries later, in 2008.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">Apparitions favored by the Holy See usually:</span><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li><span style="color: black;">Become
the site of major Roman Catholic Marian churches such as Lourdes,
France or the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac hill in
Mexico.</span></li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li><span style="color: black;">Receive
papal visits such as Popes Paul VI's, John Paul II's and Benedict
XVI's visits to Fátima, Portugal, Knock Ireland and Beauraing,
Belgium.</span></li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<span style="color: black;">However,
a papal visit does not amount to a formal approval. Some apparitions
such as in Assiut, Egypt have been approved by the Coptic Church and
can be called <i>approved</i> but not Roman Catholic approved.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Approved_by_the_Roman_Catholic_Church">Approved by the Roman Catholic Church</span></span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe">Our Lady of Guadalupe</span></span></h4>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Virgen_de_guadalupe1.jpg/180px-Virgen_de_guadalupe1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="204" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Guadalupe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: black;">The
1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe was reported by Saint Juan
Diego. He said he saw an early morning vision of the Virgin Mary in
which he was instructed to build an abbey on the Hill of Tepeyac in
Mexico. The local prelate did not believe his account and asked for a
miraculous sign, which was later provided as an icon of Our Lady of
Guadalupe permanently imprinted on the saint’s cloak where he had
gathered roses. Over the years, Our Lady of Guadalupe became a symbol
of the Catholic faith in Mexico and the Mexican diaspora.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: black;">Two
accounts, published in the 1640s, one in Spanish, one in Nahuatl,
tell how, while walking from his village to Mexico City in the early
morning of December 9, 1531 (then the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception in the Spanish Empire), the peasant Juan Diego saw on the
slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac a vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen
years of age, surrounded by light. Speaking to him in Nahuatl, the
local language, she asked that a church be built at that site, in her
honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the Lady as the Virgin
Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop, Fray Juan de
Zumárraga, who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the
lady for a miraculous sign to prove her identity.The first sign was
the Virgin healing Juan's uncle. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather
flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. Although December was very late
in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found at the
usually barren hilltop Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, which
the Virgin arranged in his peasant <i>tilma</i> cloak. When Juan
Diego opened the cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on December 12, the
flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the image of the
Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
icon is now displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of
the most visited Marian shrines. The icon is Mexico’s most popular
religious and cultural image, bearing the titles: the <i>Queen of Mexico</i>, and was once proclaimed <i>Patroness of the Philippines</i> (but later revised) by Pope Pius XI in 1935. In 1999, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Virgin Mary <i>Patroness of the Americas</i>, <i>Empress of Latin America</i>, and <i>Protectress of Unborn Children</i> under this Marian title.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Laus">Our Lady of Laus</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Laus between 1664 and 1718 in
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, France to Benoîte Rencurel, a young shepherdess
are the first Marian apparitions approved in the 21st century by the
Roman Catholic Church. The apparitions were recognized by the diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church on September 18, 1665. They were approved
by the Vatican on May 5, 2008. Currently, the site where the
apparitions took place receives more than 120,000 pilgrims a year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_the_Miraculous_Medal">Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal</span></span></h4>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="142" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Miraculous_medal.jpg/200px-Miraculous_medal.jpg" width="200" /></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is said to have appeared
to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 in the convent of Rue du Bac,
Paris. She reported that one night in the chapel, the Blessed Virgin
Mary appeared to her and asked that a medallion be made to a design
that she dictated. The lady added that, "All who wear this medal will
receive great graces."<sup> </sup> After spending two years examining
her claims, her priest eventually took the information to his
archbishop. The medal eventually produced came to be referred to as
the Miraculous Medal. The front of the medal displays a picture of
the virgin as she appeared to Catherine Labouré. The design on the
reverse includes the letter M and a cross. Pope John Paul II used a
slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, the Marian
Cross. This is a plain cross with an M underneath the right-hand bar,
to signify the Blessed Virgin standing at the foot of the Cross while
Jesus was being crucified.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Sister
Justine Bisqueyburu is said to have also had an apparition in 1840
within the same chapel at Rue du Bac as Saint Catherine Labouré.<sup> </sup>These
visitations instituted the Green Scapular, which involves a very
simple devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and is associated with
healing. The Green Scapular has its own association but has not yet
been approved by the Holy See and does not have an associated
confraternity.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_La_Salette">Our Lady of La Salette</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of La Salette were reported in La Salette in
France in 1846 by two shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin
Giraud, followed by numerous accounts of miraculous healings. The Roman
Catholic Church investigated the claims and found them basically
credible. However, in the late 19th century controversy surrounded the
claims of one of the seers, Mélanie Calvat in a France hostile to
religion. Recent releases from the Vatican Secret Archives may have
clarified the situation to some extent, but some controversy still
remains attached to this apparition.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Lourdes">Our Lady of Lourdes</span></span></h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="187" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Grotte_Massabielle.jpg/280px-Grotte_Massabielle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="280" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Lourdes">Our Lady of Lourdes</span></h4>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
1858 Saint Bernadette Soubirous was a 14-year-old shepherd girl who
lived near the town of Lourdes in France. One day she reported a
vision of a miraculous Lady who identified Herself as "the Immaculate
Conception" in subsequent visions. In the second vision she was asked
to return again and she had 18 visions overall. According to Saint
Bernadette, the Lady held a string of Rosary beads and led Saint
Bernadette to the discovery of a buried spring, also requesting that
the local priests build a chapel at the site of the visions and lead
holy processions there. Eventually, a number of chapels and churches
were built at Lourdes as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes—which is
now a major Catholic pilgrimage site. One of these churches, the
Basilica of St. Pius X can accommodate 25,000 people and was dedicated
by the future Pope John XXIII when he was the Papal Nuncio to France.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Pontmain">Our Lady of Pontmain</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions at Our Lady of Pontmain, France also called Our Lady of
Hope were reported in 1871 by a number of young children.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dayton_48-0">[48]</sup>
The final approval for the apparitions of Our Lady of Hope was given
in 1932 by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_F.C3.A1tima">Our Lady of Fátima</span></span></h4>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="352" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/ChildrensofFatima.jpg/220px-ChildrensofFatima.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia, Bl Franciso and Jacinta, Children of Our Lady of Fatima Apparition 1917</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
visions of the Virgin Mary appearing to three shepherd children at
Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal in 1917 were declared worthy of belief
by the Catholic Church in 1930. Five popes — Pius XII, John XXIII,
Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI — have supported the Fátima
messages as supernatural. John Paul II was particularly attached to
Fátima and credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life after he
was shot in Rome on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fátima in May 1981.
He donated the bullet that wounded him on that day to the Sanctuary of
Our Lady of Fátima.<sup> </sup>Benedict XVI, on May 13, 2010, prayed
and gave the second Golden Rose to Our Lady of Fátima and also
pronounced in front of more than 500,000 pilgrims a reference to the
Fátima prophecy about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
1925, eight years after the Fátima events, Sister Lúcia reported
another set of apparitions, which became known as the Pontevedra
apparitions. Also Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar reported several
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary (following the Our Lady of
Fátima request of World Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Knock">Our Lady of Knock</span></span></h4>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Knock_shrine.JPG/200px-Knock_shrine.JPG" width="200" /></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">On
the wet Thursday evening of the 21st August, 1879, at about 8
o'clock, Our Lady, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist appeared in a
blaze of Heavenly light at the south gable of Knock Parish Church.
Behind them and a little to the left of St. John was a plain altar. On
the altar was a cross and a lamb with adoring angels. The appearance
of St Joseph, St John and the Lamb make the apparation unique in
church history. The Apparition was seen by fifteen people whose ages
ranged from six years to seventy-five and included men, women and
children.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
witnesses described the Blessed Virgin Mary as being clothed in white
robes with a brilliant crown on her head. Over the forehead where the
crown fitted the brow, she wore a beautiful full-bloom golden rose.
She was in an attitude of prayer with her eyes and hands raised towards
Heaven. St. Joseph stood on Our Lady's right. He was turned towards
her in an attitude of respect. His robes were also white. St. John was
on Our Lady's left. He was dressed in white vestments and resembled a
bishop, with a small mitre. He appeared to be preaching and he held
an open book in his left hand.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
witnesses watched the Apparition in pouring rain for two hours,
reciting the Rosary. Although they themselves were saturated not a
single drop of rain fell on the gable or vision.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Subsequent
commissions of enquiry set up by the local Bishop and the Catholic
hierarchy in Ireland formally approved the apparations as worthy of
devotion and they were officially recognised by the Catholic church
culminating in the visif of Pope John Paul II in 1979 which he called
the ultimate goal of his pastoral visit to Ireland. Knowck shrine is
ranked among the major Marian shrines in the world and is served by
the old church, of which only a fragment of the original gable wall
exists, a purpose built Basillica designed and built to cater for the
significant number of pilgrims and an International Airport.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Beauraing">Our Lady of Beauraing</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
33 apparitions of Our Lady of Beauraing were reported in Belgium
between November 1932 and January 1933 by five local children ranging
in age from 9 to 15 years. From 1933 to World War II, pilgrims flocked
to the little village of Beauraing. The final approbation for the
apparition was granted on July 2, 1949, under the authority of the Holy
Office by the decree of Andre-Marie Charue, Bishop of Namur, Belgium.
These apparitions are also known as the <i>Virgin of the Golden Heart</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Banneux">Our Lady of Banneux</span></span></h4>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Banneux_Maagd_der_armen.jpg/200px-Banneux_Maagd_der_armen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Banneux Shrine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Banneux were reported by a young child,
Mariette Beco a native of Banneux, Belgium in the 1930s. They are also
known as the Virgin of the Poor. The apparitions were approved by the
Roman Catholic Church in 1949.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Beco
reported eight visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary between January 15
and March 2, 1933. She reported seeing a Lady in White who declared
herself the <i>Virgin of the Poor</i> and told her: "Believe in me and
I will believe in you". In one vision, the Lady reportedly asked
Mariette to drink from a small spring and later said that the spring
was for healing. Over time the site drew pilgrims. Today, the small
spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of
miraculous healings. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Her
claims were subject to an official investigation from 1935 to 1937 by
an episcopal commission. The evidence collected was submitted to Rome
for further analysis. In May 1942 Bishop Kerkhofs of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Liège (Belgium) gave a first recognition of the
authenticity of the reports. Then, in 1947, approval for the
apparitions came from the Holy See. It was declared definite in 1949.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">After
the apparitions, Beco decided to remain a private person, married and
led a quiet family life. A small chapel stands where the <i>Virgin of the Poor</i>
is said to have requested it to be built. Beco died 2 December 2011 at
the age of 90. In 2008 she made a final statement about her role in
the apparitions: "I was no more than a postman who delivers the mail.
Once this has been done, the postman is of no importance any more".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Our_Lady_of_Akita">Our Lady of Akita</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Akita were reported in 1973 by Sister
Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city
of Akita in Japan. For several decades, Agnes Sasagawa had
encountered many health problems but her health reportedly improved
after drinking water from Lourdes. After going totally deaf, she went
to live with the nuns in the remoteness of Yuzawadai. In 1973 she
reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary, as well as stigmata and a
weeping statue of the Virgin Mary that continued to weep over the next
six years on 101 occasions. According to EWTN, up to November 2011 no
ecclesiastical decree appears to exist from the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> However,
some individuals, such as former Ambassador of the Philippines to the
Holy See, Mr. Howard Dee, have stated that they were given private
assurances by Cardinal Ratzinger of the authenticity of Akita. <i>In
any case, in keeping with the current norms, given the absence of a
repudiation of Bp. Ito's decision by his successors, or by higher
authority, the events of Akita continue to have ecclesiastical
approval.</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Approved_by_a_local_Church_ordinary">Apparitions<i> </i>approved by a local Church ordinary</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Cuapa began on April 15, 1980, in San
Francisco de Cuapa, Nicaragua. The Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared to
Bernardo Martinez, a sacristan, and according to the visionary this
began when he saw a strange light emanating from a statue of the Virgin
Mary in the parish church. In May, when walking through the fields,
he claimed that he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, who encouraged him
to pray the rosary and promote peace saying: <i>"Make Peace. Don't ask Our Lord for peace because, if you do not make it, there will be no peace"</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> At
this time, Nicaragua was going through a civil war. The Sandinista
government was facing armed opposition from the Contras. Bernardo
Martinez claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary ordered him to burn bad
books, which was interpreted to mean Marxist books. The auxiliary
Bishop of Managua complied with this request. Sandinista commentators
responded by describing the apparition as 'Saint Mary of the Contras',
'Our Lady of Oliver North and Our Lady of Cuapa.<sup> </sup>On November
13, 1982, the Bishop of Juigalpa released an official statement as
Bishop of the area where the apparitions took place assuring the
faithful of the authenticity of the events. The apparitions at San
Francisco de Cuapa are thus among the few Marian apparitions approved
by the Catholic Church in the twentieth century. In 2005, Silvio Sirias
wrote a novel, <i>"Bernardo and the Virgin"</i> based on these events.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho began on November 28, 1981, in the
African college of Kibeho, Rwanda. The Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared
to Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie Claire
Mukangango. The apparition identified herself in the native Rwandan
dialect as “Nyina wa Jambo", ( "Mother of the Word"), which is
synonymous with "Mother of God.” The apparitions communicated various
messages to the schoolchildren, urging the people to love each other,
and warning of an apocalyptic vision of Rwanda descending into
violence and hatred, foretelling the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. In 2001
the Holy See released the declaration of Bishop Misago of Gikongoro
approving the apparitions. The Marian sanctuary at Kibeho was named
"Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows" in 1992, two years before the
genocide. An estimated 500,000 pilgrims visit the site every year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success began on 2 February 1594 at
the Conceptionist Convent in Quito, Ecuador. The Virgin Mary
repeatedly appeared to Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
identifying herself as 'Our Lady of Good Success'.The apparition
requested that a statue be made in her likeness and made several
predictions concerning a crisis in the church specifically a fall in
vocations, a lack of availability of the sacraments and a fall in
moral standards in the 20th century. The apparitions were approved by
the local Bishop, Salvador de Riber on 2 February 1611. In 1991 The
Vatican granted the canonical coronation of our Lady of Good Success as
'Queen of Quito' after being petitioned by the Archbishop of Quito.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions of Our Lady of Good Help were reported by Adele Brise in
1859. In December 2010, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin
approved the apparition as worthy of belief, as the first Marian
apparition approved in the United States at the local level. In
Robinsonville (now called Champion) WI, a young Belgian immigrant woman
named Adele Brise was walking through a wooded area when she saw a
beautiful woman standing between a maple and a hemlock tree. She saw
the lady again on her way to Mass, and walked past her again. After
Mass she told her priest about the apparition, and he told her to ask
the Lady "In God's name, who are you and what do you want of me?" When
Adele walked past the spot again, the Lady was there, and Adele asked
what she was told by the priest. The Lady replied, "I am the Queen of
Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners." She gave Adele the
mission to teach the children of the area their Catechism, which Adele
did faithfully. Soon after, Adele's father built a small chapel
between the trees, and later two more churches were built on the spot
before the present brick church, built in 1942. The apparitions,
attributed to Our Lady of Good Help, were approved on December 8, 2010,
by Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions_with_no_or_undocumented_approval">Apparitions with no or undocumented approval</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">A
list of some notable reports of Marian apparitions is provided below.
The apparitions discussed here do not have approval, and only those
apparitions listed and explained in the sections above have received
either Roman Catholic or Coptic approval, and the others shown in the
table here are simply based on legend, reports of individuals or are
still awaiting approval. There are hundreds of other reported
apparitions around the world without major references or church
investigations and they can not be included in this section, due to
their lack of notability.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">A
number of claimed apparitions sites still not fully approved continue
to gather pilgrims and become the site of major Marian basilicas. The
apparitions at these sites are often the subject of legends. An
example is Our Lady of Walsingham where according to legend the
Blessed Virgin appeared in a vision to a noblewoman in 1061 and her
son built a simple wooden structure there that later became an abbey.
No details of the content of vision have been preserved, but pilgrims
continued to arrive at Walsingham for centuries until 1st Earl of
Essex destroyed it in 1538.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="267" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Church_in_Me%C4%91ugorje%2C_B-H%2C_June_4th_2007_%282%29.jpg/200px-Church_in_Me%C4%91ugorje%2C_B-H%2C_June_4th_2007_%282%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue and shrine of Our Lady of Međugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Among
recent visions, the reported apparitions of The Virgin Mary to six
children in Medjugorje in 1981 have received much attention. The <b>Our Lady of Međugorje</b>
messages are published and distributed worldwide and often emphasize
five key elements: Daily prayer of the Holy Rosary, Fasting on
Wednesdays and Fridays, Daily reading of the Bible, Monthly Confessions
and Holy Communion.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
reports of visions at Medjugorje were vigorously opposed by the
responsible bishop, Bishop Pavao Žanić of Mostar-Duvno. A Commission
appointed by him to investigate the apparitions underlined the
theological and disciplinary difficulties posed by the events and the
messages of Medjugorje. In 1991, the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia
stated, "On the basis of the investigations so far it can not be
affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and
revelations."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">On
March 17, 2010, the Vatican announced it was beginning a formal
investigation of the apparitions at Medugorje. Cardinal Camillo Ruini
is to head the commission that will study the matter.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 202px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Nostra_signora_della_guardia2.jpg/200px-Nostra_signora_della_guardia2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrine of Our Lady of Guardia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The 1490 apparition reported by Italian peasant Benedetto Pareto regarding <b>Our Lady of Guardia</b>
is somewhat similar, but has a happier ending. Pareto also reported
that the Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked him to build a church
atop the mountain. Pareto at first refused, saying that he was just a
poor man, but he eventually built a small wooden structure, which in
time gathered many pilgrims. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guardia is now a
thriving basilica atop Mount Figogna, near Genoa Italy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Some
major Marian basilicas and traditions are based on legends that do
not involve any specific apparitions, but sacred objects that are
assumed to have been associated with apparitions. The key example is
the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in
Aparecida, Brazil. It is the second-largest Catholic place of worship
in the world, second only to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and
the largest Marian Church in the world, receiving over 6 million
pilgrims a year. There is no specific vision or apparition associated
with Our Lady of Aparecida, and it is based on a simple wooden statue
of the Blessed Virgin (found by fishermen) that over the centuries drew
millions of pilgrims, based on its reported healing powers. The
festivals surrounding Our Lady of Chiquinquirá in Venezuela are based
on a piece of wood that, according to legend, grew luminous with the
image of the Blessed Virgin in 1709. In the case of Our Lady of Kazan,
legend holds that the Blessed Virgin revealed the location of the
precious icon to a 10-year-old girl in 1579.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="237" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Vailankanni_Basilica1.jpg/250px-Vailankanni_Basilica1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu in
southern India does, however, have a legend that involves a number of
apparitions. There is no historical record of the apparition of Our
Lady of Good Health but the oral tradition suggests that there was an
apparition to a Hindu boy in mid 16th century and later Portuguese
sailors were saved by another apparition. Also another one major
Marian apparitions in India is of Korattymuthy at Koratty in Kerala.
Similarly, the legend Our Lady of La Vang is based on an apparition to
a group of Vietnamese Catholics in the rain forest in 1798, and the
site of a basilica.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Basilica of our Our Lady of Siluva in Siluva, Lithuania is also based
on a legend of an apparition to four children in 1608, and houses a
famous painting (perhaps based on Salus Populi Romani) called <i>Our Lady of Siluva</i>, usually considered Lithuania's greatest treasure.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Although
both She Shan Basilica in Shanghai, China and Our Lady of China in
Donglu, near Beijing, were popular pilgrimage sites at one time, with
the arrest and imprisonment of the Catholic bishops in the 1950s by the
communists and with the establishment of the Chinese Patriotic
Catholic Association against the Vatican, these pilgrimages have slowed
down.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen, the largest church in Poland (and
the 11th largest in the world) is based on legends on the Virgin Mary
appearing to different people in the Lichen area in the early 19th
century.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Between
1941 and 1988, Felisa Sistiaga reported several apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows in Umbe, near Bilbao,
Spain.<sup> </sup>The messages left by Our Lady were very similar to that given in the Marian apparitions of Garabandal.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
1945, two children - Marcelina Barroso Expósito and Afra Brígido
Blanco - reported several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our
Lady of Sorrows near La Codosera, in the province of Badajoz,
Extremadura, Spain. A few years later, the Bishop of Badajoz gave
permission for the construction of a large Marian shrine in the place of
the apparitions and one of the visionaries, Marcelina, became a
cloistered nun.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">On
June 4, 1947, seven-year-old Angela Volpini was grazing cattle near
her hometown of Casanova Staffora, near Oltrepò Pavese in northwest
Italy, when she felt someone embrace her from behind and lift her up.
Assuming it was her aunt, she turned around and saw "a woman's face --
beautiful, sweet and unknown." The apparitions occurred on the fourth
day of every month for ten years, and many were filmed. Ms. Volpini's
father supported her, but her mother, while believing in the
apparitions, feared for the girl's life. The local priest, Father
Gianni Baget Bozzo, believed the child and formed a lifelong
friendship with her. He often compared the apparitions to those of Our
Lady of Lourdes. On his death May 8, 2009, he left one-sixth of his
fortune to Volpini. People who believe in Ms. Volpini's experiences
formed a devotional organization called <i>Nova Cana</i>—the name invented by Ms. Volpini herself—to commemorate the events.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Between
1958 and 1962, Mathew Lashut reported several apparitions of the
Virgin Mary on a forest near Turzovka, a town in north-western
Slovakia. This apparition was predicted to come about as “a second
Lourdes" or "the Lourdes of Slovakia” by the German Catholic mystic and
stigmatic Therese Neumann.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
reported apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho in 1982 included
exceptionally long and dramatic visions lasting eight hours. According
to the teenage visionaries, in 1982 the Virgin Mary asked everyone to
pray to prevent a terrible war. A war and genocide eventually took
place at the same location in 1995 and claimed the lives of some of
visionaries. The apparitions were accepted by the local Roman Catholic
bishop, Bishop Misago, but have not been given final approval by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The bishop himself went on
trial for nine months on charges of involvement in the genocide but
was not convicted.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
reported apparitions of Our Lady of America in 1956 in Rome City,
Indiana, did receive a positive response from the local bishop and have
been Canonically approved by several Archbishops and Bishops, but no
decision has been rendered with regard to the supernatural origin and
characters of the reported apparitions. Pilgrims arrive daily to pray
and offer their devotion in the Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel, which
sits on the grounds of what is now Sylvan Springs.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
fact that pilgrims continue arriving at a reported apparition site
and the fact that church figures a continent away may be sympathetic
towards the apparition does not mean that approval has been obtained.
For instance, although the Village of Pellevoisin in France does
receive pilgrims, and there is a small shrine of Our Lady of
Pellevoisin in St. Paul's church in New York, according to the
University of Dayton Marian Library, archbishops of Bourges have never
pronounced on the subject of Pellevoisin and have been very reserved on
the topic. However, various independent (and colorful) <i>lists of apparitions</i> websites declare Pellevoisin as approved, with no clear reference for the approval.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions reported between 1945 and 1959 by Ida Peerdeman in
Amsterdam as The Lady of all Nations include a short prayer called the
Amsterdam Blessing. In May 2002, Bishop Jozef Marianus Punt of
Haarlem-Amsterdam issued a letter that declared this apparition as
having a supernatural origin. However, this apparition has not been
officially approved by the Holy See, and has approval only at the local
bishop level.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Between
1968 and 1976, a young boy named Jesús José reported several
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Graces in Onuva,
near La Puebla del Río, province of Seville, Spain. In the last
apparition, the message from heaven explains that <i>«Onuva means: Land of Mercy, Land of Mercy!»</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Between
1990 and 1995, two young girls - Ivetka Korcakova (born 1978) and
Katka Ceselkova (born 1977) - reported several apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of <i>The Immaculate Purity</i> on
the Zvir Mountain, in Litmanová, a village of northern Slovakia. During
these religious events, the visionaries were accompanied by many
priests and now there is a Marian shrine on the place of apparitions.
Many people, not only Slovaks, make pilgrimages to this location to
celebrate the Divine Liturgy and obtain water from a holy stream.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Since 1992, some reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of <i>Virgin of the Eucharist</i>
in Manduria, south of Italy, are also receiving many attention
worldwide, in particular by the Catholic youth. Debora Marasco, the
visionary, founded a Catholic Movement for the young people named
"Manduria for Young People". A similar phenomenon with Catholic youth
is occurring near São Marcos da Serra, in Algarve, Portugal, were other
reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of <i>Mother of Goodness</i>
attract, since 1999, many young people and priests to the place of
apparitions. The Holy See has never officially approved or disapproved
these apparitions.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Several
apparition related sites on the internet exist, often with detailed
messages that sound pious, accompanied by testimonies from local
witnesses, and even local priests and bishops. However, these
representations do not always amount to authenticity or Vatican
approval. An example is the website for the apparitions of <i>Our Lady of the Eucharist</i> in Rome since the year 2000. The website for <i>Our Lady of the Eucharist</i>
includes a clear letter and a photo from Bishop Claudio Gatti who
approved the apparition. Yet a more detailed search of the same website
produces a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
reducing the said Bishop to lay rank following a series of meetings at
the Vatican on this and other matters (e.g. the Bishop's position of
marriage for priests). The Bishop now uses the title <i>ordained by God</i>
rather than Catholic Bishop. At Soufanieh, a suburb of Damascus a
series of apparitions have reportedly been observed between 1982 and
2004, without any approval to date.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">As
a general pattern, in most cases, formal Vatican approval for
apparitions usually requires at least a century, even if the local
diocese issues a preliminary letter permitting devotions. For instance,
Our Lady of Laus was recognized by the local bishop in 1665 but was
only granted approval by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith in 2008. As current examples, Our Lady of Kibeho have received
recognition from the local diocese, but there has been no formal
approval from the Holy See. The same with the 1973 apparitions of Our
Lady of Akita.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Some
purported Marian apparitions initiated events that led to schism of
Catholics forming their own independent churches as a result of Rome's
disapproval of them. Notable examples include the revelations of
Feliksa Kozłowska between 1893 and 1918, which led to the founding of
the Mariavite and the Old Catholic Mariavite churches. Others include
the Palmarian Catholic Church, which began after a series of purported
apparitions in Palmar de Troya, while Fraternite Notre Dame, a
Traditionalist Catholic church traces its origins to apparitions that
were reported in Frechou, France, and is led by Bishop Jean Marie Kozik
who was consecrated by Vietnamese Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">An
apparition of Our Lady at Batim is the supposed appearance by the
Virgin Mary in the compound of Igreja de São Simão e Judas (Church of
Saint Simon and Jude), Batim-Ganxim in Goa. The first sighting is
purported to have been made by Iveta Gomes on 24 September, 1994.
Others have since claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary, as well as
other miracles, at this location.Though the apparition has no Episcopal
approval, the Church has not raised any objection to the gathering of
people at the site, in expression of their faith.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Numerous
apparitions were reported in 2008 in South Ossetia during Battle of
Tskhinvali. Many people, including Orthodox priests, reported Marian
silhouettes which appeared to be protecting Ossetians from attacking
Georgians.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions_not_approved_by_church_authorities">Apparitions NOT approved by church authorities</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Not
all reports of visions and apparitions are taken seriously by church
authorities. For instance, the messages reported by Catalina Rivas
were later found to correspond to exact pages of books written by
others, and published instructional literature for Catholic
seminarians. Claimed apparitions and miracles at Holy Love Ministries
in Elyria, Ohio were denounced by local Bishop Richard Lennon as "not
supernatural in origin" and "forbid members of the clergy of any
ecclesiastical jurisdiction" to celebrate the Sacraments on the site.
He also declared "that the Confraternity of the United Hearts of Jesus
and Mary is not an approved association of the Christian faithful in
the Diocese of Cleveland and may not legitimately use the name
'Catholic' or represent itself as a Catholic group.".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
reported Garabandal apparitions from 1961 to 1965 were examined by
the local Bishop and were declared as not having evidence of being of
supernatural origin. However the apparitions were not declared a hoax
and the possibility of future approval was left open. At Garabandal,
an apparition of Saint Michael, the Archangel was reported first,
announcing the arrival of the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Purported
locutions received by the late Veronica Lueken from 1968 to 1994 were
declared invalid by Bishop Francis Mugavero, then Bishop of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. Similarly, reports of <i>Our Lady of Surbiton</i> claiming that the Virgin Mary appeared every day under a pine tree in England were flatly rejected by the Vatican as a fraud.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Some
reported apparitions attract negative publicity at the location of
the apparition. For instance, the latter parts of the reported messages
from Gianna Talone were disapproved by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Baltimore and a group of Emmitsburg, Maryland residents started a
campaign against Talone and accused her of running a cult. To date,
the Holy See has let the Talone matter rest at the local level of the
archdiocese.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Criticism">Criticism</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Some
Protestant Christians and non-Christians regard claims of Marian
apparitions as being hallucinations encouraged by superstition, and
occasionally simply as deliberate hoaxes to attract attention. Many
such apparitions are reported in economically depressed areas,
attracting many pilgrims who bring trade and money into the region. For
instance, some sources dispute the very existence of Saint Juan
Diego.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Some
spontaneous healings reported at apparition sites such as Lourdes are
also disputed by some scientists Other scientists have claimed that a
handful of unexplained cures have occurred; the Lourdes Medical
Bureau has recorded sixty "inexplicable" healings that match its
requirements. Critics maintain that some other healings are
incomplete, leaving the sufferer with disabilities or chronic illness,
and that other claimed healings are likely to be the relatively rare
but unmiraculous spontaneous remission of illness or injury. Such
remissions might be expected to occur in a few of the large numbers of
ill (and perhaps credulous) people who visit such sites. That
viewpoint is debated by religious people<sup> </sup>and by some in the
medical profession. The Lourdes Medical Bureau claims that it will not
review cases of claimed healing involving illnesses known sometimes
to go into remission by themselves, or incomplete healings, or those
that take place gradually. although it counts cases of tumors, which
are remissible.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> Medical Investigations</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>International Lourdes Medical Committee</b></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Yearly from March to October the <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes</b>
is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the
world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess
healing properties.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">An
estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860, and
the Roman Catholic Church has officially recognised 68 healings
considered miraculous. Cures are examined using Church criteria for
authenticity and authentic miracle healing with no physical or
psychological basis other than the healing power of the water. Tours
from all over the world are organized to visit the Sanctuary.
Connected with this pilgrimage is often the consumption of or bathing
in the Lourdes water which wells out of the Grotto. At the time of the
apparitions the grotto was on common land which was used by the
villagers variously for pasturing animals, collecting firewood and as a
garbage dump, and it possessed a reputation for being an unpleasant
place</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The <b>Lourdes Medical Bureau</b> (International Medical Association of Lourdes; <i>Association Médicale Internationale de Lourdes</i>)
is a medical organization based in Lourdes, France. It is an official
organization within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, but is
administered and run only by doctors. Its most noted function is the
medical investigation of apparent cures associated with the shrine of
Lourdes. The term <b>Medical Bureau</b> is also used by the
International Medical Association of Lourdes to refer to a special
conference of its members, which may be called to investigate reports
of inexplicable healing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
apparitions at Lourdes took place between 11 February and 16 July
1858. After this time, reports of apparently miraculous cures began to
accumulate, prompting calls for the Roman Catholic Church to
recognise these events as miracles. The earliest investigations of
these cases were carried out by an Episcopal Commission of Inquiry led
by Canon <b>Germain Baradère</b> and reporting directly to Mgr
Laurence, bishop of Tarbes. The commission's earliest work was
conducted without medical consultation, with only clerical opinion
being sought as to the nature of the cures.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In 1859, Professor <b>Henri Vergez</b>
from the Faculty of Medicine at Montpellier was appointed medical
consultant to the Episcopal Commission of Inquiry. Vergez's views were
often at odds with those of his clerical colleagues. Vergez decided
that only eight of the early cases were genuinely inexplicable.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In 1883 a body called the <i>Bureau des Constatations Médicales</i>
was established by doctors affiliated with the sanctuary. This was
the forerunner of the current Medical Bureau. Its first titular head
was the nobleman Baron <b>Dunot de Saint-Maclou</b>, and the Bureau
was housed at the residence of the Garaison Fathers in Lourdes.
Following the establishment of the Bureau des Constatations Médicales,
the number of recognised cures dropped dramatically, from 143 in 1883
to only 83 in 1884.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Dunot de Saint-Maclou died in 1891 and was succeeded by Dr. <b>Gustave Boissarie</b>
who headed the Medical Bureau until 1914, and met with the French
author Emile Zola when he visited Lourdes in August 1892. Dr. Bonamy, a
character in Zola's 1894 novel <i>Lourdes</i>, is unflatteringly based on Boissarie. Boissarie wrote a celebrated book, <i>L'Histoire Médicale de Lourdes</i>
in 1891, which was praised by Pope Leo XIII. Boissarie moved the
offices of the Bureau to accommodation beneath the right ramp of the
Upper Basilica, where he met with people who claimed to have been
cured.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
1905, Pope Pius X decreed that claims of miraculous cures at Lourdes
should "submit to a proper process", in other words, to be rigorously
investigated. At his instigation, the current Lourdes Medical Bureau
was formed</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In
2011, the cure of a French man is under further examination to
determine officially whether another miraculous cure has taken place.
Twenty doctors from the medical bureau have concluded that the formerly
paralysed man's recovery, which occurred in 2002, was 'remarkable'.
To date, sixty-seven cures have been officially recognized as
miraculous by the Roman Catholic Church.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Current_administration">Current administration</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
bureau is led by a single doctor. The current head is Dr. Alessandro
de Franciscis. The bureau has a modest office within the Domain (the
large area of consecrated ground surrounding the shrine and owned by
the Church), on the second floor of the building known as the <b>Accueil Jean Paul II</b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Any
doctors practising in or visiting Lourdes may apply to become members
of the Lourdes Medical Bureau. Additionally, nurses,
physiotherapists, pharmacists and members of other allied health
professions may apply to become members. Members are given (and
invited to wear) a small but distinctive badge displaying a red cross
on a white background surmounted by the word <i>Credo</i> ("I
believe"). However, members of any religious affiliation or none are
welcomed. Members are requested to notify the bureau of any visits
which they make to Lourdes. The Lourdes Medical Bureau publishes its
own quarterly journal, <i>Fons Vitae</i> ("Source of Life") which is
circulated to members. Additionally, case-reports of interest are
circulated to members for perusal.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Investigation_of_apparent_cures">Investigation of apparent cures associated with Lourdes</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Approximately
35 claims per year are brought to the attention of the Lourdes
Medical Bureau. Most of these are dismissed quickly. Three to five
each year are investigated more thoroughly, by drawing up a <b>Medical Bureau</b>,
comprising any doctors who were present in Lourdes at the time the
apparent cure took place (this is the rationale for all members to
notify the bureau of their visits to Lourdes).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Medical Bureau investigates the claim, by examining the patient, the
casenotes, and any test results (which can include biopsies, X-rays,
CT scans, blood test results, and so on).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">If this conference decides that further investigation is warranted, the case is referred to the <b>International Lourdes Medical Committee</b> (abbreviated in French to <b>CMIL</b>),
which is an international panel of about twenty experts in various
medical disciplines and of different religious beliefs. CMIL meets
annually. A full investigation requires that one of its members
investigates every detail of the case in question, and immerses
him/herself in the literature around that condition to ensure that
up-to-date academic knowledge is applied to the decision. This
investigator may also consult with other colleagues about the case.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">This
information is presented at a CMIL meeting. Also present at the
meeting are the head of the Lourdes Medical Bureau and the Bishop of
Tarbes and Lourdes (currently this is Nicolas Brouwet). The cured
subject is not normally present.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">For a cure to be recognized as medically inexplicable, certain facts require to be established:</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">The original diagnosis must be verified and confirmed beyond doubt</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The diagnosis must be regarded as "incurable" with current means (although ongoing treatments do not disqualify the cure)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The
cure must happen in association with a visit to Lourdes, typically
while in Lourdes or in the vicinity of the shrine itself (although
drinking or bathing in the water are not required)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The cure must be immediate (rapid resolution of symptoms and signs of the illness)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The cure must be complete (with no residual impairment or deficit)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">The cure must be permanent (with no recurrence)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">CMIL
is not entitled to pronounce a cure "miraculous"; this can only be
done by the Church. The bureau may only pronounce that a cure is
"medically inexplicable". A full investigation takes a minimum of five
years (in order to ensure that the cure is permanent), and may take as
long as ten or twelve years. It is recognised that, in rare cases,
even advanced malignant disease or severe infection may spontaneously
resolve.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The CMIL board votes on each case presented. A two-thirds majority is required for CMIL to pronounce a cure "inexplicable".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">If
CMIL decides a cure is medically inexplicable, the case is referred
to the Bishop of the diocese where the cured subject lives. It is he
who, in consultation with his own experts and with the Vatican, makes
the decision about whether a cure is "miraculous". He may, for whatever
reason, refute the claim.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Jacques
Perrier, the former Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, made a statement
concerning the question of miracles in Lourdes. The bishop wishes to
have a new approach to cures in Lourdes, especially concerning the
different stages of recognising them. In his words: <i>“For the
Church, as well as for the believer, a pilgrimage to Mary is more than a
journey to a miracle. It is a journey of love, of prayer and of the
suffering community.”</i></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Occasionally
cases are dismissed by the Medical Bureau but still attain a level of
fame and notoriety. One example is that of Jack Traynor.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_cases">Notable cases</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Pieter_De_Rudder">Pieter De Rudder</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: After his healing, from 9 to 15 May 1878</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Pieter De Rudder was a farm labourer, born Jabbeke July 2, 1822, died March 22, 1898.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6"> </sup>His
recovery from a broken leg (1875) is one of the most famous
recognized Lourdes miracles (a bronze cast of his bones is exhibited
in the Lourdes Medical Bureau), although it is not supposed to have
occurred in Lourdes itself, but in a sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
at Oostakker near Ghent (Belgium, East Flanders).</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Jeanne_Fretel">Jeanne Fretel</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 10 May 1948.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
31, a student nurse from Rennes, France. Tubercular peritonitis with
complications for seven years, extreme emaciation and oscillating
fever. Comatose when brought to Lourdes, was given a tiny fragment of
the Eucharist and awoke. Reported being "instantly and permanently
cured" later that night while lying in her wheelchair beside the
spring. She had not yet bathed in or drunk the water. Her cure was
recognised officially on 11 November 1950.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Brother_L.C3.A9o_Schwager">Brother Léo Schwager</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 30 April 1952.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age 28, from Fribourg, Switzerland. Multiple sclerosis for five years. His cure was recognised on 18 December 1960.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Alice_Couteault.2C_born_Alice_Gourdon">Alice Couteault, born Alice Gourdon</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 15 May 1952.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age 34, from Bouille-Loretz, France. Multiple sclerosis for three years. Her cure was recognised on 16 July 1956.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Marie_Bigot">Marie Bigot</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 8 October 1953 and 10 October 1954.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
32, from La Richardais, France. Arachnoiditis of posterior cranial
fossa (blindness, deafness, hemiplegia). Her cure was recognised on 15
August 1956.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Ginette_Nouvel.2C_born_Ginette_Fabre">Ginette Nouvel, born Ginette Fabre</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 21 September 1954.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age 26, from Carmaux, France. Budd-Chiari syndrome (supra-hepatic venous thrombosis). Her cure was recognised on 31 May 1963.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Elisa_Aloi.2C_later_Elisa_Varcalli">Elisa Aloi, later Elisa Varcalli</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 5 June 1958.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
27, from Patti, Sicily. Tuberculous osteoarthritis with fistulae at
multiple sites in the right leg. Her cure was recognised on 26 May
1965.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Juliette_Tamburini">Juliette Tamburini</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 17 July 1959.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
22, from Marseilles, France. Femoral osteoperiostitis with fistulae,
epistaxis, for ten years. Her cure was recognised on 11 May 1965.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Vittorio_Micheli">Vittorio Micheli</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 1 June 1963.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
23, from Scurelle, Italy. Sarcoma (cancer) of pelvis; tumour so large
that his left thigh became loose from the socket, leaving his left
leg limp and paralysed. After taking the waters, he was free of pain
and could walk. By February 1964 the tumour was gone, the hip joint
had recalcified, and he returned to a normal life. His cure was
recognized on 26 May 1976.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Serge_Perrin">Serge Perrin</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 1 May 1970.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
41, from Le Lion-d'Angers, France. Recurrent right hemiplegia, with
ocular lesions, due to bilateral carotid artery disorders. Symptoms,
which included headache, impaired speech and vision, and partial
right-side paralysis began without warning in February 1964. During the
next six years he became a wheelchair user, and nearly blind. While
on pilgrimage to Lourdes in April 1970, he felt a sudden warmth from
head to toe, his vision returned, and he was able to walk unaided. His
cure was recognised on 17 June 1978.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Delizia_Cirolli.2C_later_Delizia_Costa">Delizia Cirolli, later Delizia Costa</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 24 December 1976.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age
12, from Paterno, Sicily. Ewing's sarcoma of right knee. Offered
amputation by her doctors, her mother refused and took her to Lourdes
instead. On returning to Italy, her tumour rapidly regressed until no
remaining evidence existed, although it left her tibia angulated, which
required an operation (osteotomy) to correct. Her cure was recognised
on 28 June 1989. She went on to become a nurse.</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Jean-Pierre_B.C3.A9ly">Jean-Pierre Bély</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Visited Lourdes: 9 October 1987.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Age 51, French. Multiple sclerosis. His cure was recognised on 9 February 1999.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Physicians">Physicians</span></span></h3>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Patrick_Theillier">Patrick Theillier</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Dr.
Patrick Theillier was the twelfth doctor to head the Lourdes Medical
Bureau. He received his medical degree from Lille in 1964. He was head
of the Bureau from 1998 until his retirement in 2009.</span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Alessandro_di_Franciscis">Alessandro di Franciscis</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Italian
paediatrician Dr. Alessandro ("Sandro") di Franciscis (born Naples,
1955) is the thirteenth doctor to head the Lourdes Medical Bureau, and
the first non-Frenchman in that position. He succeeded Dr. Theillier
on 10 February 2009 and was appointed by Bishop Jacques Perrier. Dr.
di Franciscis has a Masters degree in epidemiology from Harvard, and
has pursued a political as well as a medical career.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Medical_care_of_visitors">Medical care of visitors</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Medical_care_of_visitors"> </span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Medical Bureau is not responsible for the direct medical care of
pilgrims and visitors to Lourdes. Legally, the position is that the
general practitioners and hospital in Lourdes are responsible for the
medical care of anyone visiting Lourdes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Despite
this position, many pilgrim groups (especially those with large
numbers of sick pilgrims) include their own doctor(s) and/or nurse(s),
who take on the day-to-day medical care of their own group. Most are
volunteers who give their time and services for free.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">The
Domain includes a treatment area called the Dispensary, also in the
Accueil Jean Paul II, which contains several bays for the treatment of
acute problems. Although most such problems are minor (such as cuts
and grazes), the Dispensary is equipped with full resuscitation
facilities, airway equipment and a defibrillator. It also has a small
electric ambulance. The Dispensary is open during daylight hours and
is staffed by nurses.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>About The Water of Lourdes</b></span> </h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>The water of Lourdes is not to be confused with holy Water. </b>It's normal water, <span class="short_text"><span class="hps">slightly calcareous</span></span>,
comparable to any other water from similar springs.It has no thermal
virtue or specific property. It's completely independent from the Gave
de Pau. An underground pipe drives this water to the baths and the
water points of the Grotto.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>The water of Lourdes has become popular because of the miracles. </b>49
on 67 official miracles are apparently linked to the use of this
water, no matter if it has been drunk or used as a bath. Men have
created the fountains, the baths and the way of the water.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>The water of Lourdes is also the sign of baptism.</b> Everytime someones makes the gesture of water, it gives a new meaning to ones life . A heart purifies and gets free.<b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>In
the catholic faith, God heals through the natural elements and the
sacraments, with the (Intercession) help of the Virgin Mary and the
prayer of the Christians. </b>Consequently, this water is a sign and
not a fetish. Bernadette Soubirous has said : “This water is considered
as a drug... but you have to keep the faith and pray : this water
couldn't do anything without faith!”.<b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>However, the healing of body can't neglect the healing of heart.</b>
The sick, as the so-called healthy, meet each other at the Grotto of
the Apparitions, in front of the Virgin Mary : They support each other
by the crossing smiles, the exchange of gesture and the shared
prayers.<span class="gros_texte"> A quote from the Bible, <span class="gros_texte">dealing with water:</span></span></span></div>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b><br />
<i>"anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never thirst
again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring within them,
welling up to eternal life."</i></b><i><b> </b> (John 4:14) </i></span></div>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">References</span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Johnston, Francis W. (1980). <i>Fatima: the Great Sign</i>. Chulmleigh: Augustine. ISBN 0-85172-723-9.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Johnston, Francis W. (1980). <i>Fatima: the Great Sign</i>. Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers. ISBN 0-89555-163-2.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">McClure, Kevin (1983). <i>The Evidence for Visions of the Virgin Mary</i>. Wellingborough: Aquarian Press. ISBN 0-85030-351-6.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Laurentin, René (1990, revised 1991). <i>The Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today</i>.
Dublin: Veritas Publications.
ISBN [[Special:BookSources/1-85390-054-9, ISBN
1-85390-119-9|1-85390-054-9, ISBN 1-85390-119-9]].</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Laurentin, René (1990). <i>An Appeal from Mary in Argentina: the Apparitions of San Nicolás</i>. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 0-9625975-5-4.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Terelya, Josyp (with Michael H. Brown) (1991). <i>Josyp Terelya - WITNESS</i>. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 1-877678-17-1.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Brown, Michael H. (1992). <i>The Final Hour</i>. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 1-880033-03-8.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Laurentin, René (1993). <i>The Cause of Liberation in the USSR</i>. Goleta, California: Queenship Publishing Company. ISBN 1-882972-07-4.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Blackbourn, David (1994). <i>Marpingen: Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Nineteenth-Century Germany</i>. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41843-1.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Odell, Catherine M. (1995). <i>Those Who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary</i>. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-87973-664-4|0-87973-664-4]].</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Brown, Michael H. (1996). <i>The Day Will Come</i>. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Charis. ISBN 0-89283-944-9.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Connell, Janice T. (1996). <i>Meetings with Mary: Visions of The Blessed Mother</i>. United States: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39705-3.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="citation book">Brown, Michael H. (1998). <i>The Last Secret</i>. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Charis. ISBN 1-57918-339-5.</span></span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962861"></a> </h3>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
Book 7, Chapter 6<br /><br />CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL</h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Saint Paul was distinguished in
Judaism for two reasons. The one was his own character, and the other
was the diligence of the demon in availing himself of his naturally
good qualities. Saint Paul was of a disposition generous,
magnanimous, most noble, kind, active, courageous and constant. He
had acquired many of the moral virtues. He glorified in being a
staunch professor of the law of Moses, and in being studious and
learned in it; although in truth he was ignorant of its essence, as
he himself confesses to Timothy, because all his learning was human
and terrestrial; like many Jews, he knew the law merely from the
outside, without its spirit and without the divine insight, which was
necessary to understand it rightly and to penetrate its mysteries.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The disposition of Saul was most
noble and generous, and therefore it appeared to him beneath his
dignity and honor to stoop to such crimes and act the part of an
assassin, when he could, as it seemed to him, destroy the law of
Christ by the power of reasoning and open justice. He felt a still
greater horror at the thought of killing the most blessed Mother, on
account of the regard due to Her as a woman; and because he had seen
Her so composed and constant in the labors and in the Passion of
Christ. On this account She seemed to him a magnanimous Woman and
worthy of veneration. She had indeed won his respect, together with
some compassion for her sorrows and afflictions, the magnitude of
which had become publicly known. Hence he gave no admittance to the
inhuman suggestions of the demon against the life of the most blessed
Mary. This compassion for Her hastened not a little the conversion of
Saul. Neither did he further entertain the treacherous designs
against the apostles, although Lucifer sought to make their
assassination appear as a deed worthy of his courageous spirit.
Rejecting all these wicked thoughts, he resolved to incite all the
Jews to persecute the Church, until it should be destroyed together
with the name of Christ.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
As the dragon and his cohorts could
not attain more, they contented themselves with having brought Saul
at least to this resolve. The dreadful wrath of these demons against
God and his creatures can be estimated from the fact, that on that
very day they held another meeting in order to consult how they could
preserve the life of this man, whom they had found so well adapted to
execute their malice. These deadly enemies well know, that they have
no jurisdiction over the lives of men, and that they can neither give
nor take life, unless permitted by God on some particular occasion;
nevertheless they wished to make themselves the guardians and the
physicians of the life and health of Saul as far as their power
extended, namely, by keeping active his forethought against whatever
was harmful and suggesting the use of what was naturally beneficial
to the welfare of life and limb. Yet with all their efforts they were
unable to hinder the work of grace, when God so wished it. Far were
they from suspecting, that Saul would ever accept the faith of
Christ, and that the life, which they were trying to preserve and
lengthen, was to redound to their own ruin and torment. Such events
are provided by the wisdom of the Most High, in order that the devil,
being deceived by his evil counsels, may fall into his own pits and
snares, and in order that all his machinations may serve for the
fulfillment of the divine and irresistible will.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Such were the decrees of the highest
Wisdom in order that the conversion of Saul might be more wonderful
and glorious. With this intention God permitted satan, after the
death of saint Stephen, to instigate Saul to go to the chief priests
with fierce threats against the disciples of Christ, who had left
Jerusalem, and to solicit permission for bringing them as prisoners
to Jerusalem from wherever he should find them (Acts 9, 1). For this
enterprise Saul offered his person and possessions, and even his
life; at his own cost and without salary he made this journey in
order that the new Law, preached by the disciples of the Crucified,
might not prevail against the Law of his ancestors. This offer was
readily favored by the high–priest and his counselors; they
immediately gave to Saul the commission he asked, especially to go to
Damascus, whither, according to report, some of the disciples had
retired after leaving Jerusalem. He prepared for the journey, hiring
officers of justice and some soldiers to accompany him. But his by
far most numerous escort were the many legions of demons, who in
order to assist him in this enterprise, came forth from hoping that
with all this show of force and through Saul, they might be able to
make an end of the Church and entirely devastate it with fire and
blood. This was really the intention of Saul, and the one with which
Lucifer and his demons sought to inspire him and his companions. But
let us leave him for the present on his journey to Damascus, anxious
to seize all the disciples of Christ, whom he should find in the
synagogues of that city.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Nothing of all this was unknown to
the Queen of heaven; for in addition to her science and vision
penetrating to the inmost thoughts of men and demons, the Apostles
were solicitous in keeping Her informed of all that befell the
followers of her Son. Long before this time She had known that Saul
was to be an Apostle of Christ, a preacher to the gentiles, and a man
distinguished and wonderful in the Church; for all of these things
her Son informed Her, as I said in the second part of this history.
But as She saw the persecution becoming more violent and the glorious
fruits and results of the conversion of Saul delayed, and as She
moreover saw how the disciples of Christ, who knew nothing of the
secret intentions of the Most High, were afflicted and somewhat
discouraged at the fury and persistence of his persecution, the
kindest Mother was filled with great sorrow. Considering, in her
heavenly prudence, how important was this affair, She roused Herself
to new courage and confidence in her prayers for the welfare of the
Church and the conversion of Saul.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
He permitted his blessed Mother to
suffer some sensible pain and, as it were, to fall into a kind of
swoon, yet her Son, who according to our way of understanding, could
not longer resist the love which wounded his heart, consoled and
restored Her by yielding to her prayers He said: “My Mother,
chosen among all creatures, let thy will be done without delay. I
will do with Saul as Thou askest, and will so change him, that from
this moment he will be a defender of the Church which he persecutes,
and a preacher of my name and glory. I shall now proceed to receive
him immediately into my friendship and grace.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thereupon Jesus Christ our Lord
disappeared from the presence of his most blessed Mother leaving Her
still engaged in prayer and furnished with a clear insight into what
was to happen. Shortly afterward the Lord appeared to Saul on the
road near Damascus, whither, in his ever increasing fury against
Jesus, his accelerated journey had already brought him. The Lord
showed himself to Saul in a resplendent cloud amid immense glory, and
at the same time Saul was flooded with light without and within, and
his heart and senses were overwhelmed beyond power of resistance
(Acts 9, 4). He fell suddenly from his horse to the ground and at the
same time he heard a voice from on high saying: “Saul, Saul,
why dost thou persecute Me?” Full of fear and consternation he
answered: “Who art Thou, Lord?” The voice replied: “I
am Jesus whom thou persecutes; it is hard for thee to kick against
the goad of my omnipotence.” Again Saul answered with greater
fear and trembling: “Lord, what dost Thou command and desire to
do with me?” The companions of Saul heard these questions and
answers, though they did not see the Savior. They saw the splendor
surrounding him and all were filled with dread and astonishment at
this sudden and unthought of event, and they were for some time
dumbfounded.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This new wonder, surpassing all that
had been seen in the world before, was greater and more far–reaching
than what could be taken in by the senses. For Saul was not only
prostrated in body, blinded and bereft of his strength so that, if
the divine power had not sustained him, he would have immediately
expired; but also as to his interior he suffered more of a change
than when he passed from nothingness into existence at his
conception, farther removed from what he was before than from
darkness, or the highest heaven from the lowest earth; for he was
changed from an image of the demon to that of one of the highest and
most ardent seraphim. This triumph over Lucifer and his demons had
been especially reserved by God for his divine Wisdom and
Omnipotence; so that, in virtue of the Passion and Death of Christ
this dragon and his malice might be vanquished by the human nature of
one man, in whom the effects of grace and Redemption were set in
opposition to the sin of Lucifer and all its effects. Thus it
happened that in the same short time, in which Lucifer through pride
was changed from an angel to a devil, the power of Christ changed
Saul from a demon into an angel in grace. In the angelic nature the
highest beauty turned into the deepest ugliness; and in the human
nature the greatest perversity into the highest moral perfection.
Lucifer descended as the enemy of God from heaven to the deepest
abyss of the earth, and a man ascended as a friend of God from the
earth to the highest heaven.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
And since this triumph would not have
been sufficiently glorious, if the Lord had not given more than
Lucifer had lost, the Omnipotent wished to add in saint Paul an
additional triumph to his victory over the demon. For Lucifer,
although he fell from that exceedingly high grace which he had
received, had never possessed beatific vision, nor had he made
himself worthy of it, and hence could not lose what he did not
possess. But Paul, immediately on disposing himself for justification
and on gaining grace, began to partake of glory and clearly saw the
Divinity, though this vision was gradual. O invincible virtue of the
divine power! O infinite efficacy of the merits of the life and death
of Christ! It was certainly reasonable and just, that if the malice
of sin in one instant changed the angel into a demon, that the grace
of the Redeemer should be more powerful and abound more than sin
(Rom. 5, 20), raising up from it a man, not only to place him into
original grace, but into glory. Greater is this wonder than the
creation of heaven and earth with all the creatures; greater than to
give sight to the blind, health to the sick, life to the dead. Let us
congratulate the sinners on the hope inspired by this wonderful
justification, since we have for our Restorer, for our Father, and
for our Brother the same Lord, who justified Paul; and He is not less
powerful nor less holy for us, than for saint Paul.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During the time in which Paul lay
prostrate upon the earth, he was entirely renewed by sanctifying
grace and other infused gifts, restored and illumined proportionately
in all his interior faculties, and thus he was prepared to be
elevated to the empyrean heaven, which is called the third heaven. He
himself confesses, that he did not know whether he was thus elevated
in body or only in spirit (I Cor. 12, 4). But there, by more than
ordinary vision, though in a transient manner, he saw the Divinity
clearly and intuitively. Besides the being of God and his attributes
of infinite perfection, he recognized the mystery of the Incarnation
and Redemption, and all the secrets of the law of grace and of the
state of the Church. He saw the peerless blessing of his
justification and of the prayer of saint Stephen for him; and still
more clearly was he made aware of the prayers of the most holy Mary
and how his conversion had been hastened through Her; and that, after
Christ, her merits made him acceptable in the sight of God. From that
hour on he was filled with gratitude and with deepest veneration and
devotion to the great Queen of heaven, whose dignity was now manifest
to him and whom he thenceforth acknowledged as his Restorer. At the
same time he recognized the office of Apostle to which he was called,
and that in it he was to labor and suffer unto death. In conjunction
with these mysteries were revealed to him many others, of which he
himself says that they are not to be disclosed (II Cor. 7, 4). He
offered himself in sacrifice to the will of God in all things, as he
showed afterwards in the course of his life. The most blessed Trinity
accepted this sacrifice and offering of his lips and in the presence
of the whole court of heaven named and designated him as the preacher
and teacher of the gentiles, and as a vase of election for carrying
through the world the name of the Most high.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the third day after the
disablement and conversion of Saul the Lord spoke in a vision to one
of the disciples, Ananias, living in Damascus (Acts 9, 10). Calling
him by name as his servant and friend, the Lord told him to go to the
house of a man named Judas in a certain district of the city and
there to find Saul of Tarsus, whom he would find engaged in prayer.
At the same time Saul had also a vision, in which he saw and
recognized the disciple Ananias coming to him and restoring sight to
him by the imposition of hands. But of this vision of Saul, Ananias
at that time had no knowledge. Therefore he answered: “Lord, I
have information of this man having persecuted thy saints in
Jerusalem and caused a great slaughter of them in Jerusalem; and not
satisfied with this, he has now come with warrants from the
high–priests in order to seize whomever he can find invoking
thy holy name. Dost thou then send a simple sheep like myself to go
in search of the wolf, that desires to devour it?” The Lord
replied: “Go, for the one thou judgest to be my enemy, is for
Me a vase of election, in order that he may carry my name through all
the nations and kingdoms, and to the children of Israel. And I can,
as I shall, assign to him what he is to suffer for my name.”
And the disciple was at once informed of all that had happened.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Relying on this word of the Lord,
Ananias obeyed and betook himself at once to the house, in which
saint Paul then was. He found him in prayer and said to him: “Brother
Saul, our Lord Jesus, who appeared to thee on thy journey, sends me
in order that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled with the
Holy Ghost.” He received holy Communion at the hands of Ananias
and was strengthened and made whole, giving thanks to the Author of
all these blessings. Then he partook of some corporal nourishment, of
which he had not tasted for three days. He remained for some time in
Damascus conferring and conversing with the disciples in that city.
He prostrated himself at their feet asking their pardon and begging
them to receive him as their servant and brother, even as the least
and most unworthy of them all. At their approval and counsel he went
forth publicly to preach Christ as the Messias and Redeemer of the
world and with such fervor, wisdom and zeal, that he brought
confusion to the unbelieving Jews in the numerous synagogues of
Damascus. All wondered at this unexpected change and, in great
astonishment, said: Is not this the man, who in Jerusalem has
persecuted with fire and sword all who invoke that name? And has he
not come to bring them prisoners to the chief priests of that city?
What change then is this, which we see in him?</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Saint Paul grew stronger each day and
with increasing force continued his preaching to the gathering of the
Jews and gentiles. Accordingly they schemed to take away his life and
then happened, what we shall touch upon later. The miraculous
conversion of saint Paul took place one year and one month after the
martyrdom of saint Stephen, on the twenty–fifth of January, the
same day on which the Church celebrates that feast; and it was in the
year thirty–six of the birth of our Lord; because saint
Stephen, as is said in chapter the twelfth, died completing his
thirty–fourth year and one day of his thirty–fifth;
whereas the conversion of saint Paul took place after he had
completed one month of the thirty–sixth; and then saint James
departed on his missionary journey, as I will say in its place.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Let us return to our great Queen and
Lady of the angels, who by means of her vision knew all that was
happening to Saul; his first and most unhappy state of mind, his fury
against the name of Christ, his sudden casting down and its cause,
his conversion, and above all his extraordinary and miraculous
elevation to the empyrean heaven and vision of God, besides all the
rest, that happened to him in Damascus. This knowledge was not only
proper and due to Her, because She was the Mother of the Lord and of
his holy Church and the instrument of this great wonder; but also
because She alone could properly estimate this miracle, even more so
than saint Paul and more than the whole mystical body of the Church;
for it was not just, that such an unheard of blessing and such a
prodigious work of the Omnipotent should remain without recognition
and gratitude among mortals. This the most blessed Mary rendered in
all plenitude and She was the first One, who celebrated this solemn
event with the acknowledgment due to it from the whole human race.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962863"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, none of the faithful
should be ignorant of the fact, that the Most High could have drawn
and converted saint Paul without resorting to such miracles of his
infinite power. But He made use of them in order to show men, how
much his bounty is inclined to pardon them and raise them to his
friendship and grace, and in order to teach them, by the example of
this great Apostle, how they, on their part, should cooperate and
respond to his calls. Many souls the Lord wakes up and urges on by
his inspiration and help. Many do respond and justify themselves
through the Sacraments of the Church; but not all persevere in their
justification and still a fewer number follow it up or strive
perfection: beginning in spirit, they relax, and finish in the flesh.
The cause of their want of perseverance in grace and relapse into
their sins is their not imitating the spirit of saint Paul at his
conversion, when he exclaimed: “Lord, what is it Thou wishest
with me, and what shall I do for Thee?” If some of them
proclaim this sentiment with their lips, it is not from their whole
heart, and they always retain some love of themselves, of honor, of
possessions, of sensual pleasure or of some occasion of sin, and thus
they soon again stumble and fall.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
But the Apostle was a true and living
example of one converted by the light of grace, not only because he
passed from an extreme of sin into that of wonderful grace and
friendship of God; but also because he cooperated to his utmost with
the call of God, departing at once and entirely from all his evil
dispositions and self–seeking and placing himself entirely at
the disposal of the divine will and pleasure. This total denegation
of self and surrender to the will of God is contained in those words:
“Lord, what dost Thou wish to do with me?” and in it
consisted, as far as depended upon him, all his salvation. As he
pronounced them with all the sincerity of a contrite and humbled
heart, he renounced his own will and delivered himself over to that
of the Lord, resolved from that moment forward to permit none of his
faculties of mind or sense to serve the animal or sensual life into
which he had strayed. He delivered himself over to the service of the
Almighty in whatever manner or direction should become known to him
as being the divine will, ready to execute it without delay or
questioning. And this he immediately set about by entering the city
and obeying the command of the Lord given through the disciple
Ananias. As the Most High searches the secrets of the human heart, He
saw the sincerity, with which saint Paul corresponded to his vocation
and yielded to his divine will and disposition. He not only received
him with great pleasure, but multiplied exceedingly his graces, gifts
and wonderful favors, which even Paul would not have received or ever
have merited without this entire submission to the wishes of the
Lord.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Conformably to these truths, my
daughter, I desire thee to execute fully my oft–repeated
commands and exhortations, that thou forget the visible, the apparent
and deceitful. Repeat very often, and more with the heart than with
the lips those words of saint Paul: “Lord, what dost Thou wish
to do with me?” For as soon as thou beginnest to do anything of
thy own choice, it will not be true, that thou seekest solely the
will of the Lord. The instrument has no motion or action except that
imparted to it by the artisan; and if it had its own will, it would
be able to resist and act contrary to the will of the one using it.
The same holds true between God and the soul: for, if it entertains
any desire of its own independently of God, it will militate against
the pleasure of the Lord. As He keeps inviolate the liberty of action
conceded to man, He will permit it to lead man astray, as soon as he
decides for himself without reference to the direction of his Maker.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span><br />
</span><span class="text"></span><br />
<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<h3>
<b><span class="text3">PARAGRAPH 2 - The Father</span></b></h3>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="232"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="I"><b>I. "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"</b></a>
<br />
<b>232</b> Christians are baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"<sup>53</sup>
Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question
when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: "I do." "The
faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity."<sup>54</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="233"></a><b>233</b> Christians are baptized in the <i>name </i>of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their <i>names</i>,<sup>55</sup> for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="234"></a><b>234</b>
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of
Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is
therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that
enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in
the "hierarchy of the truths of faith".<sup>56</sup> The whole history
of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by
which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to
men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from
sin".<sup>57</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="235"></a><b>235</b> This paragraph expounds briefly (I) how the
mystery of the Blessed Trinity was revealed, (II) how the Church has
articulated the doctrine of the faith regarding this mystery, and (III)
how, by the divine missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit, God the
Father fulfills the "plan of his loving goodness" of creation,
redemption and sanctification.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="236"></a><b>236</b> <span class="text1">The Fathers of the Church distinguish between theology (<i>theologia</i>) and economy (<i>oikonomia</i>).
"Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the
Blessed Trinity and "economy" to all the works by which God reveals
himself and communicates his life. Through the <i>oikonomia </i>the <i>theologia </i>is revealed to us; but conversely, the <i>theologia </i>illuminates
the whole oikonomia. God's works reveal who he is in himself; the
mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his
works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses
himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we
understand his actions.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="237"></a><b>237</b>
The Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the
"mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they
are revealed by God".<sup>58</sup> To be sure, God has left traces of
his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and in his Revelation
throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy Trinity is a
mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel's faith
before the Incarnation of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>
II. THE REVELATION OF GOD AS TRINITY
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="238"></a><b>The Father revealed by the Son</b>
<br />
<b>238</b> Many
religions invoke God as "Father". The deity is often considered the
"father of gods and of men". In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch
as he is Creator of the world.<sup>59</sup> Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son".<sup>60</sup>
God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he
is "the Father of the poor", of the orphaned and the widowed, who are
under his loving protection.<sup>61</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="239"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">239</a></b> <span class="text1">By
calling God "Father", the language of faith indicates two main things:
that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority;
and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his
children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image
of motherhood,<sup>62</sup> which emphasizes God's immanence, the
intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws
on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first
representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that
human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and
motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human
distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God.
He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is
their origin and standard:<sup>63</sup> no one is father as God is Father.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="240"></a><b>240</b>
Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard-of sense: he is Father
not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father in relation to his
only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to his Father: "No one
knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the
Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."<sup>64</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="241"></a><b>241</b> For this reason the apostles confess Jesus
to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the
"radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature".<sup>65</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="242"></a><b>242</b>
Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first
ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is "consubstantial" with
the Father, that is, one only God with him.<sup>66</sup> The second
ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression
in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed "the only-begotten
Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, true God
from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father".<sup>67</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b>The Father and the Son revealed by the Spirit</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="243"></a><b>243</b>
Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete"
(Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously
"spoken through the prophets", the Spirit will now be with and in the
disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth".<sup>68</sup> The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="244"></a><b>244</b>
The eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is revealed in his mission in
time. The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the
Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had
returned to the Father.<sup>69</sup> The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus' glorification<sup>70</sup> reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="245"></a><b>245</b>
The apostolic faith concerning the Spirit was confessed by the second
ecumenical council at Constantinople (381): "We believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father."<sup>71</sup> By this confession, the Church recognizes the Father as "the source and origin of the whole divinity".<sup>72</sup>
But the eternal origin of the Spirit is not unconnected with the Son's
origin: "The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is God, one
and equal with the Father and the Son, of the same substance and also of
the same nature. . . Yet he is not called the Spirit of the Father
alone,. . . but the Spirit of both the Father and the Son."<sup>73</sup>
The Creed of the Church from the Council of Constantinople confesses:
"With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified."<sup>74</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="246"></a><b>246</b> The Latin tradition of the Creed confesses that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father <i>and the Son (filioque)</i>".
The Council of Florence in 1438 explains: "The Holy Spirit is eternally
from Father and Son; He has his nature and subsistence at once (<i>simul</i>)
from the Father and the Son. He proceeds eternally from both as from
one principle and through one spiration. . . . And, since the Father
has through generation given to the only-begotten Son everything that
belongs to the Father, except being Father, the Son has also eternally
from the Father, from whom he is eternally born, that the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the Son."<sup>75</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="247"></a><b>247</b> <span class="text1">The affirmation of the <i>filioque </i>does
not appear in the Creed confessed in 381 at Constantinople. But Pope
St. Leo I, following an ancient Latin and Alexandrian tradition, had
already confessed it dogmatically in 447,<sup>76</sup> even before Rome,
in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, came to recognize and receive the
Symbol of 381. The use of this formula in the Creed was gradually
admitted into the Latin liturgy (between the eighth and eleventh
centuries). The introduction of the filioque into the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed by the Latin liturgy constitutes
moreover, even today, a point of disagreement with the Orthodox
Churches.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="248"></a><b>248</b> <span class="text1">At the outset the
Eastern tradition expresses the Father's character as first origin of
the Spirit. By confessing the Spirit as he "who proceeds from the
Father", it affirms that he <i>comes from</i> the Father <i>through </i>the Son.<sup>77</sup>
The Western tradition expresses first the consubstantial communion
between Father and Son, by saying that the Spirit proceeds from the
Father and the Son (<i>filioque</i>). It says this, "legitimately and with good reason",<sup>78</sup>
for the eternal order of the divine persons in their consubstantial
communion implies that the Father, as "the principle without principle",<sup>79</sup>
is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that as Father of the only
Son, he is, with the Son, the single principle from which the Holy
Spirit proceeds.<sup>80</sup> This legitimate complementarity, provided
it does not become rigid, does not affect the identity of faith in the
reality of the same mystery confessed.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<span class="text1"><br /></span>
<br />
<b>III. THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE TEACHING OF THE FAITH</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="249"></a><b>The formation of the Trinitarian dogma</b>
<br />
<b>249</b> From the
beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Trinity has been at the very
root of the Church's living faith, principally by means of Baptism. It
finds its expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the
preaching, catechesis and prayer of the Church. Such formulations are
already found in the apostolic writings, such as this salutation taken
up in the Eucharistic liturgy: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."<sup>81</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="250"></a><b>250</b>
During the first centuries the Church sought to clarify her Trinitarian
faith, both to deepen her own understanding of the faith and to defend
it against the errors that were deforming it. This clarification was the
work of the early councils, aided by the theological work of the Church
Fathers and sustained by the Christian people's sense of the faith.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="251"></a><b>251</b> <span class="text1">In
order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop
her own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical
origin: "substance", "person" or "hypostasis", "relation" and so on. In
doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new
and unprecedented meaning to these terms, which from then on would be
used to signify an ineffable mystery, "infinitely beyond all that we can
humanly understand".<sup>82</sup></span><br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="252"></a><b>252</b> The Church uses (I) the term "substance"
(rendered also at times by "essence" or "nature") to designate the
divine being in its unity, (II) the term "person" or "hypostasis" to
designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among
them, and (III) the term "relation" to designate the fact that their
distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The dogma of the Holy Trinity</b>
<br />
<b>253</b> <i>The Trinity is One</i>. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity".<sup>83</sup>
The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but
each of them is God whole and entire: "The Father is that which the Son
is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which
the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God."<sup>84</sup> In the words
of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that
supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature."<sup>85</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="254"></a><b>254</b> <i>The divine persons are really distinct from one another</i>. "God is one but not solitary."<sup>86</sup>
"Father", "Son", "Holy Spirit" are not simply names designating
modalities of the divine being, for they are really distinct from one
another: "He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is
the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son."<sup>87</sup>
They are distinct from one another in their relations of origin: "It is
the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit
who proceeds."<sup>88</sup> The divine Unity is Triune.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="255"></a><b>255</b> <i>The divine persons are relative to one another</i>.
Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of
the persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which
relate them to one another: "In the relational names of the persons the
Father is related to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit
to both. While they are called three persons in view of their
relations, we believe in one nature or substance."<sup>89</sup> Indeed "everything (in them) is one where there is no opposition of relationship."<sup>90</sup>
"Because of that unity the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in
the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy
Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son."<sup>91</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="256"></a><b>256</b>
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, also called "the Theologian", entrusts this
summary of Trinitarian faith to the catechumens of Constantinople:
<br />
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Above all guard for me this great
deposit of faith for which I live and fight, which I want to take with
me as a companion, and which makes me bear all evils and despise all
pleasures: I mean the profession of faith in the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit. I entrust it to you today. By it I am soon going to
plunge you into water and raise you up from it. I give it to you as the
companion and patron of your whole life. I give you but one divinity and
power, existing one in three, and containing the three in a distinct
way. Divinity without disparity of substance or nature, without superior
degree that raises up or inferior degree that casts down. . . the
infinite co-naturality of three infinites. Each person considered in
himself is entirely God. . . the three considered together. . . I have
not even begun to think of unity when the Trinity bathes me in its
splendor. I have not even begun to think of the Trinity when unity
grasps me. . .<sup>92</sup></span></dd><dd></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="IV"><b>IV. THE DIVINE WORKS AND THE TRINITARIAN MISSIONS</b></a>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="257"></a><b>257</b> "O blessed light, O Trinity and first Unity!"<sup>93</sup>
God is eternal blessedness, undying life, unfading light. God is love:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God freely wills to communicate the glory
of his blessed life. Such is the "plan of his loving kindness",
conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his
beloved Son: "He destined us in love to be his sons" and "to be
conformed to the image of his Son", through "the spirit of sonship".<sup>94</sup>
This plan is a "grace [which] was given to us in Christ Jesus before
the ages began", stemming immediately from Trinitarian love.<sup>95</sup>
It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation
after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are
continued in the mission of the Church.<sup>96</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="258"></a><b>258</b>
The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine
persons. For as the Trinity has only one and the same natures so too
does it have only one and the same operation: "The Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle."<sup>97</sup>
However, each divine person performs the common work according to his
unique personal property. Thus the Church confesses, following the New
Testament, "one God and Father from whom all things are, and one Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom
all things are".<sup>98</sup> It is above all the divine missions of the
Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that show forth the
properties of the divine persons.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="259"></a><b>259</b>
Being a work at once common and personal, the whole divine economy
makes known both what is proper to the divine persons, and their one
divine nature. Hence the whole Christian life is a communion with each
of the divine persons, without in any way separating them. Everyone who
glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit;
everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the
Spirit moves him.<sup>99</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="260"></a><b>260</b> The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity.<sup>100</sup>
But even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity:
"If a man loves me", says the Lord, "he will keep my word, and my Father
will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him":<sup>101</sup>
<br />
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me
forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and
peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to
trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each
minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace.
Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest.
May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire,
completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over
to your creative action.<sup>102</sup></span></dd><dd></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<b>
IN BRIEF
</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="261"></a><b>261</b> The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the
central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone
can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="262"></a><b>262</b> The Incarnation of God's Son reveals that
God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the
Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father the Son is
one and the same God.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="263"></a><b>263</b> The mission of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son (<i>Jn </i>14:26) and by the Son "from the Father" (<i>Jn </i>15:26),
reveals that, with them, the Spirit is one and the same God. "With the
Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified" (Nicene Creed).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="264"></a><b>264</b> "The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father
as the first principle and, by the eternal gift of this to the Son, from
the communion of both the Father and the Son" (St. Augustine, <i>De Trin</i>. 15, 26, 47: PL 42, 1095).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="265"></a><b>265</b> By the grace of Baptism "in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", we are called to share
in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of
faith, and after death in eternal light (cf. Paul VI, <i>CPG</i> § 9).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="266"></a><b>266</b> "Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship
one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either
confusing the persons or dividing the substance; for the person of the
Father is one, the Son's is another, the Holy Spirit's another; but the
Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal,
their majesty coeternal" (Athanasian Creed: DS 75; ND 16).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="267"></a><b>267</b> Inseparable in what they are, the divine
persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single
divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity,
especially in the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift
of the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text1">
53 <i>Mt</i> 28:19.<br />
54 St. Caesarius of Arles, <i>Sermo</i> 9, <i>Exp. symb.</i>:CCL 103,47.<br />
55 Cf. Profession of faith of Pope Vigilius I (552):DS 415.<br />
56 <i>GCD</i> 43.<br />
57 <i>GCD</i> 47.<br />
58 <i>Dei Filius</i> 4:DS 3015.<br />
59 Cf. <i>Deut</i> 32:6; <i>Mal</i> 2:10.<br />
60 <i>Ex</i> 4:22.<br />
61 Cf. <i>2 Sam</i> 7:14; <i>Ps</i> 68:6. <br />
62 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 66:13; <i>Ps</i> 131:2.<br />
63 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 27:10; <i>Eph</i> 3:14; <i>Isa</i> 49:15.<br />
64 <i>Mt</i> 11-27.<br />
65 <i>Jn</i> 1:1; <i>Col</i> 1:15; <i>Heb</i> 1:3.<br />
66 The English phrases "of one being" and "one in being" translate the Greek word <i>homoousios</i>, which was rendered in Latin by <i>consubstantialis</i>.<br />
67 Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed; cf. DS 150.<br />
68 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:2; Nicene Creed (DS 150); <i>Jn</i> 14:17, 26; 16:13.<br />
69 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 14:26; 15:26; 16:14.<br />
70 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 7:39.<br />
71 Nicene Creed; cf. DS 150.<br />
72 Council of Toledo VI (638): DS 490.<br />
73 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 527.<br />
74 Nicene Creed; cf. DS 150.<br />
75 Council of Florence (1439): DS 1300-1301.<br />
76 Cf. Leo I, <i>Quam laudabiliter</i> (447): DS 284.<br />
77 <i>Jn</i> 15:26; cf. <i>AG</i> 2.<br />
78 Council of Florence (1439): DS 1302.<br />
79 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331.<br />
80 Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 850.<br />
81 <i>2 Cor</i> 13:14; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 12:4-6; <i>Eph</i> 4:4-6.<br />
82 Paul VI, <i>CPG</i> § 2.<br />
83 Council of Constantinople II (553): DS 421.<br />
84 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 530:26.<br />
85 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 804.<br />
86 <i>Fides Damasi</i>: DS 71.<br />
87 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 530:25.<br />
88 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 804.<br />
89 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 528.<br />
90 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1330.<br />
91 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331.<br />
92 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, <i>Oratio</i> 40,41: PG 36,417.<br />
93 <i>LH</i>, Hymn for Evening Prayer. <br />
94 <i>Eph</i> 1:4-5,9; <i>Rom</i> 8:15,29.<br />
95 <i>2 Tim</i> 1:9-10.<br />
96 Cf. <i>AG</i> 2-9.<br />
97 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331; cf. Council of Constantinople II (553): DS 421.<br />
98 Council of Constantinople II: DS 421.<br />
99 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 6:44; <i>Rom</i> 8:14.<br />
100 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:21-23.<br />
101 <i>Jn</i> 14:23.<br />
102 Prayer of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity.<br />
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-10003357376029054792018-08-05T13:39:00.005-05:002018-08-05T13:39:52.091-05:00Sunday August 5, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Fidelity; Reading 1, Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54; Reading 2, Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; Gospel and Lectio Divina, John 6:24-35 Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Transfiguration ; Snippet I - Feast of the Dedication of Basilica of di Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) Miracle of Our Lady of the Snows; Snippet II - Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 5 The Death of Stephen, The Creed, The Departure of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph I - I Believe In God; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday August 5, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Fidelity; </i><i>Reading 1, Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54; Reading 2, Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; Gospel and Lectio Divina, John 6:24-35 Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Transfiguration ;<b> </b>Snippet I - Feast of the Dedication of Basilica of </i><i><i>di Santa Maria Maggiore </i>(St Mary Major) Miracle of Our Lady of the Snows</i><i>; Snippet II - Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 5 The Death of Stephen, The Creed, The Departure of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 1 - I Believe In God; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
<br />
<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Inspirational Hymns</span></center>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<b>August 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
With a motherly love I am calling you to open your heart to peace; to open your heart to my Son, so that in your heart love for my Son may sing, because only out of that love does peace comes into the soul. <br />
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My children, I know that you have goodness, I know that you have love – a merciful love, but many of my children still have a closed heart. They think that they can do it without directing their thoughts towards the Heavenly Father who illuminates–towards my Son who is always with you anew in the Eucharist and who desires to listen to you. <br />
My children, why do you not speak to Him? The life of each of you is important and precious, because it is a gift from the Heavenly Father for eternity. Therefore, do not ever forget to keep on thanking Him: Speak to Him. <br />
I know, my children, that what is to come afterwards is unknown to you, but when your hereafter does come you will receive all the answers. My motherly love desires that you be ready. <br />
My children, keep putting good feelings in the hearts of the people whom you meet, feelings of peace, goodness, love and forgiveness. Through prayer, hearken to what My Son is saying and act accordingly. <br />
Anew, I am calling you to prayer for your shepherds, for those whom my Son has called. Remember that they need prayers and love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church<br />
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<b>July 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b> <br />
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“Dear children! God called me to lead you to Him because He is your strength. That is why I am calling you to pray to Him and to trust in Him, because He is your refuge from every evil that lurks and carries souls far from the grace and joy to which you are all called. Little children, live Heaven here on earth so that it will be good for you; and may the commandments of God be a light on your way. I am with you and I love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church </div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b> </b><b>July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.<br />
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I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.<br />
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Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.<br />
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Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."<br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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<h2 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope at Angelus: 'faith in Jesus allows us to carry out God's works'</h2>
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<i>Pope Francis invited believers to abandon themselves with joy to God's plan for their lives and seek spiritual nourishment in order to go forward in their journey of faith. His words came during the Angelus in St. Peter's Square.</i></div>
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<b>By Linda Bordoni</b><br />
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<b>Pope Francis </b>invited the faithful to cultivate their relationship with God, because faith in Jesus, he said allows us spiritually nourished and to carry out good works for the good of our brothers and sisters.<br />
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The Pope was speaking to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the <b>Sunday Angelus</b>. He reflected on the Gospel reading of the day and recalled the beloved Pope VI – the Pope of modernity – who 40 years ago was living the last hours of his earthly life.<br />
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Reflecting on the liturgy that tells of a crowd that has been nourished by Jesus and that sets out in search of him, Pope Francis explained that for Jesus, it is not enough that people simply search for him, He wants the people to know him and to understand that He came to bring us more than material satisfaction, opening our lives to a horizon that is broader than the daily concerns of eating, clothing oneself, a career, and so on.<br />
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Jesus is the true bread of life</h2>
“He, the true ‘bread of life’, the Pope said, wants to satisfy not only bodies but also souls, offering spiritual nourishment that can satisfy the deepest hunger”.<br />
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Commenting on how often we too do not understand the Lord’s invitation not to “work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life”, Francis said it is “a common temptation to reduce religion to the practice of the laws” thinking that it is enough to perform good actions in order to please God.<br />
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Jesus, he said, gives an unexpected indication: “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent”. “These words are addressed to us as well, today: God's work does not consist so much in "doing" things, but in "believing" in Him whom He has sent” he said.<br />
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Works that have the perfume of the Gospel</h2>
And “better still, the Pope continued, faith in Jesus allows us to carry out God's works. If we let ourselves be involved in this relationship of love and trust with Jesus, we will be able to carry out good works that have the perfume of the Gospel, for the good of our brothers and sisters.<br />
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The Lord, Pope Francis concluded, invites us “not to forget that, if it is necessary to be concerned about material needs, it is even more important to cultivate our relationship with Him, to strengthen our faith in Him who is the "bread of life", the one who came to satisfy our hunger for truth, justice and love.<br />
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The Pope ended his catechesis with a prayer to the Virgin Mary, on the day when we remember the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, to support us in our journey of faith and help us to abandon ourselves with joy to God's plan for our lives.<br />
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Pope Francis: ‘death penalty inadmissable’ </h2>
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<i>After an audience with Pope Francis earlier this year, and following his approval, the Vatican’s CDF says it has made changes to the CCC on the death penalty according to which capital punishment is inadmissible.</i></div>
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<b>By Linda Bordoni</b><br />
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<b>Pope Francis</b> has approved a new revision of paragraph number <b>2267</b> of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, according to which “a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state,” thus “the death penalty is inadmissible”: The decision was announced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in a ‘Letter to the Bishops’ dated 1 August and signed by the Prefect, Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria. <br />
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The new text</h2>
<b><i>The death penalty</i></b><br />
<i>2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.</i><br />
<i>Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.</i><br />
<i>Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,<sup>[1]</sup> and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide”.</i><br />
[1] FRANCIS, <i>Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization</i>, 11 October 2017: <i>L’Osservatore Romano</i>, 13 October 2017.<br />
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The previous text</h2>
According to the previous text of paragraph 2267, the Church did not exclude recourse to the death penalty in “very rare, if not practically nonexistent” circumstances:<br />
<i>2267. Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.</i><br />
<i>If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.</i><br />
<i>Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."<sup>68</sup></i><br />
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Revision in continuity with preceding Magisterium</h2>
In the Letter to the Bishops Cardinal Ladaria explained that the revision of n. 2267 of the CCC “expresses an authentic development of doctrine that is not in contradiction with the prior teachings of the Magisterium” and said “these teachings, in fact, can be explained in the light of the primary responsibility of the public authority to protect the common good in a social context in which the penal sanctions were understood differently, and had developed in an environment in which it was more difficult to guarantee that the criminal could not repeat his crime”.<br />
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Pope John Paul II’s appeal to abolish death penalty</h2>
Ladaria recalled that John Paul II asked that the teaching on the death penalty be reformulated to better reflect the development of the doctrine that centers on the clearer awareness of the Church for the respect due to every human life affirming that “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this.” Ladaria said that in many occasions John Paul II intervened for the elimination of capital punishment describing it as “cruel and unnecessary.<br />
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Pope Benedict XVI</h2>
In the letter Cardinal Ladaria also recalled Benedict XVI who appealed for “the attention of society’s leaders to the need to make every effort to eliminate the death penalty” and encouraged “political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty and to continue the substantive progress made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order.”<br />
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Responsibility of authorities to defend the life of citizens</h2>
The new revision of number 2267 of CCC<i> </i> approved by Pope Francis, Ladaria said, "situates itself in continuity with the preceding Magisterium while bringing forth a coherent development of Catholic doctrine” taking into account the new understanding of penal sanctions applied by the modern State”.<br />
Its new revision, he continued, “desires to give energy to a movement towards a decisive commitment to favor a mentality that recognizes the dignity of every human life and, in respectful dialogue with civil authorities, to encourage the creation of conditions that allow for the elimination of the death penalty where it is still in effect”.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 0<b>8</b>/05/18<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - fidelity</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">fy-dell-e-tee</span></span>]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1375–1425;</span> <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="late">late</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="middle">Middle</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="english">English</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidelite">fidelite</span></span> (< <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="middle">Middle</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="french">French</span></span>) < <span class="luna-langn"><span class="one-click" data-term="latin">Latin</span></span> <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidēlitās">fidēlitās,</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="equivalent">equivalent</span> to <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidēli-">fidēli-</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="stem">(stem</span> of <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidēlis">fidēlis</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="loyal">loyal,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="equivalent">equivalent</span> to <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidēs">fidē(s</span></span>) faith + <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="-lis">-lis</span></span> <span class="one-click" data-term="adj">adj.</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="suffix">suffix)</span> + <span class="italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="-tās">-tās</span></span> -ty<sup>2</sup></span></h4>
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<header class="css-1y60q53 e10vl5dg1"><span class="css-1pomevn e10vl5dg2"><span class="luna-pos">noun</span></span></header><br />
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<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="strict">strict</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="observance">observance</span> of <span class="one-click" data-term="promises">promises,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="duties">duties,</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="etc">etc.:</span> <span class="luna-example italic">a <span class="one-click" data-term="servants">servant's</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="fidelity">fidelity.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="2"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="loyalty">loyalty:</span> <span class="luna-example italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="fidelity">fidelity</span> to <span class="one-click" data-term="ones">one's</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="country">country.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="3"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="conjugal">conjugal</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="faithfulness">faithfulness.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="4"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="adherence">adherence</span> to <span class="one-click" data-term="fact">fact</span> or <span class="one-click" data-term="detail">detail.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="5"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="accuracy">accuracy;</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="exactness">exactness:</span> <span class="luna-example italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="the">The</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="speech">speech</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="was">was</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="transcribed">transcribed</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="with">with</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="great">great</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="fidelity">fidelity.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="6"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"> <span class="luna-labset"><span class="luna-label italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="audio">Audio</span></span>, <span class="luna-label italic"><span class="one-click" data-term="video">Video</span></span></span>. </span><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="one-click" data-term="the">the</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="degree">degree</span> of <span class="one-click" data-term="accuracy">accuracy</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="with">with</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="which">which</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="sound">sound</span> or <span class="one-click" data-term="images">images</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="are">are</span> <span class="one-click" data-term="recorded">recorded</span> or <span class="one-click" data-term="reproduced">reproduced.</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15</h2>
2 And the whole community of Israelites began complaining about Moses and Aaron in the desert<br />
3 and said to them, 'Why did we not die at Yahweh's hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and could eat to our heart's content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!'<br />
4 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shall rain down bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people must go out and collect their ration for the day; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not.<br />
12 'I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Speak to them as follows, "At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart's content, and then you will know that I am Yahweh your God." '<br />
13 That evening, quails flew in and covered the camp, and next morning there was a layer of dew all round the camp.<br />
14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was something fine and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.<br />
15 As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, 'What is that ?' not knowing what it was. 'That', Moses told them, 'is the food which Yahweh has given you to eat.<br />
~~morning you will have bread to your heart's content, and then you will know that I am Yahweh your God." '<br />
13 That evening, quails flew in and covered the camp, and next morning there was a layer of dew all round the camp.<br />
14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was something fine and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.<br />
15 As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, 'What is that ?' not knowing what it was. 'That', Moses told them, 'is the food which Yahweh has given you to eat.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54</h2>
3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us<br />
4 we shall not conceal from their descendants, but will tell to a generation still to come: the praises of Yahweh, his power, the wonderful deeds he has done.<br />
23 Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;<br />
24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;<br />
25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.<br />
54 He brought them to his holy land, the hill-country won by his right hand;<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Ephesians 4:17, 20-24</h2>
17 So this I say to you and attest to you in the Lord, do not go on living the empty-headed life that the gentiles live.<br />
20 Now that is hardly the way you have learnt Christ,<br />
21 unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.<br />
22 You were to put aside your old self, which belongs to your old way of life and is corrupted by following illusory desires.<br />
23 Your mind was to be renewed in spirit<br />
24 so that you could put on the New Man that has been created on God's principles, in the uprightness and holiness of the truth.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>John 6: 24-35</b></span></span></span></h2>
Jesus the bread of life. <br />
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1. Opening prayer</h3>
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Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.<br />
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2. Reading</h3>
) A key to the reading: The Discourse of the Bread of Life is not a text to be discussed and dissected, but rather it should be meditated and pondered. This is why, even if it is not fully understood, we should not be concerned. This text of the Bread of Life demands a whole life to meditate on it and deepen it. Such a text, people have to read it, meditate it, pray it, think about it, read it again, repeat it and ponder it, as one does with a good sweet in the mouth. We turn it and turn it in the mouth until it is finished. The one, who reads the Fourth Gospel superficially, may have the impression that John always repeats the same thing. Reading it more attentively, one becomes aware that it is not a question of repetition. The author of the fourth Gospel has his own way of repeating the same theme, but always at a higher and more profound level. It seems to be like a winding staircase. By turning one reaches the same place, but always at a higher level or a more profound one.<br />
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b) A division of chapter six:<br />
It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in order to understand better its significance:<br />
John 6,1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves<br />
John 6,16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the water<br />
John 6,22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples<br />
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus and find him in Capernaum<br />
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God and the manna of the desert<br />
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do God’s will.<br />
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the Jews<br />
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.<br />
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the disciples<br />
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter<br />
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c) The Gospel: John 6,24-35<br />
When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?'<br />
Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.<br />
Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.'<br />
So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'<br />
Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.<br />
'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.<br />
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3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</h3>
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4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.</h3>
a) The people were hungry, they eat the bread and they look for more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God who was hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: the miracle or the sign?<br />
b) Hungry for bread, hungry for God. Which of these two predominates in me?<br />
c) Jesus says: “I am the bread of life”. He takes away hunger and thirst. Which of these experiences do I have in my life?<br />
d) Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me concretely in my daily life?”<br />
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5. For those who wish to deepen more into the theme</h3>
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a) Context:<br />
In today’s Gospel we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6, 22-71). After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum, he had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is not really a Discourse, but it treats of a series of seven brief dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.<br />
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The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events and discover in them the turning point that life should take. Because it is not enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body. Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does he change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in which the conversation advances, less people remain with Jesus. At the end only the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same thing happens. When the Gospel beings to demand commitment, many people withdraw, go away.<br />
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b) Commentary on the text<br />
John 6,24-27: People look for Jesus because they want more bread. The people follow Jesus. They see that he did not go into the boat with the disciples and, because of this, they do not understand what he had done to reach Capernaum. They did not even understand the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. People see what has happened, but they cannot understand all this as a sign of something more profound. They stop only on the surface; in being satisfied with the food. They look for bread and life, but only for the body. According to the people, Jesus does what Moses had done in the past: to feed all the people in the desert. According to Jesus, they wanted the past to be repeated. But Jesus asks the people to take a step more and advance. Besides working for the bread that perishes, they should work for the imperishable food. This new food will be given by the Son of Man, indicated by God himself. He brings life which lasts forever. He opens for us a new horizon on the sense of life and on God.<br />
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John 6,28-29: “Which is God’s work?” The people ask: what should we do to carry out this work of God? Jesus answers that the great work of God asks us to “believe in the one sent by God”. That is, to believe in Jesus!<br />
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John 6,30-33: “What sign will you yourself do, the sign which will make us believe in you?” People had asked: What should we do to carry out the work of God? Jesus responds: “The work of God is to believe in the one who has sent”, that is to believe in Jesus. This is why people formulate the new question: “Which sign do you do so that we can see and can believe? Which work do you do?” This means that they did not understand the multiplication of the loaves as a sign from God to legitimize Jesus before the people, as the one sent by God! They continue to argue: In the past our fathers ate the manna which Moses gave them! They called it “bread from Heaven” (Ws 16,20), that is, “bread of God”. Moses continues to be the great leader in whom to believe. If Jesus wants the people to believe in him, he should work a greater sign than Moses. “What work do you do?”<br />
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Jesus responds that the bread given by Moses was not the true bread from heaven. Coming from on high, yes, but it was not the bread of God, because it did not guarantee life to any one. All of them died in the desert (Jn 6,49). The true bread of heaven, the bread of God, is the one which conquers death and gives life! It is the one which descends from Heaven and gives life to the world. It is Jesus himself! Jesus tries to help the people to liberate themselves from the way of thinking of the past. For him, fidelity to the past does not mean to close up oneself in the ancient things and not accept renewal. Fidelity to the past means to accept the novelty which comes as the fruit of the seed which was planted in the past.<br />
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John 6,34-35: “Lord, gives us always of that bread!” Jesus answers clearly: “I am the bread of life!” To eat the bread of heaven is the same as to believe in Jesus and accept to follow the road that he teaches us, that is: “My food is to do the will of the one who has sent me and to complete his work!” (Jn 4,34). This is the true food which nourishes the person, which transforms life and gives new life.<br />
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6. Prayer of Psalm 111</h3>
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Alleluia! I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,<br />
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.<br />
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,<br />
to be pondered by all who delight in them.<br />
Full of splendour and majesty his work,<br />
his saving justice stands firm for ever.<br />
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;<br />
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness.<br />
He gives food to those who fear him,<br />
he keeps his covenant ever in mind.<br />
His works show his people his power<br />
in giving them the birthright of the nations.<br />
The works of his hands are fidelity and justice,<br />
all his precepts are trustworthy,<br />
established for ever and ever,<br />
accomplished in fidelity and honesty.<br />
Deliverance he sends to his people,<br />
his covenant he imposes for ever;<br />
holy and awesome his name.<br />
The root of wisdom is fear of Yahweh;<br />
those who attain it are wise.<br />
His praise will continue for ever.<br />
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7. Final Prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. AmenLord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><b style="color: #660000;">Feast of the Transfiguration</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day:</b> August 6</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4IZDHFP-vA2Hb3M6CBTY81ubDF5Uuddaj1pZXk8GPp3zWr8vSW9wA9J_vJIj437s1S9xzFJrsH0mtFzOF6HNh4YOq6LiBELWmQw7y33yf12e511KAs5hBYO-HbfzHbDXSdB42U3TOsbh/s1600/10trans%255B1%255D.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4IZDHFP-vA2Hb3M6CBTY81ubDF5Uuddaj1pZXk8GPp3zWr8vSW9wA9J_vJIj437s1S9xzFJrsH0mtFzOF6HNh4YOq6LiBELWmQw7y33yf12e511KAs5hBYO-HbfzHbDXSdB42U3TOsbh/s320/10trans%255B1%255D.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Transfiguraiton</td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Transfiguration of Jesus is an episode in the New Testament narrative in which Jesus is transfigured (or metamorphosed) and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28–36) describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16–18 refers to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In these accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James and John, go to a mountain (the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is then called "Son" by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Father, as in the Baptism of Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. This miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself. Thomas Aquinas considered the Transfiguration "the greatest miracle" in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in Heaven. The Transfiguration is one of the five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries in the Rosary, which includes the Transfiguration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In Christian teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.</span><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="New_Testament_accounts">New Testament accounts</span></h2>
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<tr> <td style="color: #b2b7f2; font-family: serif; font-size: 40px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;" width="20">“</td> <td style="padding: 4px 10px; vertical-align: top;">"This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" — Mark 9:7</td> <td style="color: #b2b7f2; font-family: serif; font-size: 40px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;" width="20">”</td> </tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In the Synoptic Gospels, (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36) the account of the transfiguration happens towards the middle of the narrative. It is a key episode and almost immediately follows another important element, the Confession of Peter: "you are the Christ". The Transfiguration narrative acts as a further revelation of the identity of Jesus as the Son of God to some of his disciples.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the Gospels, Jesus takes Peter, James, son of Zebedee and John the Apostle (John was also a son of Zebedee) with him and goes up to a mountain, which is not named. Once on the mountain, Matthew (17:2) states that Jesus "was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light." At that point the prophets Elijah and Moses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them. Luke states that they spoke of Jesus' exodus (εξοδον) which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Luke is also specific in describing Jesus in a state of glory, with Luke 9:32 referring to "they saw His glory".</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Just as Elijah and Moses begin to depart from the scene, Peter begins to ask Jesus if the disciples should make three tents for him and the two prophets. This has been interpreted as Peter's attempt to keep the prophets there longer. But before Peter can finish, a bright cloud appears, and a voice from the cloud states: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him". The disciples then fall to the ground in fear, but Jesus approaches and touches them, telling them not to be afraid. When the disciples look up, they no longer see Elijah or Moses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">When Jesus and the three apostles are going back down the mountain, Jesus tells them to not tell anyone "the things they had seen" until the "Son of Man" has risen from the dead. The apostles are described as questioning among themselves as to what Jesus meant by "risen from the dead".</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">In addition to the principal account given in the Synoptic Gospels; in 2 Peter 1:16–18, Apostle Peter describes himself as an eyewitness "of his magnificence." The Gospel of John may also briefly allude to the same episode in John 1:14.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Elsewhere in the New Testament, Apostle Paul's reference in 2 Corinthians 3:18 to the "transformation of believers" via "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord" became the theological basis for considering the Transfiguration as the basis for processes which lead the faithful to the knowledge of God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Although Matthew 17 lists the disciple John as being present during the Transfiguration, the Gospel of John has no account of it. This has resulted in debate among scholars, some suggesting doubts about the authorship of the Gospel of John, others providing explanations for it. One explanation (that goes back to Eusebius of Caesarea in the fourth century) is that John wrote his gospel not to overlap with the synoptic gospels, but to supplement it, and hence did not include all of their narrative. This is not the only incident not present in the fourth gospel, and the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is another key example, indicating that the inclusion of material in the fourth gospel was selective. The general explanation is thus the gospel of John was written thematically, to suit his theological purposes, and has a less narrative style than the synoptics.</span><br />
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Theology</h2>
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Significance</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Christian theology assigns a great deal of significance to the Transfiguration, based on multiple elements of the narrative. In Christian teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Transfiguration not only supports the identity of Jesus as the Son of God (as in his Baptism), but the statement "listen to him", identifies him as the messenger and mouth-piece of God. The significance of this identification is enhanced by the presence of Elijah and Moses, for it indicates to the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God "par excellence", and instead of Elijah or Moses, he should be listened to, surpassing the laws of Moses by virtue of his filial relationship with God. 2 Peter 1:16–18, echoes the same message: at the Transfiguration God assigns to Jesus a special "honor and glory" and it is the turning point at which God exalts Jesus above all other powers in creation, and positions him as ruler and judge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Transfiguration also echoes the teaching by Jesus (as in Matthew 22:32) that God is not "the God of the dead, but of the living". Although Moses had died and Elijah had been taken up to heaven centuries before (as in 2 Kings 2:11), they now live in the presence of the Son of God, implying that the same return to life can apply to all who face death and have faith.</span><br />
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Historical Development</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The theology of the Transfiguration received the attention of the Church Fathers since the very early days. In the 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus was fascinated by the Transfiguration and wrote: "the glory of God is a live human being and a truly human life is the vision of God".</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span>Origen's theology of the Transfiguration influenced the patristic tradition and became a basis for theological writings by others. Among other issues, given the instruction to the apostles to keep silent about what they had seen until the Resurrection, Origen commented that the glorified states of the Transfiguration and the Resurrection must be related.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Desert Fathers emphasized the light of the ascetic experience, and related it to the light of the Transfiguration – a theme developed further by Evagrius Ponticus in the 4th century. Around the same time Saint Gregory of Nyssa and later Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite were developing a "theology of light" which then influenced Byzantine meditative and mystical traditions such as the Tabor light and theoria. The iconography of the Transfiguration continued to develop in this time period, and there is a sixth-century symbolic representation in the apse of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe and a well known depiction at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Byzantine Fathers often relied on highly visual metaphors in their writings, indicating that they may have been influenced by the established iconography. The extensive writings of Maximus the Confessor may have been shaped by his contemplations on the katholikon at Saint Catherine's Monastery – not a unique case of a theological idea appearing in icons long before it appears in writings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the 7th century, Saint Maximus the Confessor said that the senses of the apostles were transfigured to enable them to perceive the true glory of Christ. In the same vein, building on 2 Corinthians 3:18, by the end of the 13th century the concept of "transfiguration of the believer" had stabilized and Saint Gregory Palamas considered "true knowledge of God" to be a transfiguration of man by the Spirit of God. The spiritual transfiguration of the believer then continued to remain a theme for achieving a closer union with God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">One of the generalizations of Christian belief has been that the Eastern Church emphasizes the Transfiguration while the Western Church focuses on the Crucifixion – however, in practice both branches continue to attach significance to both events, although specific nuances continue to persist. An example of such a nuance is the saintly signs of the Imitation of Christ. Unlike Catholic saints such as Padre Pio or Francis (who considered stigmata a sign of the imitation of Christ) Eastern Orthodox saints have never reported stigmata, but saints such as Seraphim and Silouan have reported being transfigured by an inward light of grace.</span><br />
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Transfiguration and Resurrection</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Origen's initial connection of the Transfiguration with the Resurrection continued to influence theological thought long thereafter. This connection continued to develop both within the theological and iconographic dimensions – which however, often influenced each other. Between the 6th and 9th centuries the iconography of the transfiguration in the East influenced the iconography of the resurrection, at times depicting various figures standing next to a glorified Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">This was not only a view within the Eastern Church and in the West, most commentators in the Middle Ages considered the Transfiguration a preview of the glorified body of Christ following his Resurrection. As an example, in the 8th century, in his sermon on the Transfiguration, the Benedictine monk Ambrosius Autpertus directly linked the Supper at Emmaus appearance in Luke 24:39 to the Transfiguration narrative of Matthew 17:2, and stated that in both cases, Jesus "was changed to a different form, not of nature, but of glory."</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The concept of the Transfiguration as a preview and an anticipation of the Resurrection includes several theological components. On one hand it cautions the disciples, and hence the reader, that the glory of the Transfiguration, and the message of Jesus, can only be understood in the context of his death and resurrection, and not simply on its own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">When the Transfiguration is considered an anticipation of the Resurrection, the presentation of a shining Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration as the Son of God who should be listened to can be understood in the context of the statement by Jesus in the Resurrection appearance in Matthew 28:16–20: "all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth".</span><br />
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Presence of prophets</h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The presence of the prophets next to Jesus and the perceptions of the disciples have been subject to theological debate. Origen was the first to comment that the presence of Moses and Elijah represented the "Law and the Prophets", referring to the Torah (also called the Pentateuch) and the rest of the Hebrew Bible. Martin Luther, continued to see them as the Law and the Prophets respectively, and their recognition of and conversation with Jesus as a symbol of how Jesus fulfills "the law and the prophets" (Matthew 5:17–19, see also Expounding of the Law).</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">The real presence of Moses and Elijah on the mount is rejected by those churches and individuals who believe in "soul sleep" (Christian mortalism) until resurrection. Several commentators have noted that Jesus describes the transfiguration using the Greek word orama (Matthew 17:9), according to Thayer more often used for a supernatural "vision" than for real physical events, and concluded that Moses and Elijah were not truly there.</span><br />
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Location of the mountain</h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">None of the accounts identifies the "high mountain" of the scene by name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Since the 3rd century, some Christians have identified Mount Tabor as the site of the Transfiguration, including Origen. Tabor has long been a place of Christian pilgrimage and is the site of the Church of the Transfiguration. In 1808, Henry Alford cast doubt on Tabor due to the possible continuing Roman utilization of a fortress which Antiochus the Great built on Tabor in BC219, and which Josephus records was in use by the Romans in the Jewish War. Others have countered that even if Tabor was fortified by Antiochus this does not rule out a transfiguration at the summit. Edward Greswell, however, writing in 1830, saw "no good reason for questioning the ancient ecclesiastical tradition, which supposes it to have been mount Tabor."</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">John Lightfoot rejects Tabor as too far but "some mountain near Caesarea-Philippi" The usual candidate in this case is Mount Panium, Paneas, or Banias a small hill situated at the source of the Jordan, near the foot of which, Caesarea Philippi was built.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">R. T. France (1987) notes that Mount Hermon is closest to Caesarea Philippi, mentioned in the previous chapter of Matthew. Likewise Meyboom (1861) identified "Djebel-Ejeik." but this may be a confusion with Jabal el Sheikh, the Arabic name for Mount Hermon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">H. A. Whittaker (1987) proposes that it was Mount Nebo primarily on the basis that it was the location where Moses viewed the promised land and a parallelism in Jesus' words on descent from the mountain of transfiguration; "You will say to this mountain (i.e. of transfiguration), ‘Move from here to there,’ (i.e. the promised land) and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.</span><br />
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Feast and Commemorations</h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian denominations. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor. The feast was present in various forms by the 9th century, and in the Western Church was made a universal feast on August 6 by Pope Callixtus III to commemorate the Siege of Belgrade (1456).</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In the Syriac Orthodox, Indian Orthodox, Revised Julian Calendars within Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on 6 August. In those Orthodox churches which continue to follow the Julian Calendar, August 6 in the church calendar falls on August 19 in the civil (Gregorian) calendar. Transfiguration is considered a major feast, numbered among the twelve Great Feasts in the Byzantine rite. In all these churches, if the feast falls on a Sunday, its liturgy is not combined with the Sunday liturgy, but completely replaces it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">In some liturgical calendars (e.g. the Lutheran and United Methodist) the last Sunday in the Epiphany season is also devoted to this event. In the Church of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, however, the Feast is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Trinity, the eighth Sunday after Pentecost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the Roman rite, the gospel pericope of the Transfiguration is read on the second Sunday of Lent, whose liturgy emphasizes the role the Transfiguration had in comforting the Twelve Apostles, giving them a powerful proof of his divinity, and a prelude to the glory of the Resurrection on Easter and the eventual salvation of his followers in view of the seeming contradiction of his Crucifixion and death. This theme is expounded in the Preface for that day.</span></div>
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<b>References:</b> <i> </i></h2>
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<li><span class="reference-text"><i>Transfiguration</i> by Dorothy A. Lee 2005 ISBN 978-0-8264-7595-4</span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text">Clowes, John, 1817, <i>The Miracles of Jesus Christ</i> published by J. Gleave, Manchester, UK</span></span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><span class="reference-text"><i>Metamorphosis: the Transfiguration in Byzantine theology and iconography</i> by Andreas Andreopoulos 2005 ISBN 0-88141-295-3</span> </span> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I: Dedication of Basilica of St Mary of the Snows</b></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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The <b>Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major</b> (<i>In Dedicatione basilicae S. Mariae</i>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> is a feast day in the General Roman Calendar, optionally celebrated annually on 5 August with the rank of memorial. </div>
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In earlier editions of the General Roman Calendar, down to that of 1960, it is called the <b>Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary of the Snows</b> (<i>In Dedicatione basilicae S. Mariae ad Nives</i>), a reference to the legendary story about the foundation of the basilica. For the same reason the feast is also known popularly as <b>Our Lady of the Snows</b>. The reference to the legend was removed in the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
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Pope Pius V inserted this feast into the General Roman Calendar in 1568, when, in response to the request of the Council of Trent, he reformed the Roman Breviary. Before that, it had been celebrated at first only in the church itself and, beginning in the 14th century, in all the churches of the city of Rome.</div>
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Accordingly, it appears in the Tridentine Calendar for celebration as a Double. In Pope Clement VIII's Missal of 1604, it was given the newly invented rank of Greater Double. In Pope John XXIII's 1960 calendar, it became a Third-Class Feast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup> This 1960 calendar, included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, is the calendar whose continued use privately and, under certain conditions, publicly is authorized by the motu proprio <i>Summorum Pontificum</i>. Nine years later, the celebration became an optional memorial.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Calendarium133_5-1">[5]</sup></div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Calendarium133_5-1"> </sup> </div>
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The feast commemorates the dedication by Pope Sixtus III of the rebuilt Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore just after the First Council of Ephesus. This major basilica, located on the summit of the Esquiline Hill in Rome, is called the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Latin: <i><span lang="la">Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris</span></i>) because it is the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. </div>
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The original church, which was replaced by that of Pope Sixtus III, was built during the pontificate of Pope Liberius (352–366), and is thus sometimes known as the <i>Basilica Liberii</i> or <i>Basilica Liberiana</i>. </div>
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Legend</h3>
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Until 1969 the feast was known as <i>Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives</i> (Dedication of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows), a name that had become popular for the Basilica in the 14th century<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Calendarium_6-1">[6]</sup> in connection with a legend about its origin that the Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes: "During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary that they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot that was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later, not even by Sixtus III in his eight-line dedicatory inscription ... it would seem that the legend has no historical basis."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CathEncy_7-1">[7]</sup></div>
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In fact there is no reference to the legend before the year 1000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9"> </sup> </div>
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The popularity of the legend in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale of around 1423, now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples, in which the miracle is depicted as witnessed by a crowd of men and women, with Jesus and the Virgin Mary observing from above, and by the building in that century and the immediately following centuries of many churches dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows, of which 152 still exist in Italy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> A more critical attitude began to prevail in the 18th century, as evidenced by the proposal that a congregation set up by Pope Benedict XIV presented to him in 1741 that the reading of the legend be removed from the Roman Breviary and that the original name, "Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae", be restored. This recommendation was implemented only in 1969, 228 years later. </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy_of_the_legend">Legacy of the legend</span> </h3>
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On 5 August each year, during the celebration of the liturgical feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a custom that commemorates the story of the miraculous snowfall is still maintained: at the conclusion of the Solemn Mass in the basilica, a shower of white rose petals is dropped from the dome of the Chapel of Our Lady.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup> </div>
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At sunset on the same day, an artificial "snowfall" is staged as a tourist attraction in the square outside the basilica.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup> </div>
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Apart from the above-mentioned many shrines of the <i>Madonna della Neve</i> in Italy, the United States has a "National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows" in Belleville, Illinois,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup> and parishes dedicated to "Our Lady of the Snows" are located in Reno, Nevada;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> Floral Park, New York<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup>, Milford, Michigan<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup> and Woodstock, Vermont.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> In Croatia, Bol on the island of Brač as well as the parish church in Mamre on the island of Pag are dedicated to the Lady of the Snows. There's also a dedicated temple on Calvary hill in Bratislava, Slovakia - Kostol Panny Márie Snežnej<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> <span class="mw-headline" id="References"> </span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ol class="references" style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-1"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Missal</i>, official English translation</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-2"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Missale Romanum</i>, 2002, p. 112, 799</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-3"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Missale Romanum</i>, 1962, pp. L, 613</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-4"> <span class="reference-text">"Shrine History", National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-Calendarium133-5"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 133</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-Calendarium-6"> <span class="reference-text">Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), p. 99</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-CathEncy-7"> <span class="reference-text">Ott, Michael. "Our Lady of the Snow." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 27 Jun. 2013</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text">General Roman Calendar of 1960</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-9"> <span class="reference-text">American Catholic, "Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica"</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-10"> <span class="reference-text">it:Madonna della Neve</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-11"> <span class="reference-text">Mauriello, Matthew R. "Our Lady of the Snows", <i>Fairfield County Catholic</i>, January 1996 Archived October 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-12"> <span class="reference-text">Normanno Ross, "The Miracle of the Snow"</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-13"> <span class="reference-text">The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-14"> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of the Snows Church, Reno, Nevada</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-15"> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of the Snows Church, Floral Park, New York</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-16"> <span class="reference-text">St. Mary, Our Lady of the Snows</span> </li>
<li id="cite_note-17"> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of the Snows Roman Catholic Church, Woodstock, Vermont, St. Mary's Our Lady of The Snows, Milford, Michigan</span> </li>
<span class="reference-text">Kostol Panny Márie Snežnej</span></ol>
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Snippet II: <b>Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore</b> </h2>
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The <b>Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore</b> (<small>Italian pronunciation: </small><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[ˈsanta maˈriːa madˈdʒoːre]</span>; '<b>Basilica of Saint Mary Major'</b>, Latin: <i><span lang="la">Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris</span></i>), or church of <b>Santa Maria Maggiore</b>, is a Papal major basilica and the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy, from which size it receives the appellation "major". </div>
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The basilica enshrines the venerated image of Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as the help and protectress of the Roman people, which was granted a Canonical coronation by Pope Gregory XVI on 15 August 1838 accompanied by his Papal bull <i>Cælestis Regina</i>. </div>
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Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State. However, the Holy See fully owns the Basilica, and Italy is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership thereof and to concede to it "the immunity granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign States."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_appellations">Other appellations</span></h2>
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The Basilica is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the Snows, a name given to it in the Roman Missal from 1568 to 1969 in connection with the liturgical feast of the anniversary of its dedication on 5 August, a feast that was then denominated <i>Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives</i> (Dedication of Saint Mary of the Snows). This name for the basilica had become popular in the 14th century<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Calendarium_6-0">[6]</sup> in connection with a legend that the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia reports thus: "During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later, not even by Sixtus III in his eight-line dedicatory inscription ... it would seem that the legend has no historical basis."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cathency_7-0">[7]</sup><br />
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The legend is first reported only after AD 1000. It may be implied in what the <i>Liber Pontificalis</i>, of the early 13th century, says of Pope Liberius: "He built the basilica of his own name (i.e. the Liberian Basilica) near the Macellum of Livia". Its prevalence in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale.<br />
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The feast was originally called <i>Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae</i> (Dedication of Saint Mary's), and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with <i>ad Nives</i> added to its name, in 1568. A congregation appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office and that the feast be given its original name. No action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the feast was called <i>In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae</i> (Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary). The legend is still commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the celebration of the Mass and Second Vespers of the feast. </div>
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The earliest building on the site was the <b>Liberian Basilica</b> or <b>Santa Maria Liberiana</b>, after Pope Liberius (352–366). This name may have originated from the same legend, which recounts that, like John and his wife, Pope Liberius was told in a dream of the forthcoming summer snowfall, went in procession to where it did occur and there marked out the area on which the church was to be built. <i>Liberiana</i> is still included in some versions of the basilica's formal name, and "Liberian Basilica" may be used as a contemporary as well as historical name.</div>
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On the other hand, the name "Liberian Basilica" may be independent of the legend, since, according to Pius Parsch, Pope Liberius transformed a palace of the Sicinini family into a church, which was for that reason called the <b>Sicinini Basilica</b>. This building was then replaced under Pope Sixtus III (432–440) by the present structure dedicated to Mary. However, some sources say that the adaptation as a church of a pre-existing building on the site of the present basilica was done in the 420s under Pope Celestine I, the immediate predecessor of Sixtus III.</div>
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Long before the earliest traces of the story of the miraculous snow, the church now known as Saint Mary Major was called <b>Saint Mary of the Crib</b> (<i>Sancta Maria ad Praesepe</i>), a name it was given because of its relic of the crib or manger of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, four boards of sycamore wood believed to have been brought to the church, together with a fifth, in the time of Pope Theodore I (640–649).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[15]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[16]</sup> This name appears in the Tridentine editions of the Roman Missal as the place for the pope's Mass (the station Mass) on Christmas Night while the name "Mary Major" appears for the church of the station Mass on Christmas Day</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Status_as_a_Papal_Major_Basilica">Status as a Papal Major Basilica</span></h2>
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No Catholic church can be honored with the title of "basilica" unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom. St. Mary Major is one of the only four that hold the title of "major basilica". The other three are the Basilicas of St. John in the Lateran, St. Peter's, and St. Paul outside the Walls. (The title of major basilica was once used more widely, being attached, for instance, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi.) Along with all of the other four Major Basilicas, St. Mary Major is also styled a "Papal basilica". Before 2006, the four Papal Major Basilicas, together with the Basilica of St. Lawrence outside the Walls were referred to as the "patriarchal basilicas" of Rome, and were associated with the five ancient patriarchates (see Pentarchy). St. Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch.</div>
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The five Papal Basilicas along with the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (actually in Rome) and San Sebastiano fuori le mura were the traditional Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, which were visited by pilgrims during their pilgrimage to Rome following a 20 kilometres (12 mi) itinerary established by St. Philip Neri on 25 February 1552. On 21 June 2011, Pope Benedict XVI issued a Papal bull granting equal indulgences of the basilica for pilgrims who travel to the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag. </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_the_present_church">History of the present church</span></h2>
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It is agreed that the present church was built under Pope Sixtus III (432–440). The dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch, <i>Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei</i>, (Sixtus the bishop to the people of God) is an indication of that Pope's role in the construction.<sup> </sup>As well as this church on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, Pope Sixtus III is said to have commissioned extensive building projects throughout the city, which were continued by his successor Pope Leo I, the Great.</div>
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The church retains the core of its original structure, despite several additional construction projects and damage by the earthquake of 1348. </div>
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Church building in Rome in this period, as exemplified in Saint Mary Major, was inspired by the idea of Rome being not just the centre of the world of the Roman Empire, as it was seen in the classical period, but the centre of the Christian world.</div>
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Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the immediate aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431, which proclaimed Mary Mother of God. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision. Certainly, the atmosphere that generated the council gave rise also the mosaics that adorn the interior of the dedication: "whatever the precise connection was between council and church it is clear that the planners of the decoration belong to a period of concentrated debates on nature and status of the Virgin and incarnate Christ." The magnificent mosaics of the nave and triumphal arch, seen as "milestones in the depiction" of the Virgin, depict scenes of her life and that of Christ, but also scenes from the Old Testament: Moses striking the Red Sea, and Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea. </div>
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Richard Krautheimer attributes the magnificence of the work also to the abundant revenue accruing to the papacy at the time from land holdings acquired by the Church during the 4th and 5th centuries on the Italian peninsula: "Some of these holdings were locally controlled; the majority as early as the end of the 5th century were administered directly from Rome with great efficiency: a central accounting system was involved in the papal chancery; and a budget was apparently prepared, one part of the income going to the papal administration, another to the needs of the clergy, a third to the maintenance of church buildings, a fourth to charity. These fines enabled the papacy to carry out through the 5th century an ambitious building program, including Santa Maria Maggiore."</div>
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Miri Rubin believes that the building of the basilica was influenced also by seeing Mary as one who could represent the imperial ideals of classical Rome, bringing together the old Rome and the new Christian Rome: "In Rome, the city of martyrs, if no longer of emperors, Mary was a figure that could credibly carry imperial memories and representations."</div>
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Gregory the Great may have been inspired by Byzantine devotions to the Theokotos (Mother of God) when after becoming Pope during a plague in 590 that had taken the life of his predecessor, he ordered for seven processions to march through the city of Rome chanting Psalms and Kyrie Eleison, in order to appease the wrath of God. The processions began in different parts of the city, but rather than finally converging on St Peter's, who was always the traditional protector of Rome, he instead ordered the processions to converge on Mary Major instead.</div>
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When the popes returned to Rome after the period of the Avignon papacy, the buildings of the basilica became a temporary Palace of the Popes due to the deteriorated state of the Lateran Palace. The papal residence was later moved to the Palace of the Vatican in what is now Vatican City. </div>
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The basilica was restored, redecorated and extended by various popes, including Eugene III (1145–1153), Nicholas IV (1288–92), Clement X (1670–76), and Benedict XIV (1740–58), who in the 1740s commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to build the present façade and to modify the interior. The interior of the Santa Maria Maggiore underwent a broad renovation encompassing all of its altars between the years 1575 and 1630. </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Architecture">Architecture</span></h2>
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The original architecture of Santa Maria Maggiore was classical and traditionally Roman perhaps to convey the idea that Santa Maria Maggiore represented old imperial Rome as well as its Christian future. As one scholar puts it, "Santa Maria Maggiore so closely resembles a second-century imperial basilica that it has sometimes been thought to have been adapted from a basilica for use as a Christian church. Its plan was based on Hellenistic principles stated by Vitruvius at the time of Augustus."<br />
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Even though Santa Maria Maggiore is immense in its area, it was built to plan. The design of the basilica was a typical one during this time in Rome: "a tall and wide nave; an aisle on either side; and a semicircular apse at the end of the nave." The key aspect that made Santa Maria Maggiore such a significant cornerstone in church building during the early 5th century were the beautiful mosaics found on the triumphal arch and nave.</div>
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The Athenian marble columns supporting the nave are even older, and either come from the first basilica, or from another antique Roman building; thirty-six are marble and four granite, pared down, or shortened to make them identical by Ferdinando Fuga, who provided them with identical gilt-bronze capitals. The 14th century campanile, or bell tower, is the highest in Rome, at 246 feet, (about 75 m.). The basilica's 16th-century coffered ceiling, to a design by Giuliano da Sangallo, is said to be gilded with gold, initially brought by Christopher Columbus, presented by Ferdinand and Isabella to the Spanish pope, Alexander VI. The apse mosaic, the Coronation of the Virgin, is from 1295, signed by the Franciscan friar, Jacopo Torriti. The Basilica also contains frescoes by Giovanni Baglione, in the Cappella Borghese.</div>
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The 12th-century façade has been masked by a reconstruction, with a screening loggia, that were added by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743, to designs by Ferdinando Fuga that did not damage the mosaics of the façade. The wing of the <i>canonica</i> (sacristy) to its left and a matching wing to the right (designed by Flaminio Ponzio) give the basilica's front the aspect of a palace facing the <i>Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore</i>. To the right of the Basilica's façade is a memorial representing a column in the form of an up-ended cannon barrel topped with a cross: it was erected by Pope Clement VIII to celebrate the end of the French Wars of Religion.</div>
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The Marian column erected in 1614, to designs of Carlo Maderno is the model for numerous Marian columns erected in Catholic countries in thanksgiving for remission of the plague during the Baroque era. (An example is the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, the Czech Republic). The column itself is the sole remainder from Constantine's Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in <i>Campo Vaccino</i> Rome Art Lover website notes that Campo Vaccino as what the Roman Forum was called until the 18th century. Maderno's fountain at the base combines the armorial eagles and dragons of Paul V. </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Interior">Interior</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fifth_century_mosaics">Fifth century mosaics</span></h3>
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The mosaics found in Santa Maria Maggiore are one of the oldest representations of the Virgin Mary in Christian Late Antiquity. As one scholar puts it, "This is well demonstrated by the decoration of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome,... where the iconographic depiction of the Virgin Mary was chosen at least in part to celebrate the affirmation of Mary as Theotokos (bearer of God) by the third ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 CE." The mosaics of the triumphal arch and the nave in Santa Maria Maggiore were the definition of impressionistic art during the time period and gave a model for the future representations of the Virgin Mary. The influences of these mosaics are rooted in late antique impressionism that could be seen in frescoes, manuscript paintings and many pavement mosaics across villas in Africa, Syria and Sicily during the 5th century.</div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Krautheimer,_1980_p_49_28-1"> </sup> </div>
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These mosaics gave historians insight into artistic, religious, and social movements during this time. As Margaret Miles explains the mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore have two goals: one to glorify the Virgin Mary as Theotokos (God-Bearer); and the other to present "a systematic and comprehensive articulation of the relationship of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian scriptures as one in which the Hebrew Bible foreshadows Christianity." This is explained by the dual images of Old Testament and New Testament events depicted in the mosaics of the triumphal arch and the nave. The mosaics also show the range of artistic expertise and refute the theory that mosaic technique during the time was based on copying from model books. The mosaics found in Santa Maria Maggiore are combinations of different styles of mosaic art during the time, according to art scholar Robin Cormack: "the range of artistic expertise and the actual complexities of production can hardly be reduced to a mentality of copying. A test case is given by the mosaics of S. Maria Maggiore in Rome".</div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Corm889_32-1"> </sup> </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Triumphal_arch">Triumphal arch</span></h4>
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The triumphal arch at the head of the nave was at first referred to as the apse arch, but later became known as the triumphal arch. The triumphal arch is illustrated with magnificent mosaics depicting different scenes of Christ and the Virgin Mary. There was a difference in the styles used in the triumphal arch mosaics compared to those of the nave; the style of the triumphal arch was much more linear and flat as one scholar describes it, not nearly as much action, emotion and movement in them as there were in the Old Testament mosaics of the nave One of the first scenes that were visible on the triumphal arch was a panel of Christ's enthronement with a group of angels as his court. As one historian describes it: "On the apse arch Christ is enthroned, a young emperor attended by four chamberlains, angels of course", this is a perfect example of mosaic art in the 5th century. Another panel found on the triumphal arch is of the Virgin, she is crowned and dressed in a colorful veil, her wardrobe subtly brings to mind that of a Roman empress and in this panel she has her divine son walking with her and a suite of angels and Joseph ready to greet her; "The Virgin...shows to perfection the impressionistic character of mosaics." Another panel is known as the Adoration of the Magi and this mosaic depicts Infant Christ and The Virgin and the arrival of the three wise men, "mosaics illustrating Christ's first coming and his youth covered the triumphal arch." The other panel depicts the Virgin accompanied by five martyrs. </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Nave">Nave</span></h4>
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The nave of the basilica was covered in mosaics representing Old Testament events of Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt across the Red Sea. "The nave mosaics (which represents stories of Old Testament history and accordingly offered Christians in Rome a new 'past') are illusionistic in a colorful and impressionist manner" as this scholar puts it the scene was filled with movement, emotion, and it was to inspire thinking of Rome's "new" past; the past of the Old Testament. As one scholar describes it: "Moses strikes the waters of the Red Sea in a heroic gesture, his toga in light and dark grays and blues, but lined in black, the folds white lines, the tunic underneath light blue; the man next to him wears a deep blue toga over a gray and white tunic."<sup> </sup>Another panel shows the demise of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. An observer describes the mosaic: "The Egyptians, clad in blue armor with gold bands and scarlet cloaks wildly flying, drown in the greenish blue waters; the horses, white or light brown shaded with darker browns, highlighted in white, the accoutrements a bright red."</div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Krautheimer,_1980_p_48_45-2"> </sup> </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Crypt_of_the_Nativity_and_Cappella_Sistina">Crypt of the Nativity and Cappella Sistine</span></h2>
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Under the high altar of the basilica is the <b>Crypt of the Nativity</b> or <i>Bethlehem Crypt</i>, with a crystal reliquary designed by Giuseppe Valadier said to contain wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus Christ.<sup> </sup>Here is the burial place of Saint Jerome, the 4th-century Doctor of the Church who translated the Bible into the Latin language (the Vulgate).<br />
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Fragments of the sculpture of the Nativity believed to be by 13th-century Arnolfo di Cambio were transferred to beneath the altar of the large Sistine Chapel off the right transept of the church. This chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is named after Pope Sixtus V, and is not to be confused with the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, named after Pope Sixtus IV. The architect Domenico Fontana designed the chapel, which contains the tombs of Sixtus V himself and of his early patron Pope Pius V. The main altar in the chapel has four gilded bronze angels by Sebastiano Torregiani, holding up the ciborium, which is a model of the chapel itself. </div>
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Beneath this altar is the Oratory or Chapel of the Nativity, on whose altar, at that time situated in the Crypt of the Nativity below the main altar of the church itself, Saint Ignatius of Loyola celebrated his first Mass as a priest on 25 December 1538. </div>
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Just outside the Sistine Chapel is the tomb of Gianlorenzo Bernini and his family.</div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Destinations_47-1"> </sup> </div>
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The Mannerist interior decoration of the Sistine Chapel was completed (1587–1589) by a large team of artists, directed by Cesare Nebbia and Giovanni Guerra. While the art biographer, Giovanni Baglione allocates specific works to individual artists, recent scholarship finds that the hand of Nebbia drew preliminary sketches for many, if not all, of the frescoes. Baglione also concedes the roles of Nebbia and Guerra could be summarized as "Nebbia drew, and Guerra supervised the teams". </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Borghese_Chapel_and_Salus_Populi_Romani">Borghese Chapel and Salus Populi Romani</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkonCF83F4z8N6eAwIhgrNtdFjfDxtpNoGhCc2fPOQuVTbNLYupWCHF81SCQJBFs0FNNs1Qp1Cm2DBYumiULZuIue-d2zBJswYQPgPtajGG1_uP_7_4nYM30BqG_2Fr3rnIutVuSPy4pa/s1600/Santamariamaggiore2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="685" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkonCF83F4z8N6eAwIhgrNtdFjfDxtpNoGhCc2fPOQuVTbNLYupWCHF81SCQJBFs0FNNs1Qp1Cm2DBYumiULZuIue-d2zBJswYQPgPtajGG1_uP_7_4nYM30BqG_2Fr3rnIutVuSPy4pa/s320/Santamariamaggiore2b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The column in the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore celebrates the famous icon of the Virgin Mary now enshrined in the Borghese Chapel of the basilica. It is known as <i>Salus Populi Romani,</i> or <i>Health of the Roman People</i> or <i>Salvation of the Roman People</i>, due to a miracle in which the icon reportedly helped keep plague from the city. The icon is at least a thousand years old, and according to a tradition was painted from life by St Luke the Evangelist using the wooden table of the Holy Family in Nazareth.<br />
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The Salus Populi Romani has been a favourite of several popes and acted as a key Mariological symbol. Roman-born Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) celebrated his first Holy Mass there on 1 April 1899. In 1953, the icon was carried through Rome to initiate the first Marian year in church history. In 1954, the icon was crowned by Pope Pius XII as he introduced a new Marian feast Queenship of Mary. Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis all honoured the Salus Populi Romani with personal visits and liturgical celebrations. <br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_basilica">Papal basilica</span></h2>
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As a papal basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore is often used by the pope. He presides over the rites for the annual Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August there. Except for a few priests and the basilica's archpriest, the canopied high altar is reserved for use by the pope alone. Pope Francis visited the basilica on the day after his election.</div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49"> </sup> </div>
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The pope gives charge of the basilica to an archpriest, usually a cardinal. Formerly, the archpriest was the titular Latin Patriarch of Antioch, a title abolished in 1964. Since 29 December 2016, the archpriest has been Stanisław Ryłko. </div>
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In addition to the archpriest and his assistant priests, a chapter of canons is resident. Redemptorist and Dominican priests serve the church. </div>
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The King of Spain, currently Felipe VI, is <i>ex officio</i> protocanon of the basilica's chapter </div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"> </sup> </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="List_of_major_works_of_art_in_the_basilica">List of major works of art in the basilica</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="4734" data-file-width="3320" height="356" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Dome_of_Cappella_Paolina_in_Santa_Maria_Maggiore_%28Rome%29.jpg/250px-Dome_of_Cappella_Paolina_in_Santa_Maria_Maggiore_%28Rome%29.jpg" width="250" /> </div>
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Pauline Chapel dome frescoes, by Guido Reni</div>
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<li>Early Christian mosaic cycle depicting Old Testament events, 5th century</li>
<li>The Salus Populi Romani, a much venerated early icon of the Virgin and Child.</li>
<li>Funerary monument of Clement IX (1671) by Carlo Rainaldi with the papal bust by Domenico Guidi.</li>
<li>Temporary catafalque for Philip IV of Spain designed in 1665 by Rainaldi</li>
<li>Funerary monument of Pope Nicholas IV, designed by Domenico Fontana in 1574.</li>
<li>Bust of Costanzo Patrizi by Algardi.</li>
<li>Sacristy frescoes by Passignano and Giuseppe Puglia,</li>
<li>Saint Cajetan holding the Holy Child, by Bernini.</li>
<li>High altar sculpture by Pietro Bracci, (c. 1750).</li>
<li>Statue of Pius IX in prayer by Ignazio Jacometti, (c. 1880).</li>
<li>Pauline Chapel frescoes, by Guido Reni</li>
<li>Frescoes for the monument of Clement VIII, Lanfranco</li>
<li>Cesi Chapel tombs by Guglielmo della Porta</li>
<li>Altar, confessio and Presepio (crib) sculptures by Arnolfo di Cambio, about 1290</li>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Burials_in_the_church">Burials in the church</span></h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Gian Lorenzo Bernini</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pauline Bonaparte</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Junio Valerio Borghese</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Archbishop Domenico Caloyera O.P.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pope Clement VIII</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pope Honorius III (no longer extant)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pope Clement IX</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Saint Jerome, relics</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pope Nicholas IV</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Saint Pope Pius V</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cardinal Ugo Poletti</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pope Sixtus V</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora</li>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References</h2>
<ul>
<li> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">"Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura". Whc.unesco.org. </cite></span></li>
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<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"></cite></span></div>
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<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"></cite></span></div>
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<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web"><span class="reference-accessdate"></span></cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Historic+Centre+of+Rome%2C+the+Properties+of+the+Holy+See+in+that+City+Enjoying+Extraterritorial+Rights+and+San+Paolo+Fuori+le+Mura&rft.pub=Whc.unesco.org&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwhc.unesco.org%2Fen%2Flist%2F91%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABasilica+di+Santa+Maria+Maggiore"></span></span><br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 5</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE DEATH OF STEPHEN. THE CREED. DEPARTURE OF THE APOSTLES</span></h2>
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Among the saints who were especially fortunate in meriting the greater love of the Queen of heaven, there was one by the name of Stephen, who belonged to the seventy–two disciples; for from the very beginning of his following Christ our Savior, She looked upon him with an especial love, placing him first, or among the first, in her estimation. She immediately saw, that this saint was chosen by the Master of life for the defense of his honor and his holy name, and that he was to give up his life for him. Moreover this courageous saint was of a sweet and peaceful disposition; and he was rendered much more amiable and docile to all holiness by the workings of grace. Such dispositions made him very pleasing to the sweetest Mother; and whenever She found any persons naturally of a peaceful and meek character, She was wont to say, that they resembled her divine Son. On this account and on account of many heroic virtues of saint Stephen She loved him tenderly, procured him many blessings, and thanked the Lord for having created, called and chosen such a one for the first–fruits of his martyrs. In consideration of his coming martyrdom, revealed to Her by her divine Son, her heart was filled with additional affection for this great saint.</div>
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The blessed saint corresponded in most faithful and deepest reverence with the benefits conferred upon him by Christ our Savior and his heavenly Mother; for he was not only of a peaceful, but of an humble heart, and those that are so disposed in truth, are thankful for all benefits, even though they may not be so great as those conferred on saint Stephen. He always entertained the highest conceptions concerning the Mother of mercy, and in his high esteem and fervent devotion he continued to seek her favor. He asked information on many mysterious matters; for he was very wise, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, as is told us by saint Luke. The great Lady answered all his inquiries, encouraged and exhorted him zealously to work for the honor of Christ. In order to confirm him more in his strong faith. Mary forewarned him of his coming martyrdom and said: “Thou, Stephen, shalt be the first–born of the martyrs, engendered by my divine Son and Lord by the example of his death; thou shalt follow his footsteps, like a privileged disciple his master, and like a courageous soldier his captain; and at the head of the army of martyrs, thou shalt carry his banner of the Cross. Hence it is meet thou arm thyself with fortitude under the shield of faith, and be assured, that the strength of the Most High shall be with thee in the conflict.”</div>
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This warning of the Queen of the angels inflamed the heart of saint Stephen with the desire of martyrdom. As is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, he was filled with grace and fortitude and wrought great wonders in Jerusalem. Besides the Apostles saint Peter and saint John, no one except he dared to dispute with the Jews. His wisdom and spirit they could not resist, because he preached to them with an intrepid heart, refuted and accused them oftener and more courageously than the other disciples (Acts 68, 9). All this saint Stephen did with burning desire of attaining the martyrdom of which he had been assured by the great Lady. As if he were afraid of any one gaining this crown in advance of him, he offered himself before all others to engage in the disputes with the rabbis and teachers of the law of Moses, so eager was he to defend the honor of Christ, for whom he knew he would lay down his life. The infernal dragon, gradually becoming observant of the ambitions of saint Stephen, directed his malignant attention toward him and strove to hinder his attaining public martyrdom in testimony of the faith of Christ. In order to destroy him, he incited the most incredulous of the Jews to kill saint Stephen in secret.</div>
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But saint Stephen did not on that account neglect preaching or arguing with the unbelieving Jews. As these Jews could not murder him in secret, nor overcome his wisdom in public, they vented their mortal hatred in seeking false testimony against him (Acts 6, 1). They accused him of blasphemy against God and against Moses, of inveighing continually against the holy temple and the Law, and of asserting that Jesus would destroy as well the one, as the other. As the witnesses loudly proclaimed their slander and the people were being roused by their falsehoods, they brought him into the hall where the priests were gathered as the judges of these accusations. The presiding judge first took the deposition of saint Stephen before the court. The saint took occasion to prove with highest wisdom, that Christ was the true Messiah promised to them in the holy Scriptures; and in conclusion he reprehended them for their unbelief and hardness of heart so strongly, that they could find no answer and, gnashing their teeth they stopped their ears, in order not to be obliged to hear his words.</div>
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The Queen of heaven knew of the seizure of saint Stephen; and, in order to animate him in her name for the approaching conflict, She immediately sent him one of her angels, even before he entered into dispute with the priests. Through the holy angel saint Stephen sent Her answer, that he went with joy to confess his Master and with unflinching heart to give his life for Him, as he had always desired. Through the same messenger, he begged Her, as his kindest Teacher and Mother, to assist him and, from her retirement, to send him her blessing, since his not having been able to obtain her parting benediction was the only regret he felt now, when he was about to lay down his life according to Her wishes. These last words of saint Stephen moved the maternal bosom of Mary to even greater love and esteem than hitherto; and She desired to attend upon him in person, at this hour, when her beloved disciple was to give up his life for the honor and defense of his God and Redeemer. But the blessed Mother hesitated at the difficulties, which would arise in her passing through the streets of Jerusalem at a time of popular excitement and also in finding an opportunity of speaking publicly to saint Stephen.</div>
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She prostrated Herself in prayer, begging the divine favor for her beloved disciple; and She presented to the Lord her desire of helping him in the last hour. The clemency of the Most High, which is always at the beck of his Spouse and Mother and which was anxious to enhance the death of his faithful disciple and servant Stephen, sent from heaven a multitude of angels, who, with those of her guard, should carry their Queen to the place where the saint then was. And immediately the mandate of the Lord was executed: the angels placed Her upon a refulgent cloud and bore Her to the tribunal, where the highpriest was examining into the charges against saint Stephen. The vision of the Queen of heaven was hidden from all except the saint. He however saw Her before him, supported in the air by the holy angels in a cloud of heavenly splendor and glory. This extraordinary favor inflamed anew the divine love and the ardent zeal of this champion of the honor of God. In addition to the joy of seeing Mary, the splendors of the Queen shone from the countenance of saint Stephen, that it gleamed with wonderful beauty and light.</div>
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At the end of this discourse, through the intercession of the Queen and as a reward of the unconquered zeal of saint Stephen, the heavens opened and the Savior appeared to him standing at the right hand of the Father in the act of assisting him in the conflict. Saint Stephen raised his eyes and said “Behold I see the heavens opened and its glory, and in it I see Jesus at the right hand of God himself” (Acts 7, 55). But the obdurate perfidy of the Jews esteemed these words as blasphemy and they stopped their ears in order not to hear them. As the punishment of blasphemers according to the law, was death by stoning, they passed upon him that sentence. Then they all surrounded him like wolves and dragged him from the city with great haste and noise. At this juncture the blessed Mother gave him her benediction and speaking to him words of encouragement and endearment, She left him in charge of her angels, whom She ordered to accompany him and to remain with him until they should present his soul to the Most High. Only one of the guardian angels, in company with those that had descended from heaven as her escort to saint Stephen, now returned with Her to the Cenacle. From her retirement the great Lady by an especial vision saw all that happened in the martyrdom of saint Stephen: how they led him forth from the city with great haste and violence, shouting that he was a blasphemer worthy of death; how Saul was among them, more zealous than the rest, guarding the vestments of those who had taken them off to stone saint Stephen; how the shower of stones fell upon the saint and wounded him, some of them remaining fixed in his head and stained by his blood. Great and tender was the compassion of our Queen at such cruel martyrdom; but still greater her joy in seeing saint Stephen meeting it so gloriously. The kindest Mother failed him not in her tearful prayers from her oratory. When the invincible martyr saw himself near to death, he prayed: “Lord receive my spirit!” Then, on his knees, he exclaimed with a loud voice: “Lord lay not this sin to their charge!” (Acts 6, 55). In these prayers he was supported by those of the blessed Mary, who was filled with incredible joy to see the faithful disciple imitating so closely his divine Master by praying for his enemies and persecutors and commending his spirit into the hands of his Creator and Redeemer.</div>
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Covered with wounds from the shower of stones thrown by the Jews, saint Stephen expired, while they became still more hardened in their perfidy. Immediately the angels of the Queen bore his pure soul to the presence of God in order to be crowned with eternal honor and glory.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">Saint Luke says, that on the same day on which saint Stephen was stoned to death, a great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem. He mentions especially that Saul devastated it, searching through the whole city for the followers of Christ in order to seize and denounce them before the magistrates. This he did to many of the believers, who were arrested, ill-treated, and killed in this persecution. Although it was very severe on account of the hatred, which the princes and priests had conceived against the Christians, and on account of the zealous efforts of Saul in his jealous defense of</span> <span lang="en-US">the law of Moses (of which he himself speaks in the letter to the Galatians 1, 13); yet there was another cause for this severity, the effects of which they felt, though they knew not its origin.</span></div>
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The most prudent Mother bore in mind, that the disciples, having dispersed to preach the name and faith of Christ the Savior, had as yet no formula or express creed to guide themselves uniformly and without differences, so that all the faithful might believe one and the same express truths. Moreover She knew that the Apostles would soon have to go forth over the whole world in order to spread and establish the Church through their preaching, and that it was proper that all should be united in their doctrine, upon which was to be founded all the perfection of a Christian life. Therefore the most prudent Mother of wisdom wished to see all the divine mysteries, which the Apostles were to preach and the faithful to believe, reduced to a short formula. For if those truths were moulded into a few articles, they could more conveniently be brought to the mind of all, the whole Church would be united in one belief without any essential difference, and the whole spiritual edifice of the Gospel would thus rest and be built up on the same firm columns of one foundation. In order to prepare for this work, the importance of which She recognized, She presented her wishes to the Lord, who had inspired them, and for more than forty days She persevered in this prayer with fasting, prostrations and other exercises.</div>
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In answer to her prayer for the Apostles, besides promising to assist them in preparing the symbol of the faith, the Lord informed his Mother of the very wording of the propositions or articles, of which the Creed was to be composed. Of all this the most prudent Lady was well capable, as was explained more fully in the second part of this history; but now, when the time had arrived for executing what had been intended so long before, He wished to renew it all in the purest heart of his virgin Mother, in order that the fundamental truths of the Church might flow from the lips of Christ himself. He inspired saint Peter his vicar and the rest with the desire of setting up a symbol of the universal faith of the Church. Accordingly they sought conference with the heavenly Mistress concerning its opportuneness and the measures to be taken for this purpose. They resolved to fast and persevere in prayer for ten continuous days, in order to receive the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in this arduous affair. Having completed these ten days, which were also the last ten of the forty, in which the Queen had treated with the Lord about this matter, the twelve Apostles met in the presence of Mary, and saint Peter spoke to them as follows:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My dear brethren, the divine mercy, in its infinite goodness and through the merits of our Savior and Master Jesus, has favored his holy Church by gloriously multiplying its children, as we have seen and experienced in this short time. For this purpose the Almighty has multiplied miracles and prodigies and daily renews them through our ministry, having chosen us (though unworthy) as the instruments of his divine will in this work and for the glory and honor of his holy name. Together with these favors He has sent us tribulations and persecutions of the devil and of the world, in order that we may imitate our Savior and Captain, and in order that the Church, evenly ballasted, might reach more securely the port of rest and eternal felicity. The disciples have evaded the wrath of the chief priest and spread through the neighboring cities, preaching the faith of Christ our Redeemer and Lord. We must also soon depart and preach throughout the globe, according to the command of the Lord before ascending into heaven (Matth. 28, 19). Just as there is but one Baptism in which men are to receive this faith, so there must be but one doctrine, which the faithful are to believe. Hence it is meet that we, who are as yet gathered harmoniously in the Lord, define the truths and mysteries which we are to propound expressly to all the nations of the world, and thus, without difference of opinions, believe the same doctrines. It is the infallible promise of the Lord, that where two or three shall be gathered in his name, He shall be in their midst (Matth. 18, 20). Confiding in his word we firmly hope, that He will now assist us with His divine Spirit to understand and define, in his name by an unchangeable decree, the articles to be established in his holy Church as long as it shall last, to the end of the world.”</span></div>
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All the Apostles consented to this proposal of Peter. Then he celebrated a Mass, in which he gave Communion to the most holy Mary and the Apostles whereupon they all, including the blessed Mother, prostrated themselves in prayer calling upon the Holy Ghost. After continuing their prayers for some time they heard the rumbling of thunder, as on the first coming down of the Holy Ghost upon the gathering of the faithful; at the same time the Cenacle was filled with light and splendor and all were enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Then the most blessed Mary asked each of the Apostles to define a mystery, according as the divine Spirit should inspire them. Thereupon saint Peter began, and was followed by the rest in the following order:</div>
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1. Saint Peter: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">2.</span> <span lang="en-US">Saint Andrew : And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.</span></div>
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3 and 4. Saint James the Greater: Who was conceived through operation of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.</div>
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5. Saint John: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.</div>
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6 and 7. Saint Thomas: Descended into hell, arose from the dead on the third day.</div>
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8. Saint James the Less: Ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.</div>
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9. Saint Philip: From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.</div>
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10. Saint Bartholomew: I believe in the Holy Ghost.</div>
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11. Saint Matthew: In the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of saints.</div>
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12. Saint Simon: Forgiveness of sins.</div>
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13. Saint Thaddeus: The resurrection of the flesh.</div>
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14. Saint Mathias: Life everlasting. Amen.</div>
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This symbol, which we ordinarily call the Creed, the Apostles established after the martyrdom of saint Stephen and before the end of the first year after the death of the Savior. Afterwards, in order to refute the Arian and other heresies, the Church, in the councils held on their account, explained more fully the mysteries contained in the Apostles’ Creed and composed the one now chanted in the Mass.</div>
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But in substance both are one and the same and contain the fourteen articles, which are the basis for the catechetical teaching of the Christian faith and which we are all bound to believe in order to be saved. As soon as the Apostles had finished pronouncing this Creed, the Holy Ghost approved of it by permitting a voice to be heard in their midst saying: “You have decided well.” </div>
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Then the great Queen and Lady of heaven with all the Apostles gave thanks to the Most High; and She thanked also them for having merited the assistance of the divine Spirit, so as to be his apt instruments in promoting the glory of the Lord and the good of the Church. In confirmation of her faith and as an example to the faithful, the most prudent Mistress fell at the feet of saint Peter, loudly proclaimed her belief in the Catholic doctrine as contained in the symbol they had just now composed and formulated. This She did for Herself and in the name of all the faithful, saying to saint Peter: “My lord, whom I recognize as the vicar of my most holy Son, in thy hands, I, a vile wormlet, in my name and in the name of all the faithful of the Church, confess and proclaim all that thou hast set down as the divine and infallible truth of the Catholic church; and in it I bless and exalt the Most High, from whom it proceeds.” She kissed the hands of the vicar of Christ and of the rest of the Apostles. Thus She was the first one thus openly to profess the Catholic faith after it had been formulated into articles.</div>
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Already a full year had passed since the death of Savior, and now the Apostles, by divine impulse, began to consider about going forth to preach the faith throughout the world; for it was time that the name of God be preached also to the heathens and that they be taught the way of eternal salvation. In order to consult the will of God in the assignment of the kingdoms and provinces in which each one was to preach, they, upon the advice of their Queen, resolved to fast and pray for ten successive days. </div>
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This practice of fasting and praying for ten days, which they had observed immediately after Ascension in disposing themselves for the coming of the Holy Ghost, they afterwards also retained in preparing themselves for the more important undertakings. Having completed these exercises, the vicar of Christ celebrated Mass and communicated the most blessed Mary and the eleven Apostles, as they had done in preparing the Creed and as is mentioned in the last chapter. After Mass they all persevered with their Queen for some time in most exalted prayer, ardently invoking the assistance of the holy Ghost for the manifestation of his will in this matter.</div>
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At the ending of this prayer a wonderful light descended upon the Cenacle surrounding them all and a voice was heard saying: “My vicar Peter shall point out the province, which falls to each one. I shall govern and direct him by my light and spirit.” The appointments themselves the Holy Ghost left to saint Peter in order to confirm anew his power as head and universal pastor of the Church, and in order that the Apostles might understand, that it was to be founded throughout the world under the direction of saint Peter and his successors, to whom they were to be subject as the vicars of Christ. They were filled with a new light and knowledge concerning the peoples and provinces assigned to them by saint Peter, and each one recognized the conditions, nature and customs of the kingdoms singled out for him, being furnished interiorly with the most distinct and abundant information concerning each. The Most High gave them new fortitude to encounter labors; agility for overcoming distances, although in this regard they were afterwards to be frequently assisted by the holy angels; and the fire of divine love, so that they be came inflamed like seraphim lifted far beyond the condition and sphere of mere human creatures.</div>
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The most blessed Queen was present at all these events, and the workings of the divine power in the Apostles and in Herself, were very clear to Her; for on this occasion, She experienced more of the divine influences than all of them together. As She was exalted supereminently above all creatures, so the increase of her gifts was in like proportion, transcending immeasurably those of others. The Most High renewed in the purest spirit of his Mother the infused knowledge concerning creatures, and especially concerning the kingdoms and nations assigned to the Apostles. She knew all that each one knew, and more than they all together, because She received a personal and individual knowledge of each person to whom the faith of Christ was to be preached; and She was made relatively just as familiar with all the earth and its inhabitants, as She was with Her oratory and all those that entered therein.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">As I have said above and shall often repeat farther on, the knowledge of Mary was the knowledge of a supreme Mistress, Mother, Governess and Sovereign of the Church, which the Almighty had placed in her hands. She was to take care of all, from the highest to the lowest</span> <span lang="en-US">of the saints, and also of the sinners as the children of Eve. As no one was to receive any blessing or favor from the hands of her Son except through that of his Mother, it was necessary that this most faithful Dispensatrix of grace should know all of her family, whom She was to guard as a Mother, and such a Mother! The great</span> <span lang="en-US">Lady therefore had not only infused images and knowledge of all this, but She actually experienced it according as the disciples and Apostles proceeded in their work of preaching. Before Her lay open all their labors and dangers, and the attacks of the demons against them; the petitions and prayers of these and of all the faithful, so that She might be able to support them with her</span> <span lang="en-US">own, or aid them through her angels or by Herself in person; for in all these different ways did She render her assistance, as we shall see in many events yet to be described.</span></div>
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I wish merely to state here, that besides the knowledge derived by our Queen from infused images She had also in God himself another knowledge of things through her abstractive vision, by which She continually saw the Divinity. But there was a difference between these two different kinds of knowledge: since, when she saw in God the labors of the Apostles and of all the faithful of the Church enjoying at the same time through this vision a certain participation of the eternal beatitude, the most loving Mother was not affected with the sensible sorrow and compassion, which filled Her when perceiving these tribulations themselves through images. In this latter kind of vision She felt and bewailed them with maternal compassion. In order that this merit might not be wanting in Her, the Lord conferred this second kind of knowledge upon Her for all the time of her pilgrimage here below. Joined with this plenitude of infused species and knowledge, She held also absolute command of her faculties, as I said above, so that She admitted no images or ideas except those that were absolutely necessary for sustaining life, or for some work of charity or perfection. With this adornment and beauty, which was patent to the angels and saints, the heavenly Lady was an object of admiration, inducing them to praise and glorify the Most High for the worthy exercise of all his attributes in Mary, his most holy instrument.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">A few days after the partition of the earth among the Apostles, they began to leave Jerusalem, especially those that were allotted the provinces of Palestine, and first among them was saint James the greater. Others stayed longer in Jerusalem, because the Lord wished the faith to be preached there more abundantly and the Jews to be called before all others, if they chose to come and accept the invitation to the marriage–feast of the Gospel; for in the blessing of the Redemption this people, although more ungrateful than the heathens, was especially favored. Afterwards all the Apostles gradually departed for the regions assigned to them, according as time and season demanded and as obedience to the divine Spirit, the counsel of the most holy Mary, and the order of saint Peter dictated. But before leaving Jerusalem each one visited the holy places, such as the garden, Calvary the holy Sepulchre, the place of the Ascension, Bethany and the other memorable spots as far as possible. All of them showed their veneration, moved even to tears and regarding with loving wonder the very earth which the Savior had touched. Then they visited the Cenacle, reverencing the spot where so many mysteries had taken place. There, again commending themselves to her</span> <span lang="en-US">protection, they took leave of the great Queen of heaven. The blessed Mother dismissed them with words of sweetness and divine virtue.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">But admirable was the solicitude and care of the most prudent Lady in showing Herself as the true Mother of</span> <span lang="en-US">the Apostles at their departure. For each of the twelve She made a</span> <span lang="en-US">woven tunic similar to that of Christ our Savior, of a color between brown and ash–gray; and in order to weave these garments She called to aid her holy angels. She furnished each of the Apostles garments the same kind and like to that formerly worn by their Master</span> <span lang="en-US">Jesus: for She wished that they should imitate Him</span> <span lang="en-US">even in their garments and thereby be known exteriorly as his disciples. The great Lady procured also twelve</span> <span lang="en-US">crosses of the height and size of each of the Apostles and gave one to each, so that, as a witness of their doctrine and for their consolation, they might carry it along in their wanderings and their preaching. Each of the Apostles preserved and carried this cross with him to his death; and as they were so loud in praise of the Cross, some of the tyrants made use of this very instrument to torment them happily to death.</span></div>
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Moreover the devout Mother furnished each one of them with a small metal case, in which She placed three of the thorns from the crown of her divine Son, some pieces of the cloths in which She had wrapped the infant Savior, and of the linen with which She had wiped and caught the most precious blood of the Circumcision and Passion of the Lord. All these sacred pledges She had preserved with the greatest care and veneration, as the Mother and the Treasure–keeper of heaven. In order to consign them to the Apostles She called them together and, with the majesty of a Queen and the tenderness of a Mother, She told them that these remembrances, with which She would enrich them on their departure, were the greatest treasures in her possession; for in them they would carry with them vivid remembrances of her divine Son and the certain assurance, that the Lord loved them as his children and as ministers of the Most High. Then She handed them those relics, which they received with tears of consolation and joy. They thanked the great Queen for these favors and prostrated themselves in adoration of the sacred relics. Embracing they bade farewell to each other, saint James being the first to depart and commence his mission.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962861"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, by the lessons contained in this chapter I wish to draw thee to deplore, with inmost groaning and sighing and, if possible, with tears of blood, the difference between the state of the holy Church in our times and that of those primitive times; how its purest gold of holiness has been obscured (Thren. 4.1,), and the ancient beauty in which the Apostles have founded it, is lost; how it has sought foreign and deceitful powders and paints to cover the horrid and distorted ugliness of vice. In order that thou mayest penetrate into this truth, thou must renew in thyself the consideration of the force and eagerness, with which the Divinity seeks to communicate his goodness and perfection to creatures. So great is the impetus of the river of God’s goodness overflowing on mankind, that only the free will of man, which He has given to Him in order to receive benefits, can raise a dam against it; and whenever, through this free will, man resists the influence and force of the divine Goodness, he (according to thy mode of understanding), violates and grieves this immense love in its very essence. But if creatures would place no obstacle and permit its operations, the whole soul would be inundated and satiated with participation in its divine essence and attributes. It would raise the fallen from the dust, enrich the indigent children of Adam, place them above all their miseries and seat them with the princes of his glory (I Kings 2,</span> <span lang="en-US">8).</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">From this, my daughter, thou wilt understand two things unknown to human wisdom. First, how pleasing to the highest Goodness is the service of those who, with an ardent zeal for God’s glory, devote their labor and solicitude toward removing the obstacles, which men place to their own justification and the communication</span> <span lang="en-US">of his favors. The satisfaction of the Most High, arising from this work in others, cannot be estimated in mortal life. On this account the ministry of the Apostles, the prelates, the priests and preachers of the divine word are so highly exalted; for they succeed in office those, who founded the Church and who labored in its preservation and extension; all of them are to be co–operators and executors of the immense love of God for the souls created to be sharers in his Divinity. Secondly, thou must ponder the greatness and abundance of the gifts and favors, which the infinite power communicates to those souls, who do not hinder his most liberal bounty. The Lord manifested this truth immediately in the beginnings of the evangelical Church, when, to all those who were to enter into it, He showed his bounty by such great prodigies and wonders, frequently sending the Holy Ghost in a visible manner, working miracles in</span> <span lang="en-US">those who accepted the Creed, and showering forth other hidden favors on the faithful.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span><br />
</span><span class="text"></span><br />
<b><span class="text3">CHAPTER ONE<br />
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="198"></a><b>198</b> Our profession of faith begins with <i>God</i>, for God is the First and the Last,<sup>1</sup> the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the <i>Father</i>, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE I<br />
"I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b><span class="text3">Paragraph 1. I Believe in God</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="199"></a><b>199</b> "I believe in God": this first affirmation of the Apostles' Creed is also the most fundamental. The whole Creed speaks of God, and when it also speaks of man and of the world it does so in relation to God. The other articles of the Creed all depend on the first, just as the remaining Commandments make the first explicit. The other articles help us to know God better as he revealed himself progressively to men. "The faithful first profess their belief in God."<sup>2</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>I. "I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD"</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="200"></a><b>200</b> These are the words with which the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed begins. The confession of God's oneness, which has its roots in the divine revelation of the Old Covenant, is inseparable from the profession of God's existence and is equally fundamental. God is unique; there is only one God: "The Christian faith confesses that God is one in nature, substance and essence."<sup>3</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="201"></a><b>201</b> To Israel, his chosen, God revealed himself as the only One: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."<sup>4</sup> Through the prophets, God calls Israel and all nations to turn to him, the one and only God: "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.. . To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 'Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength.'"<sup>5</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="202"></a><b>202</b> Jesus himself affirms that God is "the one Lord" whom you must love "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength".<sup>6</sup> At the same time Jesus gives us to understand that he himself is "the Lord".<sup>7</sup> To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith. This is not contrary to belief in the One God. Nor does believing in the Holy Spirit as "Lord and giver of life" introduce any division into the One God: <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">We firmly believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God, eternal infinite (immensus) and unchangeable, incomprehensible, almighty and ineffable, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; three persons indeed, but one essence, substance or nature entirely simple.<sup>8</sup></span>
</dd><dd></dd></dl>
<b>II. GOD REVEALS HIS NAME</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="203"></a><b>203</b> God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name known to them. A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of this person's life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="204"></a><b>204</b> God revealed himself progressively and under different names to his people, but the revelation that proved to be the fundamental one for both the Old and the New Covenants was the revelation of the divine name to Moses in the theophany of the burning bush, on the threshold of the Exodus and of the covenant on Sinai.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="205"></a><b>The living God</b> <br />
<b>205</b> God calls Moses from the midst of a bush that burns without being consumed: "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."<sup>9</sup> God is the God of the fathers, the One who had called and guided the patriarchs in their wanderings. He is the faithful and compassionate God who remembers them and his promises; he comes to free their descendants from slavery. He is the God who, from beyond space and time, can do this and wills to do it, the God who will put his almighty power to work for this plan.<br />
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<b>"I Am who I Am"</b> <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you', and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'. . . this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations."<sup>10</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="206"></a><b>206</b> In revealing his mysterious name, YHWH ("I AM HE WHO IS", "I AM WHO AM" or "I AM WHO I AM"), God says who he is and by what name he is to be called. This divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name, and hence it better expresses God as what he is - infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is the "hidden God", his name is ineffable, and he is the God who makes himself close to men.<sup>11</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="207"></a><b>207</b> By revealing his name God at the same time reveals his faithfulness which is from everlasting to everlasting, valid for the past ("I am the God of your father"), as for the future ("I will be with you").<sup>12</sup> God, who reveals his name as "I AM", reveals himself as the God who is always there, present to his people in order to save them.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="208"></a><b>208</b> Faced with God's fascinating and mysterious presence, man discovers his own insignificance. Before the burning bush, Moses takes off his sandals and veils his face in the presence of God's holiness.<sup>13</sup> Before the glory of the thrice-holy God, Isaiah cries out: "Woe is me! I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips."<sup>14</sup> Before the divine signs wrought by Jesus, Peter exclaims: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."<sup>15</sup> But because God is holy, he can forgive the man who realizes that he is a sinner before him: "I will not execute my fierce anger. . . for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst."<sup>16</sup> The apostle John says likewise: "We shall. . . reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."<sup>17</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="209"></a><b>209</b> <span class="text1">Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not pronounce his name. In the reading of Sacred Scripture, the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced by the divine title "LORD" (in Hebrew <i>Adonai</i>, in Greek <i>Kyrios</i>). It is under this title that the divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: "Jesus is LORD."</span><br />
<span class="text1"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="210"></a><b>"A God merciful and gracious"</b> <br />
<b>210</b> After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love.<sup>18</sup> When Moses asks to see his glory, God responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'the LORD' [YHWH]."<sup>19</sup> Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.<sup>20</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="211"></a><b>211</b> The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands".<sup>21</sup> By going so far as to give up his own Son for us, God reveals that he is "rich in mercy".<sup>22</sup> By giving his life to free us from sin, Jesus reveals that he himself bears the divine name: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that "I AM"."<sup>23</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="212"></a><b>God alone IS</b> <br />
<b>212</b> Over the centuries, Israel's faith was able to manifest and deepen realization of the riches contained in the revelation of the divine name. God is unique; there are no other gods besides him.<sup>24</sup> He transcends the world and history. He made heaven and earth: "They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. . . .but you are the same, and your years have no end."<sup>25</sup> In God "there is no variation or shadow due to change."<sup>26</sup> God is "HE WHO IS", from everlasting to everlasting, and as such remains ever faithful to himself and to his promises.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="213"></a><b>213</b> The revelation of the ineffable name "I AM WHO AM" contains then the truth that God alone IS. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the Church's Tradition, understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end. All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>III. GOD, "HE WHO IS", IS TRUTH AND LOVE</b><b> </b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="214"></a><b>214</b> God, "HE WHO IS", revealed himself to Israel as the one "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness".<sup>27</sup> These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays, not only his kindness, goodness, grace and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness and truth. "I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness."<sup>28</sup> He is the Truth, for "God is light and in him there is no darkness"; "God is love", as the apostle John teaches.<sup>29</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="215"></a><b>God is Truth</b> <br />
<b>215</b> "The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever."<sup>30</sup> "And now, O LORD God, you are God, and your words are true";<sup>31</sup> this is why God's promises always come true.<sup>32</sup> God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things. The beginning of sin and of man's fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God's word, kindness and faithfulness.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="216"></a><b>216</b> God's truth is his wisdom, which<br />
commands the whole created order and governs the world.<sup>33</sup> God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in relation to himself.<sup>34</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="217"></a><b>217</b> God is also truthful when he reveals himself - the teaching that comes from God is "true instruction".<sup>35</sup> When he sends his Son into the world it will be "to bear witness to the truth":<sup>36</sup> "We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true."<sup>37</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="218"></a><b>God is Love</b> <br />
<b>218</b> In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.<sup>38</sup> And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.<sup>39</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="219"></a><b>219</b> God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."<sup>40</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="220"></a><b>220</b> God's love is "everlasting":<sup>41</sup> "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you."<sup>42</sup> Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."<sup>43</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="221"></a><b>221</b> But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love":<sup>44</sup> God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret:<sup>45</sup> God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.<br />
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<br />
<b>IV. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN ONE GOD</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="222"></a><b>222</b> Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="223"></a><b>223</b> <i>It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty</i>: "Behold, God is great, and we know him not."<sup>46</sup> Therefore, we must "serve God first".<sup>47</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="224"></a><b>224</b> <i>It means living in thanksgiving</i>: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him: "What have you that you did not receive?"<sup>48</sup> "What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?"<sup>49</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="225"></a><b>225</b> <i>It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men</i>: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God.<sup>50</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="226"></a><b>226</b> <i>It means making good use of created things</i>: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him: <br />
<br />
<dl><dd>My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.<sup>51</sup></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="227"></a><b>227</b> <i>It means trusting God in every circumstance</i>, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust: <br />
<dl><dd>Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough.<sup>52</sup>
</dd><dd></dd></dl>
<b>IN BRIEF</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="228"></a><b>228</b> "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD. . ." (<i>Dt</i> 6:4; <i>Mk</i> 12:29). "The supreme being must be unique, without equal. . . If God is not one, he is not God" (Tertullian, <i>Adv. Marc</i>., 1, 3, 5: PL 2, 274). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="229"></a><b>229</b> Faith in God leads us to turn to him alone as our first origin and our ultimate goal, and neither to prefer anything to him nor to substitute anything for him. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="230"></a><b>230</b> Even when he reveals himself, God remains a mystery beyond words: "If you understood him, it would not be God" (St. Augustine, Sermo 52, 6, 16: PL 38, 360 and <i>Sermo </i>117, 3, 5: PL 38, 663). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="231"></a><b>231</b> The God of our faith has revealed himself as HE WHO IS; and he has made himself known as "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (<i>Ex</i> 34:6). God's very being is Truth and Love.<br />
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<span class="text1"> 1 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 44:6.<br />
2 <i>Roman Catechism</i> I,2,2.<br />
3 <i>Roman Catechism</i> I,2,2.<br />
4 <i>Deut</i> 6:45.<br />
5 <i>Isa</i> 45:22-24; cf. <i>Phil</i> 2:10-11.<br />
6 <i>Mk</i> 12:29-30<br />
7 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 12:35-37.<br />
8 Lateran Council IV: DS 800.<br />
9 <i>Ex</i> 3:6.<br />
10 <i>Ex</i> 3:13-15.<br />
11 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 45:15; <i>Judg</i> 13:18.<br />
12 <i>Ex</i> 3:6,12.<br />
13 Cf. <i>Ex</i> 3:5-6.<br />
14 <i>Isa</i> 6:5.<br />
15 <i>Lk</i> 5:8.<br />
16 <i>Hos</i> 11:9.<br />
17 <i>1 Jn</i> 3:19-20.<br />
18 Cf. <i>Ex</i> 32; 33:12-17.<br />
19 <i>Ex</i> 33:18-19.<br />
20 <i>Ex</i> 34:5-6; cf. 34:9.<br />
21 <i>Ex</i> 34:7.<br />
22 <i>Eph</i> 2:4.<br />
23 <i>Jn</i> 8:28 (Gk.).<br />
24 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 44:6.<br />
25 <i>Ps</i> 102:26-27.<br />
26 <i>Jas</i> 1:17.<br />
27 <i>Ex</i> 34:6.<br />
28 <i>Ps</i> 138:2; cf. <i>Ps</i> 85:11.<br />
29 <i>1 Jn</i> 1:5; 4:8.<br />
30 <i>Ps</i> 119:160.<br />
31 <i>2 Sam</i> 7:28.<br />
32 Cf. <i>Deut</i> 7:9.<br />
33 Cf. <i>Wis</i> 13:1-9.<br />
34 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 115:15; <i>Wis</i> 7:17-21. <br />
35 <i>Mal</i> 2:6.<br />
36 <i>Jn</i> 18:37.<br />
37 <i>1 Jn</i> 5:20; cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:3.<br />
38 Cf. <i>Deut</i> 4:37; 7:8; 10:15.<br />
39 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 43:1-7; <i>Hos</i> 2.<br />
40 <i>Jn</i> 3:16; cf. <i>Hos</i> 11:1; <i>Isa</i> 49:14-15; 62:4-5; <i>Ezek</i> 16; <i>Hos</i> 11.<br />
41 <i>Isa</i> 54:8.<br />
42 <i>Isa</i> 54:10; cf. 54:8.<br />
43 <i>Jer</i> 31:3.<br />
44 <i>l Jn</i> 4:8,16.<br />
45 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 2:7-16; <i>Eph</i> 3:9-12.<br />
46 <i>Job</i> 36:26.<br />
47 St. Joan of Arc.<br />
48 <i>1 Cor</i> 4:7.<br />
49 <i>Ps</i> 116:12.<br />
50 <i>Gen</i> 1:26.<br />
51 St. Nicholas of Flüe; cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:29-30; 16:24-26.<br />
52 St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesías 30, in <i>The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila</i>, vol. III, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1985), 386 no. 9, tr. by John Wall.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-58057217132915335792018-07-08T23:04:00.000-05:002018-07-08T23:04:15.563-05:00Sunday July 8, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Faith; Reading 1, Ezekiel 2:2-5;Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 123:1-2, 2, 3-4; Reading 2, Second Corinthians 12:7-10; Gospel and Lectio Divina - Mark 6:1-6: Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Benedict ; Snippet I - Rules of Saint Benedict ; Snippet II- Origin of Monasateries; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 4 - Solicitude of the Blessed Mother Mary for the Apostles and the Faithful; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday July 8, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Faith; </i><i>Reading 1, Ezekiel 2:2-5;Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 123:1-2, 2, 3-4; </i><i>Reading 2, Second Corinthians 12:7-10; Gospel and Lectio Divina - Mark 6:1-6: Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Benedict ;<b> </b>Snippet I - Rules of Saint Benedict </i><i>; Snippet II- Origin of Monasateries; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 4 - Solicitude of the Blessed Mother Mary for the Apostles and the Faithful; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of christian Faith - The Creeds; </i><i>RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>July 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
I am the mother of all of you and, therefore, do not be afraid because I hear your prayers. I know that you seek me and that is why I am praying to my Son for you, my Son who is united with the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit—the Paraclete—my Son who leads souls to the Kingdom from where He came, the Kingdom of peace and light.<br />
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My children, you are given the freedom to choose, but, as a mother, I implore you to choose the freedom for the good. You, with pure and simple souls comprehend—even if sometimes you do not understand the words—and within yourselves you feel what the truth is.<br />
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My children, do not lose the truth and true life so as to follow the false one.<br />
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By life in truth, the Kingdom of Heaven enters into your hearts, and that is the Kingdom of peace, love and harmony. Then, my children, there will not be the selfishness which distances you from my Son. There will be love and understanding for your neighbors.<br />
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Because, remember, again I repeat to you, to pray also means to love others, your neighbors, and to give yourself to them.<br />
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Love and give in my Son, and then He will work in you and for you.<br />
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My children, ceaselessly think of my Son and love Him immeasurably and you will have true life, and that will be for eternity.<br />
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Thank you, apostles of my love.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope at Angelus: ‘God overturns human prejudices’</h2>
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<i>In his remarks ahead of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis says God overturns every human preconception and prejudice, which prevent us from grasping reality.</i></div>
<b>By Devin Watkins</b><br />
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Pope Francis, in his Sunday Angelus address, reflected on the day’s Gospel (Mk 6:1-6), which recounts how Jesus’ return to his hometown lead to incredulity on the part of those who saw him grow up. The Pope said people from all areas surrounding Nazareth showed up to see “this son of the people” who had become known as a wise teacher and powerful healer.<br />
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“But what could have been a success turned into a resounding rejection, to the point that Jesus could not work any miracles there, but only a few healings.” Pope Francis said they refused to see beyond his humble beginnings as a carpenter, the son of Mary, and “instead of opening themselves to reality, they are scandalized.”<br />
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<b>Scandal of the incarnation</b></h2>
In their minds, the Pope said, “God is too great to lower Himself to speak through such a simple man.”<br />
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“This is the scandal of the incarnation: the disconcerting event of God made flesh, who thinks with a human mind, works and acts with human hands, loves with the heart of man; a God who toils, eats, and sleeps like one of us.”<br />
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Pope Francis said the Son of God overturns every human preconception. “This is a reason for scandal and disbelief, in every age, even today,” he said.<br />
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<b>Faith helps us grasp reality</b></h2>
He said prejudices can keep us from grasping reality.<br />
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“But today the Lord invites us to assume an attitude of humble listening and docile expectation, because God's grace often presents itself to us in surprising ways that do not correspond to our expectations. God does not conform to prejudices.”<br />
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Faith, Pope Francis said, is needed “to welcome the divine reality that comes to meet us.”<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 07/08/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - faith</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">feyth</span></span>]</span><span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1200–50;</span> <span class="luna-langn">Middle English</span> <span class="italic">feith</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Anglo-French</span> <span class="italic">fed,</span> <span class="luna-langn">Old French</span> <span class="italic">feid, feit</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Latin</span> <span class="italic">fidem,</span> accusative of <span class="italic">fidēs</span> trust, akin to <span class="italic">fīdere</span> to trust</span></h4>
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<header class="css-1y60q53 e10vl5dg1"><span class="css-1pomevn e10vl5dg2"><span class="luna-pos">noun</span></span></header><br />
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<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">confidence or trust in a person or thing: <span class="luna-example italic">faith in another's ability.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="2"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">belief that is not based on proof: <span class="luna-example italic">He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="3"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: <span class="luna-example italic">the firm faith of the Pilgrims.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="4"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: <span class="luna-example italic">to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="5"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">a system of religious belief: <span class="luna-example italic">the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="6"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: <span class="luna-example italic">Failure to appear would be breaking faith.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="7"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: <span class="luna-example italic">He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.</span></span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="8"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"> <span class="luna-labset"><span class="luna-label italic">Christian Theology</span></span>. </span><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i> Ezekiel 2:2-5</h2>
2 As he said these words the spirit came into me and put me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.<br />
3 He said, 'Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been in revolt against me up to the present day.<br />
4 Because they are stubborn and obstinate children, I am sending you to them, to say, "Lord Yahweh says this."<br />
5 Whether they listen or not, this tribe of rebels will know there is a prophet among them.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 123:1-2, 2, 3-4</h2>
1 [Song of Ascents] I lift up my eyes to you who are enthroned in heaven.<br />
2 Just as the eyes of slaves are on their masters' hand, or the eyes of a slave-girl on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on Yahweh our God, for him to take pity on us.<br />
3 Have pity on us, Yahweh, have pity, for we have had our full share of scorn,<br />
4 more than our share of jeers from the complacent. (Scorn is for the proud.)<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Second Corinthians 12:7-10</h2>
7 Wherefore, so that I should not get above myself, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to batter me and prevent me from getting above myself.<br />
8 About this, I have three times pleaded with the Lord that it might leave me;<br />
9 but he has answered me, 'My grace is enough for you: for power is at full stretch in weakness.' It is, then, about my weaknesses that I am happiest of all to boast, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me;<br />
10 and that is why I am glad of weaknesses, insults, constraints, persecutions and distress for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span>Mark 6:1-6</h2>
In Nazareth, where there was no faith,<br />
Jesus could work no miracles!<br />
Everybody’s Mission: to recreate the community<br />
Mark 6, 1-6<br />
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1. Opening prayer</h3>
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Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
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Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.<br />
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2. Reading</h3>
a) A key to the reading:<br />
In this 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Church places us before the rejection of Jesus on the part of the people of Nazareth. Passing through Nazareth was painful for Jesus. That which was his first community, now it is not longer such. Something has changed. Those who first accepted him, now reject him. As we will see later, this experience of rejection led Jesus to go ahead and to change his way of acting.<br />
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Has something changed in your relationship with your family or with your friends, since you began to participate in the community? Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to have greater trust in persons, especially in the simplest and poorest Mark 6, 1-6persons?<br />
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b) A division of the text to help in the reading:<br />
Mark 6,1: Jesus arrives to Nazareth, his community of origin<br />
Mark 6, 2-3: The reaction of the people of Nazareth before Jesus<br />
Mark 6, 4: The way in which Jesus accepts the criticism<br />
Mark 6, 5-6: The lack of faith prevents him from working the miracle<br />
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c) The Gospel Mark 6:1-6:<br />
1 Leaving that district, he went to his home town, and his disciples accompanied him. 2 With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, 'Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? 3 This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?' And they would not accept him. 4 And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is despised only in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house'; 5 and he could work no miracle there, except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. He made a tour round the villages, teaching.<br />
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3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</h3>
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4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.</h3>
a) Which is the part of this text which you have liked the most and what impressed you most? Why?<br />
b) Which is the attitude of Nazareth before Jesus? Why do they not believe in him?<br />
c) Because of the lack of faith of the people, Jesus cannot work many miracles in Nazareth. Why is faith so important? Would it be that Jesus cannot work miracles without the faith of persons?<br />
d) Which are the elements which have to characterize the mission of the disciples?<br />
e) Which is the point of the mission of the apostles which today has greatest importance for us? Why?<br />
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5. For those who wish to deepen more into the theme</h3>
a) Context of yesterday and of today:<br />
i) Throughout the pages of his Gospel, Mark indicates that the presence and actions of Jesus constitute a growing source of joy for some and a reason of rejection for others. The conflict grows, the mystery of God appears which envelopes the person of Jesus. With chapter 6 of the narrative we find ourselves before a curve. The people of Nazareth close themselves up before Jesus (Mk 6, 1-6). And Jesus, before this closing up of the people of his community, opens himself to the people of another community. He directs himself toward the people of Galilee and sends his disciples on mission, teaching them how the relationship should be with the persons, so that it will be a true community relationship, which does not exclude as it happens among the people of Nazareth (Mk 6, 7-13).<br />
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ii) When Mark writes his Gospel, the Christian communities lived in a difficult situation, without horizons. Humanly speaking there was no future for them. The description of the conflict which Jesus lives in Nazareth and in the sending out of the disciples, which extends the mission, makes it creative. For those who believe in Jesus there can be no situation without a horizon.<br />
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b) Commentary on the text<br />
Mark 6, 1-3. Reactions of the people of Nazareth before Jesus<br />
It is always good to go back to our own land. After a long absence, Jesus also goes back and, as usual, on Saturday he goes to a meeting of the community. Jesus was not the coordinator, but just the same he speaks. This is a sign that the persons could participate and express their opinion. But the people did not like the words pronounced by Jesus, they were scandalized. Jesus, who was known to them since he was a child, how is it that now he is so different? The people of Capernaum had accepted the teaching of Jesus (Mark 1, 22), but the people of Nazareth remained scandalized and had not accepted it. Which was the reason for this rejection? “Is this not the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary?” They did not accept God’s mystery present in such a common person, one like themselves! In order to be able to speak of God, he would have to be different from them!<br />
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The expression “brothers of Jesus” causes much polemics between Catholics and Protestants. Basing themselves on this and in other texts, the Protestants say that Jesus had more brothers and sisters and that Mary had more children! We Catholics say that Mary did not have other children. What can we think about this? In the first place, the two positions, that of Catholics and that of the Protestants, take arguments from the Bible and from the ancient Tradition from their respective Churches. For this reason, it is not convenient to discuss these questions using rational arguments, which are the fruit of our own ideas. It is a question of deep convictions which have something to do with faith and the sentiment of the people.<br />
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The argument supported by ideas alone does not succeed to bring about a conviction of faith the roots of which are found in the heart! It only irritates and disturbs! But even if I do not agree with the opinion of the other one, I must always respect it. In the second place, instead of discussing around the texts, all of us, Catholics and Protestants, should unite much more to fight in the defence of life, created by God, a life which is so transfigured by poverty, injustice, the lack of faith. We should remember other words of Jesus: “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (Jn 10, 10). “So that all may be one, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me” (Jn 17, 21). “You must not stop him. Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mk 9, 39, 40).<br />
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Mark 6, 4-6b. Reactions of Jesus before the attitude of the people of Nazareth<br />
Jesus knows very well that “the saint of the house does not work miracles”. And he says: “A prophet is despised only in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house!” In fact, there where faith is not accepted, people can do nothing. The prejudice prevents it. Jesus, even if he wanted, can do nothing and remains surprised before their lack of faith.<br />
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c) Information on the Gospel of Mark:<br />
This year the Liturgy presents us in a particular way the Gospel of Mark. Because of this it is worth while to give some information which will help us to discover better the message which Mark wants to communicate to us.<br />
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· The design of the face of God on the wall of the Gospel of Mark<br />
Jesus dies approximately in the year 33. When Mark writes his Gospel about the year 70, the Christian communities lived already dispersed in the Roman Empire. Some say that Mark writes for the community of Italy. Others say that he does it for those of Syria. It is difficult to know it with certainty. Nevertheless, one thing is certain. The problems were not lacking: the Roman Empire persecuted the Christians, the propaganda of the Empire infiltrated itself in the communities, the Jews from Palestine rebelled against the Roman invasion, there were internal tensions due to a diverse tendency, doctrine and heads…<br />
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Mark writes his Gospel to help the communities to find a response to the problems and concerns they have. He collects various episodes and parables of Jesus and joins them together as bricks on a wall. The bricks were already ancient and known. They came from the community, where they were transmitted orally in the meetings and celebrations. The design formed by the bricks was new. It came from Mark, from his experience of Jesus. He wanted that the community, reading what Jesus did and said, would find a response to these questions: “Who is Jesus for us and who are we for Jesus? How can we be his disciples? How can we proclaim the Good News of God, that he has revealed? How can we travel on the path that he traced?<br />
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· Three keys to understand the division of the Gospel of Mark<br />
1st Key: The Gospel of Mark was written to be read and listened to in community. When a book is read alone, one can always turn back, to join one thing to another, but when one is in community and a person is reading the Gospel before us, it is not possible to say: “Stop! Read again once more! I did not understand well!” As we shall see, a book written to be listened to in the community celebrations has a different way of dividing the theme from a book written to be read by one alone.<br />
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2nd Key: The Gospel of Mark is a narrative. A narrative is like a river. Going through the river in a boat, one is not aware of the divisions in the water. The river has no divisions! It is constituted by one flow alone, from the beginning to the end. In the river, the divisions, are made beginning from the bank of the river. For example it is said: “ What a beautiful part which goes from that house up to the curve where there is a palm, three curves after that”. But in the water no divisions can be seen. The narrative of Mark runs like a river. Its divisions, those who listen, find them on the margin, that is to say, in the places through which Jesus passed by, in the geography, in the persons whom he meets, along the roads through which he goes by. These indications on the margin help those who listen not to get lost in the midst of so many words and actions of Jesus and on Jesus. The geographic framework helps the reader to walk with Jesus, step after step, from Galilee to Jerusalem, from the lake to Calvary.<br />
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3rd Key: the Gospel of Mark was written to be read in one only time. This is what the Jews did with the brief books of the Old Testament. For example, in the night of Easter, they read all the book of the Song of Songs. Some scholars affirm that the Gospel of Mark was written to be read, completely, in the course of the night in the long Paschal vigil. Or, in order not to get the people who listened tired, the reading had to be divided and to have some pauses. Besides, when a narrative is long, as that of the Gospel of Mark, its reading has to be interrupted quite often. In certain moments there is need for a pause, otherwise the listeners would be lost. These pauses were foreseen by the author of the narrative himself . And these pauses were marked by short summaries, between two long readings. Practically, the same thing that happens in television. Every day, at the beginning of the news are repeated some scenes of the preceding transmission. When they end, some scenes of the next day are presented. These summaries are like the hinges which collect what has been read and open to what will follow. They allow one to stop and to begin anew, without interrupting or disturbing the sequence of the narrative. They help those who listen to place themselves in the river of the narrative which flows. In the Gospel of Mark there are diverse summaries of this type or pauses, which allow us to discover and follow the thread of the Good News of God which Jesus has revealed to us and that Mark tells us. In the whole there is a question of seven blocks or longer readings, intermingled with short summaries or hinges, where it is possible to make a pause.<br />
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· A division of the Gospel of Mark<br />
Below we give a possible division of the Gospel of Mark. Others divide it in a different way. The importance of a division is that it opens one of the many windows inside the text, and that it helps us to discover the direction of the road which Jesus opened for us toward the Father and the brothers and sisters.<br />
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Mark 1, 1-13 Beginning of the Good News<br />
Prepare the announcement<br />
1st Reading<br />
Mark 1, 14-15 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 1, 16-3, 16 The Good News grows<br />
The conflict becomes present<br />
2nd Reading<br />
Mark 3, 7-12 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 3, 13-6,6 The conflict grows<br />
The Mystery appears<br />
3rd Reading<br />
Mark 6, 7-13 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 6, 14-8,21 The Mystery grows<br />
It is not understood<br />
4th Reading<br />
Mark 8, 22-26 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 8, 27-10,45 They continue not to understand<br />
The dark light of the Cross appears<br />
5th Reading<br />
Mark 10, 46-52 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 11, 1-13,32 The dark light of the Cross grows<br />
Rupture and death appear<br />
6th Reading<br />
Mark 13, 33-37 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 14, 1-15,39 Rupture and death grow<br />
Victory over death appears<br />
7th Reading<br />
Mark 15, 40,41 pause, summary, hinge<br />
Mark 15, 42-16,20 The victory over death increases<br />
The Good News reappear<br />
8th Reading<br />
Mark 16, 9-20<br />
In this division the titles are important. They indicate the path of the Spirit, of inspiration, which the Gospel follows from the beginning until the end. When an artist has an inspiration, he tries to express it in a work of art. A poem or an image which is produced encloses in itself this inspiration. Inspiration is like an electric force which runs invisibly through the wires and lights the lamp in our houses. In the same way also the inspiration runs invisibly through the letters of the poem or the form of the image to reveal or light in us a light similar or almost similar to that which shone in the soul of the artist. This is the reason why artistic works attract and shake persons so much. The same thing happens when we read and meditate on the Gospel of Mark. The same Spirit or Inspiration which impelled Mark to write the text, continues to be present in the words of his Gospel. Through an attentive and prayerful reading, this Spirit acts and begins to act in us. And thus, little by little, we discover the face of God who has revealed Himself in Jesus and which Mark communicates to us in his book.<br />
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6. Prayer of Psalm 145</h3>
Always give thanks for everything!<br />
I shall praise you to the heights,<br />
God my King,<br />
I shall bless your name for ever and ever.<br />
Day after day I shall bless you,<br />
I shall praise your name for ever and ever.<br />
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,<br />
his greatness beyond all reckoning.<br />
Each age will praise your deeds to the next,<br />
proclaiming your mighty works.<br />
Your renown is the splendour of your glory,<br />
I will ponder the story of your wonders.<br />
They will speak of your awesome power,<br />
and I shall recount your greatness.<br />
They will bring out the memory of your great generosity,<br />
and joyfully acclaim your saving justice.<br />
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,<br />
slow to anger, full of faithful love.<br />
Yahweh is generous to all,<br />
his tenderness embraces all his creatures.<br />
All your creatures shall thank you,<br />
Yahweh, and your faithful shall bless you.<br />
They shall speak of the glory of your kingship<br />
and tell of your might,<br />
making known your mighty deeds to the children of Adam,<br />
the glory and majesty of your kingship.<br />
Your kingship is a kingship for ever,<br />
your reign lasts from age to age.<br />
Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words,<br />
and upright in all his deeds.<br />
Yahweh supports all who stumble,<br />
lifts up those who are bowed down.<br />
All look to you in hope<br />
and you feed them with the food of the season.<br />
And, with generous hand,<br />
you satisfy the desires of every living creature.<br />
Upright in all that he does,<br />
Yahweh acts only in faithful love.<br />
He is close to all who call upon him,<br />
all who call on him from the heart.<br />
He fulfils the desires of all who fear him,<br />
he hears their cry and he saves them.<br />
Yahweh guards all who love him,<br />
but all the wicked he destroys.<br />
My mouth shall always praise Yahweh,<br />
let every creature bless his holy name for ever and ever.<br />
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<h3>
7. Final Prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><b></b><span style="color: #660000;"> Saint <b>Benedict of Nursia</b></span><b> </b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day: July 11</b></h3>
<b> Died: 542 AD Carthage (Tunisia)</b> <b> </b></ol>
<ol class="references"><b>Patron Saints: </b>Europe, students and speliologists (cave explorers). </ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4Mc1EURDDE/T_w6pFIOUsI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Ah2feeT1D08/s1600/July+11St+Benedict+of+Nursia.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4Mc1EURDDE/T_w6pFIOUsI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Ah2feeT1D08/s320/July+11St+Benedict+of+Nursia.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Benedict of Nursia<br />
Francesca 1440's </td></tr>
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<b>Saint Benedict of Nursia</b> (Italian: <span lang="it"><i>San Benedetto da Norcia</i></span>) (c.480–543) is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students. Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about 40 miles (64 km) to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no evidence that he intended to found a religious order. The Order of St Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous congregations. Benedict's main achievement is his "Rule", containing precepts for his monks. It is heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, and shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master. But it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness (ἐπιείκεια, <i>epieikeia</i>), and this persuaded most religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, the Rule of Benedict became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the founder of western Christian monasticism. </ol>
<ol class="references"><span class="mw-headline" id="Biography"> </span>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Biography">Biography</span></h2>
Apart from a short poem attributed to Mark of Monte Cassino, the only ancient account of Benedict is found in the second volume of Pope Gregory I's four-book <i>Dialogues</i>, thought to have been written in 593. The authenticity of this work has been hotly disputed, especially by Dr Francis Clarke in his two volume work <i>The Pseudo-Gregorian Dialogues</i>. Book Two consists of a prologue and thirty-eight succinct chapters. Gregory’s account of this saint’s life is not, however, a biography in the modern sense of the word. It provides instead a spiritual portrait of the gentle, disciplined abbot. In a letter to Bishop Maximilian of Syracuse, Gregory states his intention for his <i>Dialogues</i>, saying they are a kind of <i>floretum</i> (an <i>anthology</i>, literally, ‘flowers’) of the most striking miracles of Italian holy men. Gregory did not set out to write a chronological, historically anchored story of St. Benedict, but he did base his anecdotes on direct testimony. To establish his authority, Gregory explains that his information came from what he considered the best sources: a handful of Benedict’s disciples who lived with the saint and witnessed his various miracles. These followers, he says, are Constantinus, who succeeded Benedict as Abbot of Monte Cassino; Valentinianus; Simplicius; and Honoratus, who was abbot of Subiaco when St Gregory wrote his <i>Dialogues</i>. In Gregory’s day, history was not recognized as an independent field of study; it was a branch of grammar or rhetoric, and <i>historia</i> (defined as ‘story’) summed up the approach of the learned when they wrote what was, at that time, considered ‘history.’<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fn_6_3-0"> </sup>Gregory’s <i>Dialogues</i> Book Two, then, an authentic medieval hagiography cast as a conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter, is designed to teach spiritual lessons. </ol>
<ol class="references"><h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span></h2>
Benedict was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia, the modern Norcia, in Umbria. A tradition which Bede accepts makes him a twin with his sister Scholastica. St Gregory's narrative makes it impossible to suppose him younger than 19 or 20. He was old enough to be in the midst of his literary studies, to understand the real meaning and worth of the dissolute and licentious lives of his companions, and to have been deeply affected himself by the love of a woman (Ibid. II, 2). He was at the beginning of life, and he had at his disposal the means to a career as a Roman noble; clearly he was not a child. If we accept the date 480 for his birth, we may fix the date of his abandonment of his studies and leaving home at about 500. Benedict does not seem to have left Rome for the purpose of becoming a hermit, but only to find some place away from the life of the great city. He took his old nurse with him as a servant and they settled down to live in Enfide, near a church to St Peter, in some kind of association with "a company of virtuous men" who were in sympathy with his feelings and his views of life. Enfide, which the tradition of Subiaco identifies with the modern Affile, is in the Simbruini mountains, about forty miles from Rome and two from Subiaco. </ol>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Benedetto%2C_Mauro_e_Placido.jpg/200px-Benedetto%2C_Mauro_e_Placido.jpg" height="113" width="200" />
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St Benedict orders Saint Maurus to the rescue of Saint Placidus, by Fra Filippo Lippi, 1445 A.D. .</div>
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A short distance from Enfide is the entrance to a narrow, gloomy valley, penetrating the mountains and leading directly to Subiaco. Crossing the Aniene and turning to the right, the path rises along the left face off the ravine and soon reaches the site of Nero's villa and of the huge mole which formed the lower end of the middle lake; across the valley were ruins of the Roman baths, of which a few great arches and detached masses of wall still stand. The path continues to ascend, and the side of the ravine, on which it runs, becomes steeper, until a cave is reached above which the mountain now rises almost perpendicularly; while on the right, it strikes in a rapid descent down to where, in St Benedict's day, 500 feet (150 m) below, lay the blue waters of the lake. The cave has a large triangular-shaped opening and is about ten feet deep. On his way from Enfide, Benedict met a monk, Romanus of Subiaco, whose monastery was on the mountain above the cliff overhanging the cave. Romanus had discussed with Benedict the purpose which had brought him to Subiaco, and had given him the monk's habit. By his advice Benedict became a hermit and for three years, unknown to men, lived in this cave above the lake. <h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Later_life">Later life</span></h2>
St Gregory tells us little of these years. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as a youth (<i>puer</i>), but as a man (<i>vir</i>) of God. Romanus, he twice tells us, served the saint in every way he could. The monk apparently visited him frequently, and on fixed days brought him food. During these three years of solitude, broken only by occasional communications with the outer world and by the visits of Romanus, Benedict matured both in mind and character, in knowledge of himself and of his fellow-man, and at the same time he became not merely known to, but secured the respect of, those about him; so much so that on the death of the abbot of a monastery in the neighbourhood (identified by some with Vicovaro), the community came to him and begged him to become its abbot. Benedict was acquainted with the life and discipline of the monastery, and knew that "their manners were diverse from his and therefore that they would never agree together: yet, at length, overcome with their entreaty, he gave his consent" (ibid., 3). The experiment failed; the monks tried to poison him. The legend goes that they first tried to poison his drink. He prayed a blessing over the cup and the cup shattered. Then they tried to poison him with poisoned bread. When he prayed a blessing over the bread, a raven swept in and took the loaf away. Benedict returned to his cave at Subiaco. From this time his miracles seem to have become frequent, and many people, attracted by his sanctity and character, came to Subiaco to be under his guidance. He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually, founded the great Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, which lies on a hilltop between Rome and Naples. </ol>
<ol class="references"> </ol>
<ol class="references"><h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
He died at Monte Cassino, Italy, while standing in prayer to God. According to tradition, this occurred on March 21, 547. He was named patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"> </sup>In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared him co-patron of Europe, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the pre-1970 Roman Calendar, his feast is kept on the day of his death, March 21. Because on that date his liturgical memorial would always be impeded by the observance of Lent, the reform of the General Roman Calendar set an obligatory memorial for him on July 11, the date on which some monasteries commemorated the translation of his relics to the monastery of St. Benoit-sur-Loire in northern France. His memorial on March 21 was removed from the General Roman Calendar but is retained in the Roman Martyrology. The Orthodox Church commemorates St. Benedict on March 14. The Anglican Communion has no single universal calendar, but a provincial calendar of saints is published in each province. In almost all of these, St Benedict is commemorated on July 11 annually. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="mw-headline" id="The_Saint_Benedict_Medal"><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Saint_Benedict_Medal">The Saint Benedict Medal</span> </h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NegVOx7kioY/T_x-Rafa09I/AAAAAAAAAss/yFJZAVrR_TM/s1600/St+Benedict+Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NegVOx7kioY/T_x-Rafa09I/AAAAAAAAAss/yFJZAVrR_TM/s200/St+Benedict+Medal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="thumbcaption">
Jubilee Saint Benedict Medal<br />
1400th anniversary of his birth in 1880</div>
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This medal originally came from a cross in honor of St Benedict. On one side, the medal has an image of St Benedict, holding the Holy Rule in his left hand and a cross in his right. There is a raven on one side of him, with a cup on the other side of him. Around the medal's outer margin are the words <i>"Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur"</i> ("May we, at our death, be fortified by His presence"). The other side of the medal has a cross with the initials <b>CSSML</b> on the vertical bar which signify <i>"Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux"</i> ("May the Holy Cross be my light") and on the horizontal bar are the initials <b>NDSMD</b> which stand for <i>"Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux"</i> ("Let not the dragon be my overlord"). The initials <b>CSPB</b> stand for <i>"Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti"</i> ("The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict") and are located on the interior angles of the cross. Either the inscription <i>"PAX"</i> (Peace) or the Christogram <i>"IHS"</i> may be found at the top of the cross in most cases. Around the medal's margin on this side are the <i>Vade Retro Satana</i> initials <b>VRSNSMV</b> which stand for <i>"Vade Retro Satana, Nonquam Suade Mihi Vana"</i> ("Begone Satan, do not suggest to me thy vanities") then a space followed by the initials <b>SMQLIVB</b> which signify <i>"Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas"</i> ("Evil are the things thou profferest, drink thou thy own poison"). This medal was first struck in 1880 to commemorate the fourteenth centenary of St Benedict's birth and is also called the Jubilee Medal; its exact origin, however, is unknown. In 1647, during a witchcraft trial at Natternberg near Metten Abbey in Bavaria, the accused women testified they had no power over Metten, which was under the protection of the cross. An investigation found a number of painted crosses on the walls of the abbey with the letters now found on St Benedict medals, but their meaning had been forgotten. A manuscript written in 1415 was eventually found that had a picture of Saint Benedict holding a scroll in one hand and a staff which ended in a cross in the other. On the scroll and staff were written the full words of the initials contained on the crosses. Medals then began to be struck in Germany, which then spread throughout Europe. This medal was first approved by Pope Benedict XIV in his briefs of December 23, 1741, and March 12, 1742. Saint Benedict has been also the motive of many collector's coins around the world. The Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders', issued on March 13, 2002 is one of them. </ol>
<ol class="references"> </ol>
<ol class="references"><h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_influence_of_St._Benedict">The influence of St. Benedict</span></h2>
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders' commemorative coin</div>
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The early Middle Ages have been called "the Benedictine centuries."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[12]</sup> In April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI discussed the influence St Benedict had on Western Europe. The pope said that “with his life and work St Benedict exercised a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture” and helped Europe to emerge from the "dark night of history" that followed the fall of the Roman empire.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[13]</sup> To this day, The Rule of St. Benedict is the most common and influential Rule used by monasteries and monks, more than 1,400 years after its writing. The influence of St Benedict produced "a true spiritual ferment" in Europe, and over the coming decades his followers spread across the continent to establish a new cultural unity based on Christian faith. </ol>
<ol class="references"><div>
<div>
<h2>
<b>Reference: </b><i> </i></h2>
<ul>
<li><i>Courtesy of Wikipedia, wikipedia .org and Catholic online, www.catholic.org.</i></li>
</ul>
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</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Benedict of Nursia". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="citation book">Gardner, Edmund G. (editor) (1911. Reprinted 2010). The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great. Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 978-1-889758-94-7<span class="printonly">. http://www.evolpub.com/CRE/CREseries.html#CRE9</span>.</span></li>
<li>"The Life of St Benedict," by St. Gregory the Great, Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, ISBN 0-89555-512-3</li>
</ul>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rule_of_St._Benedict"> </span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rules of St Benedict 1926 Nieg</td></tr>
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The <b>Rule of Saint Benedict</b> (<i>Regula Benedicti</i>) is a book of precepts written by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. Since about the 7th century it has also been adopted by communities of women. During the 1500 years of its existence, it has become the leading guide in Western Christianity for monastic living in community.<br />
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Seventy-three short chapters comprise the <i>Rule</i>. Its wisdom is of two kinds: spiritual (how to live a Christocentric life on earth) and administrative (how to run a monastery efficiently). More than half the chapters describe how to be obedient and humble, and what to do when a member of the community is not. About one-fourth regulate the work of God (the Opus Dei). One-tenth outline how, and by whom, the monastery should be managed. And two chapters specifically describe the abbot’s pastoral duties.<br />
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The spirit of St. Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: <i>pax</i> ("peace") and the traditional <i>ora et labora</i> ("pray and work").<br />
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Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. Benedict's concerns were the needs of monks in a community environment: namely, to establish due order, to foster an understanding of the relational nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual father to support and strengthen the individual's ascetic effort and the spiritual growth that is required for the fulfillment of the human vocation, theosis.<br />
<br />
The Rule of Saint Benedict has been used by Benedictines for fifteen centuries, and thus St. Benedict is sometimes regarded as the founder of Western monasticism. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that Benedict intended to found a <i>religious order</i>. Not until the later Middle Ages is there mention of an "Order of Saint Benedict". His Rule is written as a guide for individual, autonomous communities, and to this day all Benedictine Houses (and the Congregations in which they have associated themselves) remain self-governing. Advantages seen in retaining this unique Benedictine emphasis on autonomy include cultivating models of tightly bonded communities and contemplative lifestyles. Perceived disadvantages comprise geographical isolation from important projects in adjacent communities in the name of a literalist interpretation of autonomy. Other perceived losses include inefficiency and lack of mobility in the service of others, and insufficient appeal to potential members.<br />
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Snippet II: Origin of Monasteries</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbey Melk ,Austria</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Monastery</b> (plural: <b>monasteries</b>) denotes
the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for
prayer (e.g., an oratory) as well as the domestic quarters and
workplace(s) of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in
community or alone (hermits).</div>
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Monasteries may vary
greatly in size, comprising a small dwelling accommodating only a
hermit, or in the case of communities anything from a single building
housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns,
to vast complexes and estates housing tens or hundreds. A monastery
complex typically comprises a number of buildings which include a
church, dormitory, cloister, refectory,
library, balneary and infirmary. Depending on the location, the
monastic order and the occupation of its inhabitants, the complex may
also include a wide range of buildings that facilitate self-sufficiency
and service to the community. These may include a hospice, a school and a
range of agricultural and manufacturing buildings such as a barn, a
forge or a brewery.</div>
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In English usage, the term
"monastery" is generally used to denote the buildings of a community of
monks. "Convent"
tends to be used (inaccurately) for the buildings accommodating female
monastics (nuns). It may also be used to reflect the Latin usage for
houses of friars, more commonly called a "friary", or for communities of
teaching or nursing Religious Sisters. Various religions may use these
terms in more specific ways.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In most religions the life inside monasteries is governed by
community rules that stipulate the gender of the inhabitants and require
them to remain celibate
and own little or no personal property. The degree to which life inside
a particular monastery is socially separate from the surrounding
populace can also vary widely; some religious traditions mandate
isolation for purposes of contemplation removed from the everyday world,
in which case members of the monastic community may spend most of their
time isolated even from each other. Others focus on interacting with
the local communities to provide services, such as teaching, medical
care, or evangelism.
Some monastic communities are only occupied seasonally, depending both
on the traditions involved and the local weather, and people may be part
of a monastic community for periods ranging from a few days at a time
to almost an entire lifetime.</div>
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The life within the walls
of a monastery may be supported in several ways: by manufacturing and
selling goods, often agricultural products, by donations or alms,
by rental or investment incomes, and by funds from other organizations
within the religion, which in the past formed the traditional support of
monasteries. There has been a long tradition of Christian
monasteries providing hospitable, charitable and hospital services.
Monasteries have always been associated with the provision of education
and the encouragement of scholarship and research, which has led to the
establishment of schools and colleges and the association with
universities. Christian monastic life has adapted to modern society by
offering computer services, accounting services and management as well
as modern hospital and educational administration</div>
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<h3 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Etymology">Etymology</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/St_gall_plan.jpg/220px-St_gall_plan.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="138" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Plan of Saint Gall<br />
the ground plan of an unbuilt abbey<br />
providing for all of the needs of the monks<br />
within the confines of the monastery walls. </td></tr>
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The word <i>monastery</i> comes from the Greek word <i>μοναστήριον</i>, neut. of <i>μοναστήριος</i> - <i>monasterios</i> from <i>μονάζειν</i> - <i>monazein</i> "to live alone" from the root <i>μόνος</i> - <i>monos</i>
"alone" (originally all Christian monks were hermits); the suffix
"-terion" denotes a "place for doing something". The earliest extant use
of the term <i>monastērion</i> is by the 1st century AD Jewish philosopher Philo in <i>On The Contemplative Life,</i> ch. III.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In England the word <i>monastery</i>
was also applied to the habitation of a bishop and the cathedral clergy
who lived apart from the lay community. Most cathedrals were not
monasteries, and were served by canons secular, which were communal but
not monastic. However some were run by monastic orders, such as York
Minster. Westminster Abbey was for a short time a cathedral, and was a
Benedictine monastery until the Reformation, and its Chapter preserves
elements of the Benedictine tradition. See the entry cathedral. They are
also to be distinguished from collegiate churches, such as St George's
Chapel, Windsor.</div>
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<h3 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Terms">Monastic Terms</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In most of this article, the term <b><i>monastery</i></b>
is used generically to refer to any of a number of types of religious
community. In the Roman Catholic religion and to some extent in certain
other branches of Christianity, there is a somewhat more specific
definition of the term and many related terms.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
A <b>Christian monastery</b> may be an <b>abbey</b> (i.e., under the rule of an abbot), or a <b>priory</b> (under the rule of a prior), or conceivably a <b>hermitage</b> (the dwelling of a hermit). It may be a community of men (monks) or of women (nuns). A <b>charterhouse</b> is any monastery belonging to the Carthusian order. In Eastern Christianity a very small monastic community can be called a <b>skete</b>, and a very large or important monastery can be given the dignity of a <b>lavra</b>. The great communal life of a Christian monastery is called <b>cenobitic</b>,
as opposed to the anchoretic (or anchoritic) life of an anchorite and
the eremitic life of a hermit. There has also been, mostly under the
Osmanli
occupation of Greece and Cyprus, an "idiorrhythmic" lifestyle where
monks come together but being able to own things individually and not
being obliged to work for the common good.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Buddhist monasteries are generally called <b>vihara</b> (Pali
language). Viharas may be occupied by males or females, and in keeping
with common English usage, a vihara populated by females may often be
called a nunnery or a convent. However, vihara can also refer to a temple. In Tibetan Buddhism, monasteries are often called <b>gompa</b>.
In Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, a monastery is called a wat.In Hinduism
monasteries are called matha, mandir, koil, or most commonly an ashram.
Jains use the Buddhist term vihara.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Christianity">Christianity</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="972" data-file-width="1296" height="165" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Monasterio_de_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_de_Valdedi%C3%B3s.JPG/220px-Monasterio_de_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_de_Valdedi%C3%B3s.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Monastery of Santa María de Valdediós, Spain</td></tr>
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According to tradition, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Christian">Christian</a> monasticism began in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> with <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Anthony the Great">St. Anthony</a>. Originally, all Christian monks were <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Hermit">hermits</a>
seldom encountering other people. But because of the extreme difficulty
of the solitary life, many monks failed, either returning to their
previous lives, or becoming spiritually deluded. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A transitional form of monasticism was later created by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Saint Amun">Saint Amun</a>
in which "solitary" monks lived close enough to one another to offer
mutual support as well as gathering together on Sundays for common
services. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pachomius">St. Pachomios</a>
who developed the idea of having monks live together and worship
together under the same roof (Coenobitic Monasticism). Some attribute
his mode of communal living to the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Barracks">barracks</a> of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Roman Army">Roman Army</a> in which Pachomios served as a young man.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> Soon the Egyptian desert blossomed with monasteries, especially around Nitria (<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Wadi El Natrun">Wadi El Natrun</a>), which was called the "Holy City". Estimates are that upwards of 50,000 <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monk">monks</a> lived in this area at any one time. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hermitism
never died out though, but was reserved only for those advanced monks
who had worked out their problems within a cenobitic monastery.
The idea caught on, and other places followed:
</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Upon his return from the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Council of Sardica">Council of Sardica</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Athanasius of Alexandria">Saint Athanasius</a> established <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monastery of Saint Athanasius">the first</a> Christian monastery in Europe circa 344 near modern-day <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Chirpan">Chirpan</a> in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
<li>Saint Eugenios founded a monastery on <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Mt. Izla">Mt. Izla</a> above <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Nisibis">Nisibis</a> in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Mesopotamia">Mesopotamia</a> (~350), and from this monastery the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Cenobitic monasticism">cenobitic</a> tradition spread in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Mesopotamia">Mesopotamia</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Persia">Persia</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Armenia">Armenia</a>, Georgia and even India and China.</li>
<li>Saint Saba organized the monks of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Judean Desert">Judean Desert</a> in a monastery close to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bethlehem">Bethlehem</a> (483), and this is considered the mother of all monasteries of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Eastern Orthodox">Eastern Orthodox</a> churches.</li>
<li>Saint Benedict of Nursia founded the monastery of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monte Cassino">Monte Cassino</a> in Italy (529), which was the seed of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Roman Catholic">Roman Catholic</a> monasticism in general, and of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Order of Saint Benedict">Order of Saint Benedict</a> in particular.</li>
<li>The <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Carthusians">Carthusian Order</a> was founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bruno of Cologne">Saint Bruno</a> at <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="La Grande Chartreuse">La Grande Chartreuse</a>, from which the religious Order takes its name, in the 11th century as an <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Hermit">eremitical</a> community, and remains the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Motherhouse">motherhouse</a> of the Order.</li>
<li>Saint Jerome and <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Saint Paula">Saint Paula</a> decided to go live a hermit's life in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bethlehem">Bethlehem</a> and founded several monasteries in the Holy Land. This way of life inspired the foundation of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Hieronymites">Order of Saint Jerome</a> in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Spain">Spain</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Portugal">Portugal</a>. The <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monastery of Santa María del Parral">monastery of Saint Mary of Parral</a>, in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Segovia">Segovia</a>, is the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Motherhouse">motherhouse</a> of the Order.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Western_Medieval_Europe"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Western_Medieval_Europe">Western Medieval Europe</span></h3>
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The life of prayer and communal living was one of rigorous schedules
and self-sacrifice. Prayer was their work, and the Office prayers took
up much of a monk's waking hours – <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Matins">Matins</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Lauds">Lauds</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Prime (liturgy)">Prime</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Terce">Terce</a>, daily Mass, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Sext">Sext</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="None (liturgy)">None</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Vespers">Vespers</a>, and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Compline">Compline</a>.
In between prayers, monks were allowed to sit in the cloister and work
on their projects of writing, copying, or decorating books. These would
have been assigned based on a monk's abilities and interests. The
non-scholastic types were assigned to physical labour of varying
degrees. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The main meal of the day took place around noon, often taken at a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Refectory table">refectory table</a>,
and consisted of the most simple and bland foods i.e., poached fish,
boiled oats. While they ate, scripture would be read from a pulpit above
them. Since no other words were allowed to be spoken, monks developed
communicative gestures. Abbots and notable guests were honoured with a
seat at the high table, while everyone else sat perpendicular to that in
the order of seniority. This practice remained when some monasteries
became universities after the first millennium, and can still be seen at
<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Oxford University">Oxford University</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Cambridge University">Cambridge University</a>. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Monasteries were important contributors to the surrounding
community. They were centres of intellectual progression and education.
They welcomed aspiring priests to come study and learn, allowing them
even to challenge doctrine in dialogue with superiors. The earliest
forms of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Musical notation">musical notation</a> are attributed to a monk named <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Notker of St Gall">Notker of St Gall</a>, and was spread to musicians throughout <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Europe">Europe</a> by way of the interconnected monasteries. Since monasteries offered respite for weary <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pilgrim">pilgrim</a> travellers, monks were obligated also to care for their injuries or emotional needs. Over time, lay people started to make <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pilgrimage">pilgrimages</a> <i>to</i>
monasteries instead of just using them as a stop over. By this time,
they had sizeable libraries that attracted learned tourists. Families
would donate a son in return for blessings. During the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Plague (disease)">plagues</a>, monks helped to till the fields and provide food for the sick.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A Warming House is a common part of a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Medieval">medieval</a> monastery, where monks went to warm themselves. It was often the only room in the monastery where a fire was lit. </div>
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Catholic">Catholic</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="2448" data-file-width="3264" height="165" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Convento_M._Argentario.JPG/220px-Convento_M._Argentario.JPG" width="220" /> </div>
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Passionist Monastery in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monte Argentario">Monte Argentario</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Tuscany">Tuscany</a>, Italy</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A number of distinct <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Monastic order">monastic orders</a> developed within Roman Catholicism:
</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Camaldolese monks</li>
<li>Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross, priests and brothers, all of whom live together like monks according to the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Rule of St. Augustine">Rule of St. Augustine</a>;</li>
<li>Carmelite hermits and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Carmelites">Carmelite nuns</a> (from the Ancient Observance and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Discalced Carmelites">Discalced branch</a>);</li>
<li>Cistercian Order, with monks and nuns (both of the Original Observance and of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Trappist">Trappist</a> reform);</li>
<li>Monks and Sisters of Bethlehem</li>
<li>Order of Minims, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Francis of Paola">St. Francis of Paola</a></li>
<li>Order of Saint Benedict, known as the Benedictine monks and nuns, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Benedict of Nursia">St. Benedict</a> with <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Scholastica">St. Scholastica</a>, stresses manual labour in a self-subsistent monasteries. See also: <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Cluniac Reforms">Cluniac Reforms</a>;</li>
<li>Order of Saint Claire, best known as the Poor Clares (of all the observances);</li>
<li>Order of Saint Jerome, inspired by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Jerome">St. Jerome</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Saint Paula">St. Paula</a>, known as the Hieronymite monks and nuns;</li>
<li>Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit, known as the Pauline Fathers;</li>
<li>Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Sisters of the Annunciation or Annociades, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Joan of France, Duchess of Berry">St. Joan of France</a>;</li>
<li>Order of the Carthusians, a hermitical religious order founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bruno of Cologne">St. Bruno of Cologne</a>;</li>
<li>Order of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Conceptionists, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Beatrice of Silva">St. Beatrice of Silva</a>;</li>
<li>Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, also known as Turchine Nuns or Blue Nuns, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Maria Vittoria De Fornari Strata">Bl. Maria Vittoria De Fornari Strata</a>;</li>
<li>Order of the Most Holy Savior, known as Bridgettine nuns and monks, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bridget of Sweden">St. Bridget of Sweden</a>;</li>
<li>Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, known as the Visitandine nuns, founded by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Francis de Sales">St. Francis de Sales</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Jane Frances de Chantal">St. Jane Frances Fremyot de Chantal</a>;</li>
<li>Passionists</li>
<li>Premonstratensian canons ("The White Canons")</li>
<li>Tironensian monks ("The Grey Monks")</li>
<li>Valliscaulian monks</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While in English most mendicant Orders use the monastic terms of monastery or priory, in the Latin languages, the term used by the friars for their houses is convent, from the Latin <i>conventus</i>, e.g., (Italian: <i><span lang="it">convento</span></i>) or (French: <i><span lang="fr">couvent</span></i>), meaning "gathering place". The Franciscans rarely use the term "monastery" at present, preferring to call their house a "friary".
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b><i></i><i> </i></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Courtesy of Wikipedia, wikipedia .org </i></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 4</span></h2>
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<span lang="en-US">SOLICITUDE OF MARY FOR THE APOSTLES AND THE FAITHFUL</span></h3>
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As the new law of grace continued to spread in Jerusalem so the number of the faithful increased and the new evangelical Church was augmented day by day (Acts 5, 14). In like manner did the solicitude and attention of its great Queen and Teacher, Mary, expand toward the new children engendered by the Apostles through their preaching. As they were the foundation–stones of the Church, on which the security of that building was to depend, the most prudent Lady lavished especial care upon the apostolic college. Her heavenly solicitude augmented in proportion to the wrath of Lucifer against the followers of Christ and especially against the Apostles, as the ministers of eternal salvation to the other faithful. It will never be possible to describe or to estimate in this life the blessings and favors conferred by Her upon the Church and upon each of its mystical members. This happened especially in regard to the Apostles and disciples; for as has been revealed to me not a day or hour passed, in which she did not work for them many wonders. I will relate in this chapter some of the events, which are very instructive on account of the secrets of divine Providence therein contained. From them we can form an estimate of the most vigilant charity and zeal of the blessed Mary for souls.</div>
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All the Apostles She loved and served with incredible affection and reverence, both on account of their great holiness and on account of their dignity as priests, as ministers, preachers and founders of the Gospel. During all their stay in Jerusalem She attended upon them, counseled them and directed them in the manner noted above. With the increase of the Church they were obliged to go outside of Jerusalem in order to baptize and admit to faith many of the inhabitants of the neighboring places; but they always returned to the city, because they had purposely delayed separating from each other, or leaving Jerusalem, until they should receive orders to do so. From the Acts we learn that saint Peter went Lydda and Jaffa, where he raised Tabitha from the dead and performed other miracles, returning again to Jerusalem. Although saint Luke relates these excursions after speaking of the death of saint Stephen (of which I shall treat in the following chapter), yet during these events, many were converted throughout Palestine, and it was necessary, that the Apostles go forth to preach to them and to confirm them in the faith, always returning in order to give an account of their doings to their heavenly Mistress.</div>
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During all their journeys and preachings the common enemy of all sought to hinder the spread of the divine Word, or its fruit, by rousing the unbelievers to many contradictions and altercations with the Apostles and their listeners or converts; for it seemed to the infernal dragon more easy to assault them, when he saw them removed and far from the protection of their Mistress. So formidable the great Queen of the angels appeared to the hellish hosts, that in spite of the eminent holiness of the Apostles, Lucifer imagined them disarmed and at his mercy, easily approachable to his temptations, as soon as they left the presence of Mary. The furious pride of this dragon, as is written in Job (Job 41, 18), esteems the toughest steel as weak straw, and the hardest bronze as a stick of rotten wood. He fears not the dart nor the sling; but he dreaded the protection of the most blessed Mary, and in tempting the Apostles, he waited until they should have left her presence.</div>
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But her protection failed them not on that account; for the great Lady, from the watch–tower of her exalted knowledge, reached out in every direction. Like a most vigilant sentinel She discovered the assaults of Lucifer and hastened to the relief of her sons and ministers of her Lord. When in her absence She could not speak to the Apostles in any of their afflictions, She immediately sent her holy angels to their assistance in order to encourage, forewarn and console them; and sometimes also to drive away the assaulting demons. All these the celestial spirits executed promptly in compliance with the orders of their Queen. At times they would do it secretly by inspirations and interior consolations; at others, and more frequently, they manifested themselves visibly, assuming most beautiful and refulgent bodies and informing the Apostles of what was proper for the occasion, or what had been ordered by their Mistress. This happened very often on account of their purity and holiness and on account of the necessity of favoring them with such an abundance of consolation and encouragement. In all their difficulties and labors the most loving Mother thus assisted them, besides offering up for them her continual prayers and thanksgiving. She was the strong Woman, whose domestics were sheltered by double garments; the Mother of the family, who supplied all with nourishment and who by the labors of her hands planted the vineyard of the Lord.</div>
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With all the other faithful She proportionately exhibited the same care; and although there were many converts in Jerusalem and in Palestine, She remembered them all in their necessities and tribulations. And She thought not only of the needs of their souls, but of those of the body, and many She cured of most grave sicknesses. Others, whom She knew were not to be cured miraculously, She visited and assisted in person. Of the poor She took a still greater care, with her own hand administering to them food on their beds of sickness, and seeing to their being kept clean, as if She were the servant of all, infirm with the infirm. So great was the humility, the charity and solicitude of the great Queen of the world, that She refused no service or lowliest ministry to the faithful, no matter how humble and insignificant the condition of those applying for her assistance. She filled each one with joy and consolation and lightened all their labors. Those upon whom on account of their absence She could not personally attend, She assisted secretly through her holy angels or by her prayers and petitions.</div>
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In an especial manner her maternal kindness exhibited itself to those who were in the agony of death; for she attended many of the dying and would not leave them until they had secured their eternal salvation. For those who went to purgatory She offered up most fervent prayers and performed some works of penance, such as prostrations in the form of a cross, genuflections and other exercises, by which She satisfied for their faults. Then She sent one of her angels in order to draw them from purgatory and present them to her Son in heaven as his own and as the fruits of his blood and Redemption. This happiness the Queen of heaven procured to many souls during her stay upon earth. And, as far as was made known to me, this favor is not denied in our days to those, who during their earthly life dispose themselves properly for meriting her presence, as I have written in another place. But, since it would be necessary to extend the scope of this history very much, if I were to describe how the most blessed Mary assisted many in the hour of death, I cannot dilate upon this matter. I will recount only one incident, in which She freed a girl from the jaws of the infernal dragon. It is one which is so extraordinary and worthy of the attention of us all, that it would not be right to omit it in this history, or deprive ourselves of the lesson it contains.</div>
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Among the five thousand who were first converted and who received Baptism in Jerusalem, there was also a young girl of poor and humble parentage. This young woman, busying herself with her household duties, took ill and for many days She dragged on in her sickness without improvement. As happens to many other souls, she on that account fell from her first fervor and in her neglect committed some sins endangering her baptismal grace. Lucifer, who never relaxed in his thirst for the ruin of souls, approached this woman and attacked her with fiercest cruelty, being thus permitted by God to do so for his greater glory and that of his most blessed Mother. The demon appeared to her in the form of another woman and with much cajolery told her to withdraw from those people, who were preaching the Crucified, and not to believe anything they said, because it was all falsehood; that, if she would not follow this advice, she would be punished by the priests and judges who had crucified the Teacher of that new and counterfeit religion; whereas, if she obeyed, she would live peacefully and free from danger. The girl answered: “I will do what thou sayest; but what shall I do in regard to that Lady, whom I have seen with these men and women and who appears to be so kind and peaceful? I desire her good will very much.” The demon replied: “This One, whom thou mentionest, is worse than all the rest, and Her thou must shun before all. It is most important, that thou withdraw from her snares.”</div>
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Infested with this deadly poison of the ancient serpent, the soul of this simple dove was brought near to eternal death and her body, instead of being relieved, dropped into more serious illness and was in danger of a premature end. One of the seventy–two disciples, who visited the faithful, was informed of the dangerous illness of the girl; for from her neighbors he heard that one of his sect living in that house, was on the point of expiring. The disciple entered in order to visit her and encourage her according to her necessities. But the sick girl was so ensnared by the demons, that she did not receive him or answer him one word, although he zealously sought to exhort and instruct her; she on the contrary sought to hide and stop her ears in order not to hear him. From these signs the Apostle saw the imminent peril of this soul, although he did not know the cause. Eagerly he hastened to report to the Apostle saint John who without delay visited the patient, admonishing her and speaking to her words of eternal life, if she would only listen. But she treated him in the same way as the disciple, obstinately resisting the efforts of both. The Apostle saw many legions of devils surrounding the girl and, though they retired at his approach, they failed not immediately afterward to renew the illusion with which they had filled the unhappy girl.</div>
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Seeing her obstinacy, the Apostle betook himself in great affliction to the most blessed Mary in order to ask for help. Immediately the great Queen turned her interior vision upon the sick one and She recognized the unhappy and dangerous condition, in which the enemy had drawn that soul. The kind Mother bewailed this simple sheep, thus deceived by the bloodthirsty infernal wolf; and prostrate upon the floor She prayed for her rescue.</div>
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The most blessed Mary continued for some time in this petition; but she received no answer from the Lord, in order that her invincible heart and her charity toward her neighbor might be put to the proof. The most prudent Virgin bethought Herself of what had happened to the prophet Eliseus (IV Kings 4, 34), who had vainly sent his staff with his servant Giezi to resuscitate the boy and had found that he himself must touch and stretch himself over his body in order to restore him to life. Neither the angel nor the Apostle were powerful enough to awaken from sin and from the stupor of satan that unfortunate girl; therefore the great Lady resolved to go and heal her in person. This resolve She recommended to the Lord in her prayer, and, although She received no answer, She considered that the work itself was a sufficient warranty to proceed. She arose therefore to leave her room and to walk with saint John to the dwelling of the sick woman, which was at some distance from the Cenacle. But no sooner had She taken the first steps than the holy angels, at the command of the Lord, approached to bear Her up on the way. As God had not manifested his intention, She asked them, why they thus detained Her; to which they answered: “There is no reason why we should consent to thy walking through the city, when we can bear Thee along with greater propriety.” Immediately they placed her upon a throne of resplendent clouds, on which they bore Her along and placed Her in the sick–room. The dying girl, being poor and now speechless, had been forsaken by all and was surrounded only by the demons, who waited to snatch off her soul.</div>
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But as soon as the Queen of angels made her appearance all the evil spirits vanished like flashes of lightning and as if falling over each other in their dismay. The powerful Queen commanded them to descend into hell and remain there until She should permit them to come forth, and this they were forced to do without the least power of resistance. The kindest Mother then approached the sick woman and taking her by the hand and calling her by her name, spoke sweetest words of life. Instantly a complete change came over the girl, and she began to breathe more freely and recover herself. Then she said to the heavenly Mary: “My Lady, a woman came to me, who persuaded me to believe, that the disciples of Jesus were deceiving me and that I had better immediately separate myself from them and from Thee; otherwise, if I should accept their way of life, I should fall into great misfortune.” The Queen answered: “My daughter, she, who seemed to thee a woman, was thy enemy, the devil. I come in the name of the Most High to give thee eternal life; return then to his true faith which thou hast received, and confess Him with all thy heart as thy God and Redeemer, who, for thy salvation and that of all the world, has died upon the Cross. Adore and call upon Him, and ask Him for the pardon of thy sins.”</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">All this,” the patient answered, “I have believed before; but they told me, it was very bad, and that they would punish me, if I should ever confess it.” The heavenly Teacher replied: “My friend, do not fear this deceit but remember that the chastisement and pains which are really to be feared are those of hell, to which the demons wish to bring thee, Thou art now very near death and thou canst avail thyself of the remedy I now offer thee, if thou wilt only believe me; and thou shalt thus free thyself of the eternal fire, which threatens thee on account of thy mistake.” Through this exhortation and the graces procured for this poor woman by Mary, she was moved to abundant tears of compunction and implored the blessed Lady further to assist her in this danger, declaring herself ready to obey all her commands. Then the loving Mother made her openly profess her faith in Jesus Christ and elicit an act of contrition in preparation for confession. At the same time She sent for the Apostles to administer the Sacraments to her. The sick girl, repeating the acts of contrition and love, and invoking Jesus and Mary, who was directing her, happily expired in the arms of her Protectress.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962859"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, since in this chapter thou hast particularly learnt of the matchless and bitter sorrow, with which I bewailed the perdition of souls, thou thyself must learn also what thou must do for the salvation of thy own and that of others in order to imitate me in the perfection which I require of thee. No torment, nor death itself, would I have refused, if such had been necessary to save any of the damned, and to save them, I would have esteemed all sufferings a sweet alleviation in my most ardent charity. Hence, if thou dost not die of this kind of sorrow, thou art at least not excused from willingness to suffer all that the Lord sends thee for advancing this cause, or from praying and laboring all in thy power to prevent any sin in thy neighbor; and when thou canst not all at once obtain thy object, or dost not know whether the Lord has heard thee, do not lose confidence, but enliven it and persevere in thy efforts; for such a solicitude can never displease Him, who desires the salvation of all his redeemed more than thou. If nevertheless thou art not heard in thy prayers, make use of the means which prudence and charity require, and return anew to thy prayers. The Most High is always attracted by this sort of charity for the neighbor and by the love which seeks to hinder sin. He desires not the death of the sinner (Ezech. 33, 11); and, as thou hast written, He Des not entertain an absolute and antecedent decree of damning his creatures, but seeks to save them all, if they not pursue perdition of their own free will. Although He permits this in his justice as being inseparable from the free will of man, it is against his inclination. Do not restrict thyself in these petitions, and in those concerning temporal things, pray that his holy will be done in all that</span> <span lang="en-US">is proper.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">If I desire that thou labor with such fervor of charity for the salvation of thy brethren, consider what thou must do to save thyself, and in what estimation thou</span> <span lang="en-US">must hold thy own soul, for which an infinite price was offered. I wish to admonish thee as a Mother, that, when temptations and passions incline thee toward the commission of any sin, no matter how small, remember the sorrows and the tears which the knowledge of the sins of men and the desire to prevent them has caused me. Do not thou cause the like in me, my dearest; for although I am now incapable of that pain, yet thou deprivest me of the accidental joy of seeing thee, to whom I condescended to become a Mother and Teacher, really endowed with the perfection taught in my school. If thou art unfaithful in this, thou wilt frustrate my great desire of seeing thee please my divine Son and accomplish his holy will in all its plenitude. By the infused light which thou receivest, do thou ponder how great are any faults thou mayest commit after being so favored and bound in duty to the Lord and to myself. Dangers and temptations will not be wanting to thee during the rest of thy earthly life; but in all of them remember my teaching, my sorrows and my tears, and above all what thou owest to my divine Son, who is so liberal toward thee in applying to thee the fruit of his blood for the purpose of eliciting thy grateful correspondence.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH</b></span><br />
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<b>THE CREEDS </b><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="185"></a><b>185</b> Whoever says "I believe" says "I pledge myself to what <i>we </i>believe." Communion in faith needs a common language of faith, normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="186"></a><b>186</b> From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formula normative for all.<sup>1</sup> But already very early on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into organic and articulated summaries, intended especially for candidates for Baptism:<br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">This synthesis of faith was not made to accord with human opinions, but rather what was of the greatest importance was gathered from all the Scriptures, to present the one teaching of the faith in its entirety. And just as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments.<sup>2</sup></span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text"> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="187"></a><b>187</b> Such syntheses are called "professions of faith" since they summarize the faith that Christians profess. They are called "creeds" on account of what is usually their first word in Latin: <i>credo </i>("I believe"). They are also called "symbols of faith".<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="188"></a><b>188</b> <span class="text1">The Greek word <i>symbolon </i>meant half of a broken object, for example, a seal presented as a token of recognition. The broken parts were placed together to verify the bearer's identity. The symbol of faith, then, is a sign of recognition and communion between believers. <i>Symbolon </i>also means a gathering, collection or summary. A symbol of faith is a summary of the principal truths of the faith and therefore serves as the first and fundamental point of reference for catechesis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="189"></a><b>189</b> The first "profession of faith" is made during Baptism. The symbol of faith is first and foremost the <i>baptismal </i>creed. Since Baptism is given "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit",<sup>3</sup> the truths of faith professed during Baptism are articulated in terms of their reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="190"></a><b>190</b> And so the Creed is divided into three parts: "the first part speaks of the first divine Person and the wonderful work of creation; the next speaks of the second divine Person and the mystery of his redemption of men; the final part speaks of the third divine Person, the origin and source of our sanctification."<sup>4</sup> These are "the three chapters of our [baptismal] seal".<sup>5</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="191"></a><b>191</b> "These three parts are distinct although connected with one another. According to a comparison often used by the Fathers, we call them <i>articles</i>. Indeed, just as in our bodily members there are certain articulations which distinguish and separate them, so too in this profession of faith, the name <i>articles</i> has justly and rightly been given to the truths we must believe particularly and distinctly."<sup>6</sup> In accordance with an ancient tradition, already attested to by St. Ambrose, it is also customary to reckon the articles of the Creed as <i>twelve</i>, thus symbolizing the fullness of the apostolic faith by the number of the apostles.<sup>7</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="192"></a><b>192</b> Through the centuries many professions or symbols of faith have been articulated in response to the needs of the different eras: the creeds of the different apostolic and ancient Churches,<sup>8</sup> e.g., the <i>Quicumque</i>, also called the Athanasian Creed;<sup>9</sup> the professions of faith of certain Councils, such as Toledo, Lateran, Lyons, Trent;<sup>10</sup> or the symbols of certain popes, e.g., the <i>Fides Damasi</i><sup>11</sup> or the <i>Credo of the People of God</i> of Paul VI.<sup>12</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="193"></a><b>193</b> None of the creeds from the different stages in the Church's life can be considered superseded or irrelevant. They help us today to attain and deepen the faith of all times by means of the different summaries made of it.<br />
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<b>Among all the creeds, two occupy a special place in the Church's life: </b></span></h4>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="194"></a><b>194</b> <i>The Apostles' Creed</i> is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is "the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith".<sup>13</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="195"></a><b>195</b> <i>The Niceno-Constantinopolitan</i> or <i>Nicene Creed</i> draws its great authority from the fact that it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils (in 325 and 381). It remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="196"></a><b>196</b> Our presentation of the faith will follow the Apostles' Creed, which constitutes, as it were, "the oldest Roman catechism". The presentation will be completed however by constant references to the Nicene Creed, which is often more explicit and more detailed.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="197"></a><b>197</b> As on the day of our Baptism, when our whole life was entrusted to the "standard of teaching",<sup>14</sup> let us embrace the Creed of our life-giving faith. To say the Credo with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst we believe:<br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart's meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul.<sup>15</sup></span></span></dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text1"> 1 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 10:9; <i>1 Cor</i> 15:3-5,etc.<br />
2 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, <i>Catech. illum.</i> 5,12: PG 33,521-524.<br />
3 <i>Mt</i> 28:19.<br />
4 <i>Roman Catechism</i> I,1,3.<br />
5 St. Irenaeus, <i>Dem. ap.</i> 100: <i>SCh</i> 62,170.<br />
6 <i>Roman Catechism</i> I,1,4.<br />
7 Cf. St. Ambrose, <i>Expl. symb.</i> 8.<br />
8 Cf. DS 1-64.<br />
9 Cf. DS 75-76.<br />
10 Cf. DS 525-541; 800-802; 851-861; 1862-1870.<br />
11 Cf. DS 71-72.<br />
12 Paul VI, <i>CPG</i> (1968).<br />
13 St. Ambrose, <i>Expl. symb.</i> 7: PL 17,1196.<br />
14 <i>Rom</i> 6:17.<br />
15 St. Ambrose, <i>Expl. symb.</i> 1:PL 17,1193. </span> </span><br />
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-79476333376272530572018-07-01T12:13:00.003-05:002018-07-01T12:13:51.760-05:00Sunday July 1, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Fortitude; Reading 1, Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13; Reading 2, Second Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Gospel and Lectio Divina - Mark 5:21-43: Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Thomas the Apostle; Snippet I - The Jesus Trail Pilgrimage; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 3 - Baptism of Converts, The First Mass, and Perpetual Presence of the Holy Spirit in Blessed Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Three - Mans Response to God, Article 2 - We Believe ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday July 1, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Fortitude; Reading 1, Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13; Reading 2, Second Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Gospel and Lectio Divina - Mark 5:21-43: Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Thomas the Apostle;<b> </b>Snippet I - The Jesus Trail Pilgrimage</i><i>; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 3 - Baptism of Converts, The First Mass, and Perpetual Presence of the Holy Spirit in Blessed Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Three - </i><i><i>Mans Response to God</i>, Article 2 - We Believe ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>June 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! This is the day that the Lord gave me to give Him thanks
for each of you, for those who have converted and have accepted my
messages and have set out on the way of conversion and holiness.
Rejoice, little children, because God is merciful and loves you all with
His immeasurable love and leads you to the way of salvation through my
coming here. I love you all and give you my Son that He may give you
peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Our Lady of
Medjugorje. Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother
of the Church<br />
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<b>June 15, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b> <br />
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Our Lady of Medjugorje message to the world through Ivan's Apparition tonight on Apparition Hill. June 15, 2018. in commemoration of the 37th Anniversary of our Lady of Medjugorje.<br />
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Dear Children,<br />
Also today in a special way I desire to call you to the Eucharist. Let the Mass be the center of your life. Especially dear Children, let the Eucharist be in your families. The family must attend Holy Mass and worship Jesus. Jesus must be the center of your lives. Therefore dear children, renew family prayer and go with Jesus. Thank you dear children also today for having responded to my call. ~Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
<h3 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope at Angelus: ‘no one is an intruder in Jesus’s heart’</h3>
<div class="article__subTitle">
<i>Addressing the faithful in St.
Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading
of the day and said that in order to gain access to Jesus’s heart one
must entrust oneself to Him and feel the need for healing</i></div>
<b>By Linda Bordoni</b><br />
<br />
<b>Pope Francis</b> on Sunday reflected on Jesus as the source of life, of He who restores life to those who trust in Him.<br />
<br />
Taking his cue from the Gospel of Mark that tells of two miracles in
which a girl is raised from death and a woman is healed, the Pope said
faith is at the center of both of them and he highlighted that no one is
excluded from the Lord’s saving love.<br />
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<h2>
No one is an intruder</h2>
"Nobody should feel that they are an intruder, illegal, or someone
who is not entitled to have access to Jesus’ heart” he said: “there is
only one requirement, and that is to feel in need of healing and to
entrust oneself fully to Him”.<br />
<br />
Jesus, the Pope explained, recognizes the people in the crowd who
have faith and yearn for healing and he “removes them from anonymity,
frees them from the fear of living and daring”.<br />
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He does so with a word or with a glance, he said, putting them back on the path after so much suffering and humiliation.<br />
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<h2>
The death of a hardened heart</h2>
And urging the faithful not to be afraid of physical death, the Pope
said the only death one should fear is that of “a hardened heart”.<br />
<br />
He recalled the Gospel passage in which the woman who suffered from
bleeding was healed "as soon as she touched Jesus’ cloak” and said that
faith leads to salvation.<br />
<br />
“The faith of this woman attracted the divine salvific power that
exists in Christ" he continued, and commenting on the episode of the
little girl whom everyone believed to be dead, the Pope said “Jesus
said: “the child is not dead, she is asleep” and He said to her: "Little
girl, I say to you: arise!”.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Sin is never the last word</h2>
In this page of the Gospel, Francis pointed out, “the themes of <i>faith</i> and <i>new life</i>" that Jesus comes to offer us all are interwoven”:<br />
<br />
<i>Jesus is the Lord, and for Him physical death is like sleep: there
is no reason to despair. The death to be afraid of is a different one:
it is that of the heart hardened by evil! But even sin, for Jesus, is
never the last word, because He brought us the infinite mercy of the
Father. And even though we may have fallen down, his tender and strong
voice reaches us saying: "I say to you: arise!</i><br />
<br />
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis with the words: “Let us ask Our
Lady to accompany us on our journey of faith and concrete love,
especially towards those in need.”<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<h2>
<b>Papal Works of Mercy:</b></h2>
<div class="article__subTitle">
<h3 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope Francis surprises poor and homeless at new cardinal’s dinner</h3>
<div class="article__subTitle">
As new Cardinal Konrad Krajewski,
the pope’s alms giver, was treating the poor and homeless of Rome to a
dinner Friday night, Pope Francis surprised them with a visit and joined
their celebration as a guest. </div>
<div class="article__subTitle">
</div>
<div class="article__text" itemprop="description">
There was great celebration on Friday in the Vatican when
some 280 poor people were invited to a dinner by new Cardinal Konrad
Krajewski, the official almsgiver of the Pope, who was made cardinal by
Pope Francis at the Consistory the previous day, June 28<sup>th</sup>.<br />
<h2>
<b>The Pope's surprise visit</b></h2>
<br />
Pope Francis surprised Cardinal Krajewski, his guests and
volunteers with a visit and joined them at table at the Vatican
employees’ canteen. "I came for the poor, not for you," a smiling Pope
told Cardinal Krajewski, popularly known as Fr. Corrado (instead of
Konrad) to the poor he serves on behalf of the Pope.<br />
<br />
The Holy Father dined with the poor and spent about two hours
chatting with them as if in a family, listening to their stories that
often told of suffering but also of hope.<br />
<h2>
<b>Volunteers of Sant’Egidio</b></h2>
<br />
There were about 60 volunteers serving dinner to the poor,
including Carlo Santoro of the Community of Sant'Egidio of Rome, who
collaborates with Cardinal Krajewki’s Office of Papal Charities, to
assist the homeless in Rome. <br />
<br />
"It was a specially warm visit because it was a dinner of the new
cardinal with the poor,” Santoro said. “To the surprise of all, the
Holy Father arrived. We thought it was a simple greeting and he would be
off soon,” he said. The new cardinal turned to Santoro asking him to
make room close to him for the Pope.<br />
<br />
Santoro said the Pope greeted everyone with great affection. At the
Pope’s table were several Syrian refugees who had arrived through the
efforts of the Sant'Egidio Community. One of them travelled to Rome
with the Pope after his visit to the Greek island of Lesbos on April 16,
2016. The man told the Pope he is now working and is integrated in
Italy.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Talking with refugees</b></h2>
<br />
Santoro heard the Pope saying that several times in recent
months he has met refugees from Lebanon and was struck by the fact that
children were the first to speak Italian. For the Pope, integration is
fundamental which is not just welcome. Where there is no job, the Pope
said, there is no integration because without job there is no future.<br />
<br />
Santoro said that at the table there was another refugee who narrated
to the Pope how he arrived in Italy. It was an 11-month journey
through the desert, a journey full of dangers and pitfalls. He has been
in Italy for some years and he too has been integrated.<br />
<br />
Another guest from Senegal, a Muslim, told him that this was the
third time at a meal with the Pope. He had been with both Pope John
Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI for lunch, and this was the third time.
Pope Francis jokingly told him, “Make a collection of Popes!”<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>The Pope's neighbours</b></h2>
<br />
Santoro said that they introduced to the Pope some of the
homeless who sleep around St. Peter’s Square at night and collaborate
with them every day. Santoro said the Pope was very affectionate to his
neighbours. Cardinal Krajeswki explained to the Pope that they
collaborate a lot such as for the funeral of someone who dies in the
streets. <br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Pope worry for children in Texas</b></h2>
<br />
The volunteer of Sant’Egidio Community noted the Pope was
touched by and enjoyed the presence of children around him. The Pope
blessed a Syrian baby girl, born a few months ago, who was baptized on
June 28. Talking with the volunteers, the Holy Father expressed his
worry over the issue of children being separated from their mothers in
Texas, United States.<br />
<br />
The Pope repeated that Europe was on the verge of suicide because by
not accepting immigrants and not having children gave the continent no
hope for the future. He noted this worrying trend in other parts of the
world, particularly in the US.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Ex-prisoners, alcoholics</b></h2>
<br />
Santoro, the Sant’Egidio Community volunteer said the Pope also
talked to some former prisoners, repeating something that he has often
said: “But why not me?”, meaning he could have been in their shoes.<br />
<br />
When the volunteers told Pope Francis the story of a homeless,
alcoholic man, the Holy Father said, “Alcohol could affect any of us
because it's an evil that kidnaps you, an evil that doesn't leave you,
it's an evil that you can only get out of with the help of others.” Our
problem, even as a Church, is to help people come out of difficult
situations and do so together, the Pope said.<br />
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<h2>
<b>Poor helping poor</b></h2>
<br />
The Holy Father was very moved to hear that many homeless people
help the volunteers help others like them. The Pope heard how during
severe cold snap early this year, many a homeless helped in distributing
blankets.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 07/01/2018<i> </i> </li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - fortitude</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">fawr</span>-ti-tood</span>]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> 1175–1225;</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span class="luna-date">1350–1400;</span> <span class="luna-langn">Middle English</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Latin</span> <span class="italic">fortitūdō</span> strength, firmness, courage, equivalent to <span class="italic">forti(s</span>) strong + <span class="italic">-tūdō</span> -tude</h4>
noun<br />
<ol class="css-zw8qdz e10vl5dg3"></ol>
<span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">1. mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously: <span class="luna-example italic">Never once did her fortitude waver during that long illness.</span></span></div>
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<span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6"><span class="luna-example italic"></span></span><br />
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<span class="dbox-roman">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ<span class="dbox-roman">▬♥▬●▬</span>ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24</h2>
13 For God did not make Death, he takes no pleasure in destroying the living.<br />
14 To exist -- for this he created all things; the creatures of the
world have health in them, in them is no fatal poison, and Hades has no
power over the world:<br />
15 for uprightness is immortal.<br />
23 For God created human beings to be immortal, he made them as an image of his own nature;<br />
24 Death came into the world only through the Devil's envy, as those who belong to him find to their cost.<br />
~Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13<br />
2 Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.<br />
4 Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him, praise his unforgettable holiness.<br />
5 His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life; In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.<br />
6 Carefree, I used to think, 'Nothing can ever shake me!'<br />
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.<br />
12 So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><span style="color: #660000;">Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13</span></h2>
2 Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.<br />
4 Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him, praise his unforgettable holiness.<br />
5 His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life; In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.<br />
6 Carefree, I used to think, 'Nothing can ever shake me!'<br />
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.<br />
12 So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Second Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15</h2>
7 More, as you are rich in
everything-faith, eloquence, understanding, concern for everything, and
love for us too -- then make sure that you excel in this work of
generosity too.<br />
9 You are well aware of the generosity which our
Lord Jesus Christ had, that, although he was rich, he became poor for
your sake, so that you should become rich through his poverty.<br />
13
It is not that you ought to relieve other people's needs and leave
yourselves in hardship; but there should be a fair balance-<br />
14
your surplus at present may fill their deficit, and another time their
surplus may fill your deficit. So there may be a fair balance;<br />
15 as scripture says: No one who had collected more had too much, no one who collected less had too little.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mark 5:21-43</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus heals two women<br /> To conquer the power of death and<br /> open a new way to God</span></span></span></i></div>
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<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the
same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover
the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
<br />
Create in us silence so
that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in
events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word
guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may
experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you
are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We
ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and
sent us your Spirit. Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Reading</h3>
a) A key to the reading:<br />
In this 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Church asks us to meditate on
two of Jesus’ miracles worked for two women. The first miracle is
worked for a woman considered impure because she suffered from a
haemorrhage for twelve years. The second is worked for a twelve-year-old
girl who has just died. According to the thinking of the times, any
person who touched blood or a dead body was considered impure. Blood and
death were factors that excluded people! Thus these two women were
marginalized, excluded from taking part in the community. Today, too, we
have categories of people who are excluded or who feel excluded from
taking part in the Christian community. What are the factors today that
cause people to be excluded, both from the Church and from society?<br />
<br />
Mark describes the two miracles quite vividly. The text is long. As you
read, think that you are among the crowd around Jesus on the way to
Jairus’ house. As you walk in silence, try to pay attention to the many
attitudes of the people involved in the miracles: Jairus, the girl’s
father, the crowd, the woman suffering from the haemorrhage, the
disciples and the girl. Ask yourself what would be your attitude.<br />
<br />
b) A division of the text as a help to the reading: <br />
Mark 5:21-24: The point of departure: Jairus loses his daughter. Jesus goes with him and the crowd follows<br />
Mark 5:25-26: The situation of the woman suffering from an irregular haemorrhage<br />
Mark 5:27-28: The woman’s reasoning in the presence of Jesus<br />
Mark 5:29: The woman succeeds in what she wants and is healed<br />
Mark 5:30-32: The reaction of Jesus and of the disciples<br />
Mark 5:33-34: The conversation between Jesus and the woman healed because of her faith<br />
Mark 5: 35-36: The conversation between Jesus and Jairus<br />
Mark 5:37-40: The arrival at Jairus’ house and the reaction of the crowd<br />
Mark 5:41-43: The raising of the girl back to life<br />
<br />
c) The text:<br />
Mark 5:21-4321 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other
side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake. 22
Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing
him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him earnestly, saying, 'My little
daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she
may be saved and may live.' 24 Jesus went with him and a large crowd
followed him; they were pressing all round him.<br />
25 Now there was a
woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; 26 after
long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she
had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse.
27 She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and
touched his cloak from behind, thinking, 28 'If I can just touch his
clothes, I shall be saved.' 29 And at once the source of the bleeding
dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.<br />
<br />
30 And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus
turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?' 31 His
disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how
can you ask, "Who touched me?" ' 32 But he continued to look all round
to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman came forward, frightened and
trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his
feet and told him the whole truth. 34 'My daughter,' he said, 'your
faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your
complaint.'<br />
<br />
35 While he was still speaking some people arrived from
the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is
dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?' 36 But Jesus overheard
what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not
be afraid; only have faith.' 37 And he allowed no one to go with him
except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 So they came to
the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the
commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. 39 He went in
and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not
dead, but asleep.' 40 But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out
and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own
companions, he went into the place where the child lay. 41 And taking
the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means,
'Little girl, I tell you to get up.' 42 The little girl got up at once
and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were
overcome with astonishment, 43 and he gave them strict orders not to
let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</h3>
<br />
<h3>
4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.</h3>
<br />
a) What pleased you or touched you most in this text? Why?<br />
b) What is the attitude of the woman who touched Jesus? What gives her the strength to touch him?<br />
c) Why were the disciples unable to understand what was going on between Jesus and the crowd?<br />
d) Who was Jairus? What is Jesus’ attitude towards Jairus, his wife and daughter?<br />
e) A woman is healed and integrated into the life of the community. A
girl is raised from her deathbed. What do these actions of Jesus teach
us today for our life within the family and in community?<br />
<br />
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<h3>
5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme</h3>
<br />
a) The context of yesterday and of today:<br />
i) Throughout his Gospel, Mark goes on giving information concerning
the person of Jesus. He shows how the mystery of the Kingdom is mirrored
in the power that Jesus exercises on behalf of his disciples, of the
crowd and, above all, on behalf of those excluded and marginalized.
However, the more this power is manifested, the less the disciples
comprehend and it is clear that they must change their ideas concerning
the Messiah. Otherwise, their incomprehension will keep on getting worse
and they run the risk of growing apart from Jesus.<br />
<br />
ii) In the
70’s, the time when Mark was writing his Gospel, there was a very great
tension within the Christian communities between the converted Jews and
the converted pagans. Some Jews, especially those who had belonged to
the group of Pharisees, continued to remain faithful to the observance
of the laws on purity as found in their millennia-old culture and, thus,
found it difficult to live with the converted pagans, because they
thought that the pagans lived in a state of impurity. Thus, the story of
the two miracles worked by Jesus for the two women was of great help in
overcoming old taboos.<br />
<br />
<br />
b) A commentary on the text:<br />
Mark 5:21-24: The point of departure: Jairus loses his daughter. Jesus goes with him and the crowd follows.<br />
<br />
The crowd joins Jesus who has just come across from the other side of
the lake. Jairus, head of the synagogue, asks Jesus’ help for his
daughter who is dying. Jesus goes with him and the crowd follows,
pushing him on every side because they all want to be close to Jesus
when he is about to work a miracle. This is the point of departure of
the two following episodes: the healing of the woman suffering from a
haemorrhage for twelve years and the raising of the twelve-year-old
girl.<br />
<br />
Mark 5:25-26. The situation of the woman suffering from an irregular haemorrhage<br />
Twelve years of haemorrhaging! For this reason, the woman was excluded
since in those times blood made a person impure as well as anyone who
touched that person. Mark says that the woman had spent all her money on
doctors but instead of getting better had got worse. An insoluble
situation!<br />
<br />
Mark 5:27-28. The woman’s reasoning in the presence of Jesus<br />
She had heard about Jesus. A new hope grew in her heart. She said to
herself: “If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved”. The
catechism of those days said: “If I just touch his clothes, I shall
become impure”. The woman thinks the exact opposite! This is a sign of
great courage. It is also a sign of the fact that woman did not quite
agree with what the authorities taught. The woman goes into the middle
of the crowd that was pushing Jesus on all sides and, almost secretly,
succeeds in touching Jesus.<br />
<br />
Mark 5:29: The woman succeeds in getting what she wants and is healed<br />
At that very moment she feels healed in her body. To this day, in
Palestine, on a bend in the road near the lake of Galilee and close to
Capharnaum, we can read this inscription on a stone: “Here, in this
place, the woman thought to be impure but full of faith, touched Jesus
and was healed!”<br />
<br />
Mark 5:30-32. The reaction of Jesus and of his disciples<br />
Jesus, too, felt power coming out of him “Who has touched me?” The
disciples react: “You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can
you ask, ‘Who touched me?” Here again we have a little disagreement
between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus had a sensitivity not seen by the
disciples. They react like everyone else and do not understand Jesus’
different reaction: But Jesus does not give up and goes on asking.<br />
<br />
Mark 5:33-34. The conversation between Jesus and the woman healed because of her faith<br />
The woman realises that she has been found out. This is a difficult and
dangerous moment for her. According to the belief of those days,
someone impure who, like this woman, went among the crowd, would
contaminate all just by touching her. Such a person made everyone impure
before God (Lv 15:19-30). The punishment for this was that she would be
taken aside and stoned. In spite of this, the woman has the courage to
do what she did. But the woman, fearful and trembling, falls at his feet
and tells him the truth. Jesus then pronounces his final judgement: “My
daughter…your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free
of your complaint!” Beautiful and very human words! By saying “My
daughter”, Jesus welcomes the woman into the new family, into the
community growing around him. What she thought came to pass. Jesus
recognises that without the faith of that woman he could not have worked
the miracle.<br />
<br />
Mark 5:35-36. The conversation between Jesus and Jairus<br />
Just at that moment emissaries from Jairus’ house arrive to tell him
that his daughter was dead. There was no need to trouble Jesus further.
For them death was the great frontier and Jesus could not cross it!
Jesus listens, looks at Jairus and encourages him to be like the woman,
namely to believe that faith can achieve whatever a person believes.
Jesus says to him: “Do not be afraid; only have faith!”<br />
<br />
Mark 5:37-40. Jesus goes to Jairus’ house and the reaction of the crowd<br />
Jesus goes apart from the crowd and allows only some of his disciples
to go with him. When they arrive at Jairus’ house, he sees people
weeping over the death of the girl. He says: “The child is not dead but
asleep”. The people in the house laugh. They know when someone is asleep
and when someone is dead. It is the laughter of Abraham and Sara, that
is, the laughter of those who cannot believe that nothing is impossible
for God!” (Jn 17:17; 18:12-14; Lk 1:37). For them also, death is an
obstacle that cannot be overcome. Jesus’ words carry a much deeper
meaning. In Mark’s time, the situation of the community seemed to be one
of death. They had to hear the words: “You are not dead! You are
asleep! Wake up!” Jesus takes no notice of the laughter and enters the
room where we find the child, himself, the three disciples and the
father of the child.<br />
<br />
Mark 5:41-43. The raising of the child<br />
Jesus takes the child by her hand and says: “Talitha kum!” And the child
gets up. Much shouting! Jesus stays calm and asks that food be brought
to the child. The healing of two women! One twelve-year old and one who
suffered from haemorrhage and was excluded for twelve years! The
exclusion of the girl begins at the age of twelve because that is when
she begins menstruating. She begins to die! Jesus has greater power and
raises her: “Get up!”<br />
<br />
c) Further information: Women in the Gospels<br />
In New Testament times, women were marginalized for the simple fact
that they were women (cf. Lv 15:19-27; 12: 1-5). Women did not take part
in the public life of the synagogue and they could not be witnesses.
That is why many women put up resistance to such exclusion. Even in
Esdra’s time, when the marginalization of women was greater, (cf Esd
9:1-2;10:2-3), resistance grew, as in the cases of Judith, Esther, Ruth,
Noemi, Susannah, the Sulamite woman and others. This resistance is
echoed in and welcomed by Jesus. Here are some examples of
non-conformity and of resistance of women in daily life and Jesus’
acceptance of them:<br />
<br />
The prostitute has the courage to challenge
the laws of society and religion. She enters the house of a Pharisee to
meet Jesus. When she meets him, she meets love and forgiveness and is
defended against the Pharisees. The woman bent double does not even hear
the shouts of the chief of the synagogue. She wants to be healed, even
though it is the Sabbath. Jesus welcomes her as a daughter and defends
her against the chief of the synagogue (Lk 13: 10-17). The woman
considered impure because she was losing blood, has the courage to go in
the middle of the crowd and to think just the opposite of what the
official doctrine taught. The official doctrine said: “Anyone who
touches her will be impure!” But she said: “If I can just touch his
clothes, I shall be saved!” (Mk 5:28). She is not censured and is
healed. Jesus says that her healing is the fruit of faith (Mk 5:25-34).
The Samaritan woman, who is despised and considered heretical, has the
courage to approach Jesus and to change the direction of the
conversation started by him (cf. Jn 4:19.25). In John’s Gospel, she is
the first person to hear the secret that Jesus is the Messiah (Jn 4:26).
The gentile woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon does not accept her
exclusion and speaks in such a manner as to make Jesus listen to her
(Mk 7: 24-30). The mothers with little children challenge the disciples
and are welcomed and blessed by Jesus (Mt 19:13-15; Mk 10:13-16). The
women who challenged the authorities and stayed at the foot of the cross
of Jesus (Mk 15:40; Mt 27:55-56.61), were also the first to experience
the presence of Jesus after the resurrection (Mk 16:5-8; Mt 28:9-10).
Among them was Mary Magdalene who was considered to have been possessed
by evil spirits and was healed by Jesus (Lk, 8:2). She was given the
order to pass on the Good News of the resurrection to the apostles (Jn
20:16-18). Mark says that "they used to follow him and look after him
when he was in Galilee. And many other women were there who had come up
to Jerusalem with him" (Mk 15:41). Mark uses three important words to
define the life of these women: follow, look after, come up to
Jerusalem. These three words describe the ideal disciple. They represent
the model for the other disciples who had fled!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
6. Praying with Psalm 103 (102)</h3>
<br />
Thanking God for all that he does for us!<br />
Bless Yahweh, my soul,<br />
from the depths of my being, his holy name;<br />
bless Yahweh, my soul,<br />
never forget all his acts of kindness.<br />
He forgives all your offences,<br />
cures all your diseases,<br />
he redeems your life from the abyss,<br />
crowns you with faithful love and tenderness;<br />
he contents you with good things all your life,<br />
renews your youth like an eagle's.<br />
Yahweh acts with uprightness,<br />
with justice to all who are oppressed;<br />
he revealed to Moses his ways,<br />
his great deeds to the children of Israel.<br />
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,<br />
slow to anger and rich in faithful love;<br />
his indignation does not last for ever,<br />
nor his resentment remain for all time;<br />
he does not treat us as our sins deserve,<br />
nor repay us as befits our offences.<br />
As the height of heaven above earth,<br />
so strong is his faithful love for those who fear him.<br />
As the distance of east from west,<br />
so far from us does he put our faults.<br />
As tenderly as a father treats his children,<br />
so Yahweh treats those who fear him;<br />
he knows of what we are made,<br />
he remembers that we are dust.<br />
As for a human person -- his days are like grass,<br />
he blooms like the wild flowers;<br />
as soon as the wind blows he is gone,<br />
never to be seen there again.<br />
But Yahweh's faithful love for those who fear him<br />
is from eternity and for ever;<br />
and his saving justice to their children's children;<br />
as long as they keep his covenant,<br />
and carefully obey his precepts.<br />
Yahweh has fixed his throne in heaven,<br />
his sovereign power rules over all.<br />
Bless Yahweh, all his angels,<br />
mighty warriors who fulfil his commands,<br />
attentive to the sound of his words.<br />
Bless Yahweh, all his armies,<br />
servants who fulfil his wishes.<br />
Bless Yahweh, all his works,<br />
in every place where he rules.<br />
Bless Yahweh, my soul.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
7. Final Prayer</h3>
<br />
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and
grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to
us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice
the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the
Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><b> </b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>St Thomas the Apostle</b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>July 3</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> </i> Architects</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Attributes</b>: The Twin, placing his finger in the side of Christ, spear (means of martyrdom), square (his profession, a builder)<br />
<br />
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkcDXqNVVkoookYcPnjBzw-k4kEe9tCdkORBYhJmSsQxjQB5dh8V0Mqhc08R6wiha1rHzAyM5-WSHOpivieyCwIZfqovIGumIuyq8z-i_UQyfl7JmoP-7s5M8r5GS7ZdogVW3fvmtnyAL/s1246/July+3+St+thomas.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkcDXqNVVkoookYcPnjBzw-k4kEe9tCdkORBYhJmSsQxjQB5dh8V0Mqhc08R6wiha1rHzAyM5-WSHOpivieyCwIZfqovIGumIuyq8z-i_UQyfl7JmoP-7s5M8r5GS7ZdogVW3fvmtnyAL/s320/July+3+St+thomas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<b>The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Caravaggio)</b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Saint Thomas the Apostle</b>, also called <i>Doubting Thomas</i> or <b>Didymus</b>
(meaning "Twin," or "Thomas" in Aramaic) was one of the Twelve Apostles
of Jesus Christ.
He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection after death when
first told of it, followed by his confession of faith as both "My Lord
and my God" on seeing and touching Jesus' tangible and physical wounded
body in Gospel of Saint John 20:28. Traditionally he is said to have
traveled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, traveling as far
as India.<br />
<br />
According to tradition, the Apostle reached
Muziris, India in 52 AD and baptized several people who are today known
as Saint Thomas Christians or Nasranis. After his murder and death by
spear in India, the remaining relics of Saint Thomas the Apostle were
enshrined as far as Mesopotamia in the 3rd century, and later moved to
various places. In 1258 they were brought to Abruzzo, in Ortona, Italy,
where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> He is often regarded as the Patron Saint of India, and the name <i>Thomas</i> remains quite popular among Saint Thomas Christians of India.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Thomas_in_the_Gospel_of_John">Thomas in the Gospel of John</span></h2>
Thomas
speaks in the Gospel of John. In John 11:16, when Lazarus has just
died, the apostles do not wish to go back to Judea, where Jews had
attempted to stone Jesus. Thomas says: "Let us also go, that we may die
with him" (NIV).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-britannica_1-1">[1]</sup><br />
<br />
He speaks again in John 14:5. There, Jesus has just explained that he
is going away to prepare a heavenly home for his followers, and that
one day they will join him there. Thomas reacts by saying, "Lord, we
don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (NIV)<br />
<br />
John 20:24-29 tells how Thomas was skeptical at first when he heard
that Jesus had appeared to the other apostles, saying, "Unless I see the
nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put
my hand into his side, I will not believe." (NIV, v.25) But when Jesus
appeared later and offered to let Thomas see and touch his wounds,
Thomas showed his belief by proclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" (NIV,
v.28)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Name_and_identity">Name and identity</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Twin_and_its_renditions">Twin and its renditions</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>The <i>Greek</i> <i>Didymus</i>: in the Gospel of John.<span class="plainlinks"><sup>[11:16]</sup> <span class="plainlinks"><sup>[20:24]</sup> Thomas is more specifically identified as "Thomas, also called the Twin (<i>Didymus</i>)".</span></span></li>
<li>The Aramaic Tau'ma: the name "Thomas" comes from the Aramaic word for twin, <i>t'oma</i> (תאומא).</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_names">Other names</span></h3>
The Nag Hammadi copy of the Gospel of Thomas begins: "These are the
secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas
recorded." Early Syrian traditions also relate the apostle's full name
as Judas Thomas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup> Some have seen in the <i>Acts of Thomas</i>
(written in east Syria in the early 3rd century, or perhaps as early as
the first half of the 2nd century) an identification of Saint Thomas
with the apostle Judas, brother of James, better known in English as Jude.
However, the first sentence of the Acts follows the Gospels and the
Acts of the Apostles in distinguishing the apostle Thomas and the
apostle Judas son of James. Few texts identify Thomas' twin. In in the Book of Thomas the Contender,
part of the Nag Hammadi, it is said to be Jesus himself: "Now, since it
has been said that you are my twin and true companion, examine
yourself…"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-turner_7-0">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_Days">Feast Days</span></h3>
When the feast of Saint Thomas was inserted in the Roman calendar in the 9th century, it was assigned to 21 December. The <i>Martyrology of St. Jerome</i>
mentioned the Apostle on 3 July, the date to which the Roman
celebration was transferred in 1969, so that it would no longer
interfere with the major ferial days of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup>
3 July was the day on which his relics were translated from Mylapore, a
place along the coast of the Marina Beach, Chennai (Madras) in India,
to the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia. Roman Catholics (in the light of
Vatican II follow the liturgical calendar published in 1970) and many
Anglicans (including members of the Episcopal Church as well as members
of the Church of England, who worship according to the 1662 edition of
the Book of Common Prayer)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-commonprayer.org_9-0">[9]</sup>, still celebrate his feast day on 21 December.<br />
<br />
The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches celebrate his feast day on 6 October <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup>
(for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, 6
October currently falls on 19 October of the modern Gregorian Calendar).
In addition, the next Sunday of the Easter (Pascha) is celebrated as
Sunday of Thomas, in commemoration of Thomas' question to Jesus, which
led him to proclaim, according to Orthodox teaching, two natures of
Jesus, both human and divine. Thomas is commemorated in common with all
of the other apostles on 30 June (13 July), in a feast called the
Synaxis of the Holy Apostles.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup>
He is also associated with the "Arabian" (or "Arapet") icon of the
Theotokos (Mother of God), which is commemorated on 6 September (19
September).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Later_traditions">Later traditions</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Thomas_and_the_Assumption_of_Mary">Thomas and the Assumption of Mary</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Assumptiongirdle.jpg" height="295" width="180" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
St. Thomas receiving the Virgin Mary's girdle from heaven.</div>
</div>
</div>
According to <i>The Passing of Mary</i>, a text attributed to Joseph of Arimathaea,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup> Thomas was the only witness of the Assumption of Mary
into heaven. The other apostles were miraculously transported to
Jerusalem to witness her death.<br />
<br />
Thomas was left in India, but after her
first burial, he was transported to her tomb, where he witnessed her
bodily assumption into heaven, from which she dropped her girdle. In an
inversion of the story of Thomas' doubts, the other apostles are
skeptical of Thomas' story until they see the empty tomb and the girdle.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ccel_14-0">[14]</sup><br />
<br />
Thomas' receipt of the girdle is commonly depicted in medieval and pre-Tridentine Renaissance art,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup> the apostle's infamous doubting reduced to a metaphorical knot in the Bavarian baroque Mary Untier of Knots.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Thomas_and_Syria">Thomas and Syria</span></h3>
"Judas, who is also called Thomas" (Eusebius, <i>H.E.</i>
1.13) has a role in the legend of king Abgar of Edessa (Urfa), for
having sent Thaddaeus to preach in Edessa after the Ascension (Eusebius,
<i>Historia ecclesiae</i> 1.13; III.1; Ephrem the Syrian
also recounts this legend.) In the 4th century, the martyrium erected
over his burial place brought pilgrims to Edessa. In the 380s, Egeria
described her visit in a letter she sent to her community of nuns at
home (<i>Itineraria Egeriae</i>):<br />
<blockquote>
we arrived at Edessa in the Name of Christ our God, and, on our
arrival, we straightway repaired to the church and memorial of saint
Thomas. There, according to custom, prayers were made and the other
things that were customary in the holy places were done; we read also
some things concerning saint Thomas himself. The church there is very
great, very beautiful and of new construction, well worthy to be the
house of God, and as there was much that I desired to see, it was
necessary for me to make a three days' stay there.</blockquote>
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Thomas_and_Iran">Thomas and Iran</span></h3>
As
per the Acts of Thomas the apostle St. Thomas went from Palestine
eastwards to a desert-like country where people were “Mazdei”
(Zoroastrian) and have Persian names. It states that Jesus Christ sold
his identical twin brother St. Thomas as a slave to a merchant named
Abbanes.
The Acts further records that Judas Thomas and Abbanes landed at
Andropolis after a short sea journey, a royal city somewhere to the east
of Jerusalem. Andropolis has been identified as Sandaruck in
Balochistan. The Church Fathers Clement of Alexandra, Origen and
Eusebius confirm explicitly that he settled in “Parthia”, a part of the
Iranian world.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Thomas_and_India">Thomas and India</span></h3>
St.
Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in 52 AD
to spread the Christian faith among the Jews, some of whom had migrated
to Kerala. He is supposed to have landed at the ancient port of Muziris
(which was destroyed in 1341 AD due to a massive flood that realigned
the coasts) near Kodungalloor. He went to Palayoor (near present-day
Guruvayoor),
a Hindu priestly community at that time. He left Palayoor in 52 AD for
the southern part of what is now Kerala State, where he established the <i>Ezharappallikal</i>,
or "Seven and Half Churches". These churches are at Kodungallur,
Kollam, Niranam (Niranam Church), Nilackal (Chayal), Kokkamangalam,
Kottakkavu (Paravoor), Palayoor (Chattukulangara) and Thiruvithamcode
Arappally – the half church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ppn_2-1">[2]</sup><br />
<blockquote>
It
was to a land of dark people he was sent, to clothe them by
Baptism in white robes. His grateful dawn dispelled India's painful
darkness. It was his mission to espouse India to the One-Begotten. The
merchant is blessed for having so great a treasure. Edessa thus became
the blessed city by possessing the greatest pearl India could yield.
Thomas works miracles in India, and at Edessa Thomas is destined to
baptize peoples perverse and steeped in darkness, and that in the land
of India.<br />
<dl><dd>—Hymns of St. Ephraem, edited by Lamy (Ephr. Hymni et Sermones, IV).</dd></dl>
</blockquote>
Eusebius
of Caesarea quotes Origen (died mid-3rd century) as having stated that
Thomas was the apostle to the Parthians, but Thomas is better known as
the missionary to India through the <i>Acts of Thomas</i>, perhaps written as late as <i>ca</i> 200. In Edessa, where his remains were venerated, the poet Ephrem the Syrian (died 373) wrote a hymn in which the Devil cries,<br />
<blockquote>
<dl><dd>...Into what land shall I fly from the just?</dd></dl>
I stirred up Death the Apostles to slay, that by their death I might escape their blows.<br />
But harder still am I now stricken: the Apostle I slew in India has overtaken me in Edessa; here and there he is all himself.<br />
There went I, and there was he: here and there to my grief I find him.
<br />
<dl><dd>—quoted in Medlycott 1905, ch. ii.</dd></dl>
</blockquote>
St. Ephraem, the great doctor of the Syrian Church, writes in the
forty-second of his "Carmina Nisibina" that the Apostle was put to death
in India, and that his remains were subsequently buried in Edessa, brought there by an unnamed merchant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MEDLYCOTT_1905_17-0">[17]</sup><br />
<br />
A Syrian ecclesiastical calendar of an early date confirms the above
and gives the merchant a name. The entry reads: "3 July, St. Thomas who
was pierced with a lance in 'India'. His body is at Urhai [another name
for Edessa or Urfa] having been brought there by the merchant Khabin. A
great festival." St. Ephraem, the great doctor of the Syrian Church, noted that relics of Thomas were held in Edessa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MEDLYCOTT_1905_17-1">[17]</sup><br />
<br />
A
long public tradition in the church at Edessa honoring Thomas as the
Apostle of 'India' resulted in several surviving hymns
that are attributed to Ephrem, copied in codices of the 8th and 9th
centuries. References in the hymns preserve the tradition that Thomas'
bones were brought from 'India' to Edessa by a merchant, and that the
relics worked miracles both in 'India' and at Edessa. A pontiff assigned
his feast day and a king and a queen erected his shrine. The Thomas
traditions became embodied in Syriac liturgy, thus they were universally
credited by the Christian community there. There is a legend that
Thomas had met the Biblical Magi on his way to 'India'.<br />
<br />
According to Eusebius' record, Thomas and Bartholomew were assigned to Parthia and India.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AFM_18-0">[18]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup> The <i>Didascalia</i>
(dating from the end of the 3rd century) states, “India and all
countries condering it, even to the farthest seas...received the
apostolic ordinances from Judas Thomas, who was a guide and ruler in the
church which he built.”Moreover, there is a wealth of confirmatory
information in the Syriac writings, liturgical books, and calendars of
the Church of the East, not to mention the writings of the Fathers, the
calendars, the sacramentaries, and the martyrologies of the Roman, Greek
and Ethiopian churches.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[1]</sup><br />
<br />
An early 3rd-century Syriac work known as the <i>Acts of Thomas</i><sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[2]</sup>
connects the apostle's Indian ministry with two kings, one in the north
and the other in the south. According to one of the legends in the <i>Acts</i>, Thomas was at first reluctant to accept this mission, but the Lord appeared to him in a night vision and said,<br />
<blockquote>
“Fear not, Thomas. Go away to India and proclaim the Word, for my
grace shall be with you. ”But the Apostle still demurred, so the Lord
overruled the stubborn disciple by ordering circumstances so compelling
that he was forced to accompany an 'Indian' merchant, Abbanes, as a
slave to his native place in northwest 'India', where he found himself
in the service of the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares. According to the
Acts of Thomas, the apostle's ministry resulted in many conversions
throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[3]</sup></blockquote>
Remains of some of his buildings, influenced by Greek architecture,
indicate that he was a great builder. According to the legend, Thomas
was a skilled carpenter and was bidden to build a palace for the king.
However, the Apostle decided to teach the king a lesson by devoting the
royal grant to acts of charity and thereby laying up treasure for the
heavenly abode. Although little is known of the immediate growth of the
church, Bar-Daisan (154–223) reports that in his time there were
Christian tribes in India which claimed to have been converted by Thomas
and to have books and relics to prove it.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[4]</sup>
But at least by the year of the establishment of the Second Persian
Empire (226), there were bishops of the Church of the East in northwest
India (Afghanistan and Baluchistan), with laymen and clergy alike engaging in missionary activity.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[5]</sup><br />
<br />
The <i>Acts of Thomas</i> identifies his second mission in India with a kingdom ruled by King Mahadwa,
one of the rulers of a 1st-century dynasty in southern India. It is
most significant that, aside from a small remnant of the Church of the
East in Kurdistan, the only other church to maintain a distinctive identity is the <i>Saint Thomas Christian</i>
congregations along the Malabar Coast of Kerala
State in southwest India. According to the most ancient tradition of
this church, Thomas evangelized this area and then crossed to the
Coromandel Coast of southeast India, where, after carrying out a second
mission, he died near Madras. Throughout the period under review, the
church in India was under the jurisdiction of Edessa, which was then
under the Mesopotamian patriarchate at Seleucia-Ctesiphon and later at
Baghdad and Mosul. Historian Vincent A. Smith
says, “It must be admitted that a personal visit of the Apostle Thomas
to South India was easily feasible in the traditional belief that he
came by way of Socotra, where an ancient Christian settlement
undoubtedly existed. I am now satisfied that the Christian church of
South India is extremely ancient...”.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM">[6]</sup><br />
<br />
Thomas
is believed to have left northwest India when invasion threatened and
traveled by vessel to the Malabar coast, possibly visiting southeast
Arabia and Socotra en route, and landing at the former flourishing port
of Muziris[citation needed] on an island near Cochin (c.51–52 AD). From
there he is said to have preached the gospel throughout the Malabar
coast. The various churches he founded were located mainly on the
Periyar River and its tributaries and along the coast, where there were
Jewish colonies. He reputedly preached to all classes of people and had
about 17,000 converts, including members of the four principal castes.
Later, stone crosses were erected at the places where churches were
founded, and they became pilgrimage centres. In accordance with
apostolic custom, Thomas ordained teachers and leaders or elders, who
were reported to be the earliest ministry of the Malabar church.<sup class="reference plainlinks nourlexpansion" id="ref_AFM"> </sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Death">Death</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Martyrdom_of_St_Thomas.jpg/150px-Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Martyrdom_of_St_Thomas.jpg" height="219" width="150" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Martyrdom of St Thomas, Peter Paul Rubens</div>
</div>
</div>
According
to Indian Christian tradition, St. Thomas landed in Kodungallur in 52
AD, in the company of a Jewish merchant Abbanes (Hebban).<br />
<br />
St.
Thomas was killed in India in 72 AD, attaining martyrdom at St. Thomas
Mount near Mylapore (part of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu). He was
buried on the site of Chennai's San Thome Basilica<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup> in the Dioceses of Saint Thomas of Mylapore. The <i>Acts of Thomas</i> and oral traditions (only recorded in writing centuries later) provide weak and unreliable evidence<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-neill_21-0">[21]</sup>
but the tradition is that Thomas, having aroused the hostility of the
local priests by making converts, fled to St. Thomas's Mount four miles
(6 km) southwest of Mylapore. He was supposedly followed by his
persecutors, who transfixed him with a lance
as he prayed kneeling on a stone. His body was brought to Mylapore and
buried inside the church he had built. The present Basilica is on this
spot. It was first built in the 16th century and rebuilt in the 19th.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_the_relics">History of the relics</span></h3>
Few relics are still kept in church at Mylapore, Tamil Nadu, India.<br />
<br />
According to tradition, in 232 AD, the greater part of relics of the
Apostle Thomas are said to have been sent by an Indian king and brought
from India to the city of Edessa, Mesopotamia, on which occasion his Syriac <i>Acts</i> were written.<br />
<br />
The
Indian king is named as "Mazdai" in Syriac sources, "Misdeos" and
"Misdeus" in Greek and Latin sources respectively, which has been
connected to the "Bazdeo" on the Kushan coinage of Vasudeva I, the
transition between "M" and "B" being a current one in Classical sources
for Indian names.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mario_Bussagli_p255_22-0">[22]</sup> The martyrologist Rabban Sliba dedicated a special day to both the Indian king, his family, and St Thomas.<br />
<br />
They were kept in a shrine just outside the city. In August 394, they
were transferred in the city, inside the church dedicated to the saint.<br />
<br />
In 441, the <i>Magister militum per Orientem</i> Anatolius donated a silver coffin to hold the relics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup><br />
<blockquote>
<i>Coronatio Thomae apostoli et Misdeus rex Indiae, Johannes eus filius huisque mater Tertia</i> ("Coronation of Thomas the Apostle, and Misdeus king of India, together with his son Johannes (thought to be a latinization of <i>Vizan</i>) and his mother Tertia") Rabban Sliba<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mario_Bussagli_p255_22-1">[22]</sup></blockquote>
In 522 AD, Cosmas Indicopleustes (called the Alexandrian) visited the
Malabar Coast. He is the first traveler who mentions Syrian Christians
in Malabar, in his book <i>Christian Topography.</i> He mentions that in
the town of "Kalliana" (Quilon or Kollam) was a bishop who had been
consecrated in Persia. Metropolitan Mar Aprem writes, "Most church
historians, who doubt the tradition of the doubting Thomas in India,
will admit there was a church in India in the middle of the sixth
century when Cosmas Indicopleustes visited India."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup><br />
<br />
King Vira Raghavaa gave a copper plate recording a grant given to
Iravi Korttan, a Christian of Kodungallur (Cranganore), with the date
estimated at around 744 AD. It is similar to a copper plate given to
Joseph Rabbanes, leader of the Jewish community at that time. In 822 AD
two Nestorian Persian Bishops, Mar Sapor and Mar Peroz, came to Malabar
to occupy their seats in Kollam and Kodungallur, to care for the local
Syrian Christians (also known as St. Thomas Christians).<br />
<br />
In 1144 the city was conquered by the Zengids and the shrine destroyed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup><br />
<br />
After
a short stay in the Greek island of Chios, on 6 September 1258, the
relics were transported to the West, and now rest in Ortona, Abruzzo,
Italy.<br />
<br />
Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller and author of <i>Description of the World,</i> popularly known as <i>Il Milione,</i>
is reputed to have visited South India in 1288 and 1292. The first date
has been rejected as he was in China at the time, but the second date
is accepted by many historians. He is believed to have stopped in Ceylon
(Sri Lanka), where he documented the tomb of Adam. He also stopped at
Quilon (Kollam)
on the western Malabar coast of India, where he met Syrian Christians
and recorded their tradition of St. Thomas and his tomb on the eastern
Coromandel coast of the country. <i>Il Milione,</i> the book he dictated
on his return to Europe, was on its publication condemned by the Church
as a collection of impious and improbable traveller's tales. It became
very popular reading in medieval Europe and inspired Spanish and
Portuguese sailors to seek out the fabulous, and possibly Christian,
India described in it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Tomb">Tomb</span></h3>
The
Indian tradition, in which elements of the traditions of Malabar,
Coromandel and the Persian Church intermingled, held that Thomas the
Apostle died near the ancient town of Mylapore, where the San Thome
Basilica is now sited. In the thirteenth century, what was said to be
his relics were moved to the town of Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy,
where they are now buried in the church of St. Thomas the Apostle. On
27 September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI recalled that "an ancient tradition
claims that Thomas first evangelized Syria and Persia (mentioned by
Origen, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 3, 1)
then went on to Western India (cf. Acts of Thomas 1–2 and 17ff.), from
where also he finally reached Southern India."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Historical_references_to_Thomas">Historical references to Thomas</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Thomas_by_roslin.jpg/220px-Thomas_by_roslin.jpg" height="270" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A 13th-century Armenian illumination, by Toros Roslin.</div>
</div>
</div>
A number of early Christian writings written during centuries
immediately following the first Ecumenical Council of 325 mention
Thomas' mission.<br />
<ul>
<li>The Acts of Thomas, sometimes called by its full name <i>The Acts of Judas Thomas</i>: 2nd/3rd century (c. 180–230)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Apocryphal_Acts_of_the_Apostles_27-0">[27]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[28]</sup> <i>Gist
of the testimony: The Apostles cast lots as to where they should go,
and to Thomas, twin brother of Jesus, fell India. Thomas was taken to
king Gondophares the ruler of Indo-Parthian Kingdom as an architect and
carpenter by Habban. The journey to India is described in detail. After a
long residence in the court at Taxila
he ordained leaders for the Church, and left in a chariot for the
kingdom of Mazdei. According to the Acts of St. Thomas the Kingdom of
Mazdai, in the Southern India, was ruled by <b>King Misdeus</b>. Some Greeks Satraps, the descendents of Alexander the Great, were vassals to the Indo-Parthian Kingdom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup> The king</i> Misdeus <i>was infuriated when St.Thomas converted the</i> Queen Tertia<i>, son</i> Juzanes<i>, sister-in-law princess Mygdonia (a province of Mesopotamia) and her friend</i> Markia<i>.
The King Misdeus led St. Thomas outside the city and ordered four
soldiers to take him to the nearby hill where the soldiers speared St.
Thomas and killed him.</i> Syphorus <i>was elected the first presbyter
by the brethren after the death of St. Thomas while Juzanes the prince
became the deacon. The names of the King Misdeus, Tertia, Juzanes,
Syphorus, Markia and Mygdonia suggest Greek descent or Hellenised
Persian descent<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup> There, after performing many miracles, he dies a martyr.</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-early_christian_32-0">[32]</sup> During the rule of Vasudeva I, the Kushan emperor, the bones of St. Thomas were transferred from the Mylapore to Edessa.
These are generally rejected by various Christian religions as either
apocryphal or heretical. The two centuries that lapsed between the life
of the apostle and recording this work, casts doubt on their
authenticity.</li>
<li>Clement of Alexandria: 3rd century (d.c. 235); Church represented:
Alexandrian/Greek Biographical Note : Greek Theologian, b. Athens, 150.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i> </i></sup>Clement
makes a passing reference to St. Thomas’ Apostolate in Parthia. This
agrees with the testimony which Eusebius records about Pantaenus' visit
to India.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>Doctrine of the Apostles<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i>citation needed</i>]</sup> 3rd century; Church represented: Syrian <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cardinalmai_33-0">[33]</sup>
“After the death of the Apostles there were Guides and Rulers in the
Churches…..They again at their deaths also committed and delivered to
their disciples after them everything which they had received from the
Apostles;…(also what) Judas Thomas (had written) from India”.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
“India and all its own countries, and those
bordering on it, even to
the farther sea, received the Apostle’s hand of Priesthood from Judas
Thomas, who was Guide and Ruler in the Church which he built and
ministered there”. In what follows “the whole Persia of the Assyrians
and Medes, and of the countries round about Babylon…. even to the
borders of the Indians and even to the country of Gog and Magog” are
said to have received the Apostles’ Hand of Priesthood from Aggaeus the
disciple of Addaeus <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cureton32_34-0">[34]</sup></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Origen century 3rd century (185–254?), quoted in Eusebius; Church
represented: Alexandrian/ Greek Biographical. Christian Philosopher,
b-Egypt, Origen taught with great acclaim in Alexandria and then in
Caesarea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eusebius_35-0">[35]</sup>
He is the first known writer to record the casting of lots by the
Apostles. Origen original work has been lost; but his statement about
Parthia falling to Thomas has been preserved by Eusebius.
“Origen, in the third chapter of his Commentary on Genesis, says that,
according to tradition, Thomas’s allotted field of labour was Parthia”.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-farquhar30_36-0">[36]</sup></li>
<li>Eusebius of Caesarea: 4th century (died 340); Church Represented: Alexandrian/Greek Biographical <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Patrologia_Graeca_37-0">[37]</sup> Quoting Origen,
Eusebius says: “When the holy Apostles and disciples of our Saviour
were scattered over all the world, Thomas, so the tradition has it,
obtained as his portion Parthia….” <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Panjikaran_38-0">[38]</sup></li>
<li>Ephrem: 4th century; Church Represented: Syrian Biographical <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bickell_39-0">[39]</sup> Many devotional hymns composed by St. Ephraem, bear witness to the Edessan
Church’s strong conviction concerning St. Thomas’s Indian Apostolate.
There the devil speaks of St. Thomas as “the Apostle I slew in India”. Also “The merchant brought the bones” to Edessa.</li>
</ul>
<dl><dd>In another hymn eulogizing St. Thomas we read of “The bones the merchant hath brought”. “In his several journeyings to India,
And thence on his return, All riches, which there he found, Dirt in his
eyes he did repute when to thy sacred bones compared”. In yet another
hymn Ephrem speaks of the mission of Thomas “The earth darkened with
sacrifices’ fumes to illuminate”. “A land of people dark fell to thy
lot”, “a tainted land Thomas has purified”; “India’s dark night” was
“flooded with light” by Thomas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20c_40-0">[40]</sup></dd></dl>
<ul>
<li>Gregory of Nazianzus: 4th century(died 389); Church Represented:
Alexandrian. Biographical Note: Gregory of Nazianzus was born AD 330,
consecrated a bishop by his friend St. Basil in 372 his father, the
Bishop of Nazianzus induced him to share his charge. In 379 the people
of Constantinople called him to be their bishop. By the Orthodox Church
he is emphatically called “the Theologian’.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-contra_arianos_41-0">[41]</sup>
“What? were not the Apostles strangers amidst the many nations and
countries over which they spread themselves? … Peter indeed may have
belonged to Judea; but what had Paul in common with the gentiles, Luke
with Achaia, Andrew with Epirus, John with Ephesus, Thomas with India,
Mark with Italy?” <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20c.42.43_42-0">[42]</sup></li>
<li>Ambrose of Milan: 4th century (died 397); Church Represented: Western. Biographical Note: St. Ambrose
was thoroughly acquainted with the Greek and Latin Classics, and had a
good deal of information on India and Indians. He speaks of the
Gymnosophists of India, the Indian Ocean, the river Ganges etc., a
number of times.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-migne_140_43-0">[43]</sup>
“This admitted of the Apostles being sent without delay according to
the saying of our Lord Jesus… Even those Kingdoms which were shut out by
rugged mountains became accessible to them, as India to Thomas, Persia
to Matthew..” <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-various_44-0">[44]</sup></li>
<li>St. Jerome (342–420). St. Jerome's testimony: “He (Christ) dwelt in
all places: with Thomas in India, Peter at Rome, with Paul in
Illyricum.”<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>St. Gaudentius (Bishop of Brescia, before 427). St. Gaudentius'
testimony: “John at Sebastena, Thomas among the Indians, Andrew and Luke
at the city of Patras are found to have closed their careers.”<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>St. Paulinus of Nola (died 431). St. Paulinus' testimony: “Parthia
receives Mathew, India Thomas, Libya Thaddeus, and Phrygia Philip”.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>St. Gregory of Tours (died 594) St. Gregory's testimony: “Thomas the
Apostle, according to the narrative of his martyrdom is stated to have
suffered in India. His holy remains (corpus), after a long interval of
time, were removed to the city of Edessa in Syria and there interred. In
that part of India where they first rested, stand a monastery and a
church of striking dimensions, elaborately adorned and designed. This
Theodore, who had been to the place, narrated to us.’<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>St. Isidore of Seville in Spain (d. c. 630). St. Isidore's
testimony: “This Thomas preached the Gospel of Christ to the Parthians,
the Medes, the Persians, the Hyrcanians and the Bactrians, and to the
Indians of the Oriental region and penetrating the innermost regions and
sealing his preaching by his passion he died transfixed with a lance at
Calamina (present Mylapore),a city of India, and there was buried with honour”.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
<li>St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735).St. Bede's testimony: “Peter
receives Rome, Andrew Achaia; James Spain; Thomas India; John Asia"<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Saint_Thomas_Cross"> </span></h3>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Saint_Thomas_Cross">Saint Thomas Cross</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 112px;">
<img alt="Mar Thoma Sliva.jpg" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Mar_Thoma_Sliva.jpg/110px-Mar_Thoma_Sliva.jpg" height="127" width="110" />
</div>
</div>
In the sixteenth century work <i>Jornada</i>, Antonio Gouvea writes
of ornate crosses “known as Saint Thomas Cross or Mar Thoma Sliba".
These crosses date from the 6th century and are found in a number of
churches in Kerala, Mylapore and Goa.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i> </i></sup> <i>Jornada</i> is the oldest known written document to refer to this type of cross as a St. Thomas Cross.
The original term used is “Cruz de San Thome” which literally
translates as Cross of St. Thomas. Gouvea also writes about the
veneration of the Cross at Cranganore, referring to the cross as "Cross
of Christians.<br />
<br />
<br />
<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2012)"><br /></span></i></sup>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Writings_attributed_to_Thomas">Writings attributed to Thomas</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 112px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Thomas.jpg/110px-Thomas.jpg" height="236" width="110" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Russian Orthodox icon of St. Thomas the
Apostle, with scroll, 18th century (Iconostasis of Transfiguration
Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia).</div>
</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
Let
none read the gospel according to Thomas, for it is the work, not of
one of the twelve apostles, but of one of Mani's three wicked
disciples."<br />
<dl><dd>—Cyril of Jerusalem, <i>Cathechesis</i> V (4th century)</dd></dl>
</blockquote>
In the first two centuries of the Christian era, a number of writings
were circulated. It is unclear now why Thomas was seen as an authority
for doctrine, although this belief is documented in Gnostic groups as
early as the <i>Pistis Sophia</i> In that Gnostic work, Mary Magdalene (one of the disciples) says:<br />
<blockquote>
Now at this time, my Lord, hear, so that I speak openly, for thou
hast said to us "He who has ears to hear, let him hear:" Concerning the
word which thou didst say to Philip: "Thou and Thomas and Matthew are
the three to whom it has been given… to write every word of the Kingdom
of the Light, and to bear witness to them"; hear now that I give the
interpretation of these words. It is this which thy light-power once
prophesied through Moses: "Through two and three witnesses everything
will be established. The three witnesses are Philip and Thomas and
Matthew"<br />
<dl><dd>—<i>Pistis Sophia</i> 1:43</dd></dl>
</blockquote>
An
early, non-Gnostic tradition may lie behind this statement, which also
emphasizes the primacy of the Gospel of Matthew in its Aramaic form,
over the other canonical three.<br />
<br />
Besides the <i>Acts of Thomas</i> there was a widely circulated <i>Infancy Gospel of Thomas</i> probably written in the later 2nd century, and probably also in Syria,
which relates the miraculous events and prodigies of Jesus' boyhood.
This is the document which tells for the first time the familiar legend
of the twelve sparrows which Jesus, at the age of five, fashioned from
clay on the Sabbath day, which took wing and flew away. The earliest
manuscript of this work is a 6th-century one in Syriac. This gospel was first referred to by Irenaeus;
Ron Cameron notes: "In his citation, Irenaeus first quotes a
non-canonical story that circulated about the childhood of Jesus and
then goes directly on to quote a passage from the infancy narrative of
the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:49). Since the Infancy Gospel of Thomas
records both of these stories, in relative close proximity to one
another, it is possible that the apocryphal writing cited by Irenaeus
is, in fact, what is now known as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Because
of the complexities of the manuscript tradition, however, there is no
certainty as to when the stories of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas began
to be written down."<br />
<br />
The best known in modern times of these documents is the "sayings" document that is being called the Gospel of Thomas,
a noncanonical work whose date is disputed. The opening line claims it
is the work of "Didymos Judas Thomas" – whose identity is unknown. This
work was discovered in a Coptic translation in 1945 at the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi,
near the site of the monastery of Chenoboskion. Once the Coptic text
was published, scholars recognized that an earlier Greek translation had
been published from fragments of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus in the 1890s.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-britannica-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Saint Thomas (Christian Apostle) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ppn-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">History, Payyappilly Palakkappilly Nasrani family</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Saint Thomas the Apostle". D. C. Kandathil<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-26</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-latin_mass_soc-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Liturgical Calendar: December'". Latin-mass-society.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/italy/0164.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"... Judas Thomas, as he is called [in the <i>Acta Thomae</i>] and elsewhere in Syriac tradition ...". <span class="citation encyclopaedia">"St. Thomas the Apostle". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. 1913.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-turner-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Turner, John D. <i>The Book of Thomas</i>(NHC II,7 138,7–138,12). Retrieved on 10 September 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vatricana 1969, p. 96</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-commonprayer.org-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Propers for St. Thomas the Apostle". Commonprayer.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas Orthodox icon and synaxarion for 6 October</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Apostle Thomas—Synaxis of the Holy Apostles</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian) Orthodox icon and synaxarion for 6 September]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Robinson, J. Armitage (2003). <i>Two Glastonbury Legends: King Arthur and St. Joseph of Arimathea, 1926</i>. Kessinger Publishing, p. 33. ISBN 0-7661-7738-6</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-ccel-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"The Passing of Mary". Ccel.org. 2005-06-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"St Thomas Receiving the Virgin Mary’s Girdle at her Assumption", <i>Dimus,</i> no. 17 (April 2008)]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"In imitation of Saint Thomas Aquinas: art, patronage and liturgy within a Renaissance chapel", Online library</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-MEDLYCOTT_1905-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">MEDLYCOTT, India and the Apostle St. Thomas (London, 1905).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-AFM-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Ananthakrishnan G, (2006-12-26). "Thomas's visit under doubt". Times of India<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Thomas The Apostole". Stthoma.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Neill, Stephen (2004). <i>A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707</i>. Cambridge University Press. p. 29.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-neill-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Stephen Neill. A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707 ISBN 0-521-54885-3</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Mario_Bussagli_p255-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Mario Bussagli, "L'Art du Gandhara", p255</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">J.B. Segal, <i>Edessa 'the Blessed City</i>, Gorgias Press LLC, 2005, ISBN 1-59333-059-6, pp. 174–176, 250.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Mar Aprem, <i>The Chaldean Syrian Church of the East,</i> (Date and place of publication not available.)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">J.B. Segal, <i>Edessa 'the Blessed City</i>, Gorgias Press LLC, 2005, ISBN 1-59333-059-6, pp. 174–176, 250.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">General
Audience in St Peter's Square on 27 September 2006
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20060927_en.html
retrieved 01/05/2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Apocryphal_Acts_of_the_Apostles-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dr. Wright (Ed.), Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, London, 1871 (Syriac Text in Vol.1, </span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Apocryphal_Acts_of_the_Apostles-27"><span class="reference-text">English
translation in Vol. II); Rev. Paul Bedjan, Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum,
Vol. III, Leipsic-Paris, 1892.A. E. Medlycott, India and the Apostle
Thomas, London 1905, Appendix, pp. 221 -225.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The Acts of Thomas</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Chandragupta Maurya and his times By Radhakumud Mookerji P.28</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><i>Greek Satrap of Indus Valley</i>. Books.google.co.in. 1966. ISBN 978-81-208-0405-0<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Acts of St.Thomas". Gnosis.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-early_christian-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Acts of Thomas". Earlychristianwritings.com. 2006-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-04-25</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-cardinalmai-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cardinal
Mai, Scriptorum Veterum Nova Collectio, Rome, 1838. W. Cureton, Ancient
Syriac Documents, London, 1864: Latin Translation by A. Assemani;
Vindobonae, 1856; Didascalia in Coptic, Ethiopic, and Arabic. Also see
Medlycott, p. 33 ff.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-cureton32-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">(Cureton, pp. 32, 33, 34). 20th Century Discussions : Medlycott, pp 33–37 alias Menachery, STCEI, II, 20–21, Farquhar, p. 26 ff.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-eusebius-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Eusebius, <i>Historia Ecclesiastica</i>, 3.1; Patrologia Graeca, Migne Edn., 20.215; Patrologia Latina, Migne, 21.478.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-farquhar30-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Farquhar,
p. 30. 20th Century Discussions: Perumalil, pp. 50,51.E. R. Hambye,
“Saint Thomas and India”, The Clergy Monthly 16 (1952). Comes, S. J.,
“Did St. Thomas Really come to India?”, in Menachery (Ed.) STCEI, II.
Farquhar, pp. 30,31,</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Patrologia_Graeca-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Patrologia Graeca (Migne), 19–24., 20.215.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Panjikaran-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">J.C.
Panjikaran, Christianity in Malabar w.s.r.t. The St. Thomas Christians
of the Syro-Malabar Rite, Orientalia Christiana, VI, 2 (23), Roma I,
April 1926, p.99 esp. for reference to Pantaenus’ Indian visit.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-bickell-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bickell,
S. Ephraemi Syri, Caramina Nisibena, Lipsiae, 1866; Monsignor Lamy, S.
Ephraemi Syri Hymni et Sermones, (Quarto 4 vols.); Breviary acc. to the
Rite of the Church of Antioch of the Syrians, Mosul, 1886–96. Also See
Medlycott, pp. 21–32. Alias Menachery (Ed.) STCEI, II, p. 18 ff.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20c-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">20th Century Discussions : Medlycott, pp.21–32 alias Menachery (Ed.), STCEI, II, p. 18 ff.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-contra_arianos-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Homil. XXXII,xi, <i>Contra Arianos et de seipso.</i> Migne, P.G. 36-228.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20c.42.43-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">20th Century Discussions : Medlycott, pp, 42,43; Perumalil pp. 43,44.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-migne_140-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Migne, P-L 140 1143. (Also see 17. 1131, 17.1133, for his Indian knowledge.)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-various-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">20th
Century Discussions : Medlycott, pp. 43, 44. Perumalil, pp.
44.45,Perumalil and Menachery (STCEI I, II), Migne Edns.; Wm. A.
Jurgens, Faith of the Early Fathers:etc. History of Christianity-Source
Materials by M. K. George, CLS, Madras, 1982 and the Handbook of Source
Materials by Wm. G. Young.D. Ferroli, The Jesuits in Malabar, Vol. I.
Bangalore, 1939, esp. notes and documents p. 71 ff.; W.S. Hunt, The
Anglican Church in Travancore and Cochin, Kottayam, 1920, esp. p. 27,
p.33 pp. 46–50; G.T. Mackenzie, i.c.s., “History of Christianity in
Travancore”, in The Travancore State Manual, Vol-II, Edited by Nagam
Aiya, Trivandrum 1906 pp. 135–233; Menachery, STCEI, I, II.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I:</b></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b><span style="color: #660000;">The Jesus Trail Pilgrimage</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvc-6RgAf4MBal9KKHKFC5H-gc8y0Xk5nP3TyIHdPraehi9S41uXmtsDRFy8Cf4DhFHULJmow8RZb6EqxyZya8TCgJQO1s455adraUkDCqhBWPxLufTceA25xq6ZsKvM88CaFRU9y2clV/s599/493px-Map_of_Jesus_Trail.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvc-6RgAf4MBal9KKHKFC5H-gc8y0Xk5nP3TyIHdPraehi9S41uXmtsDRFy8Cf4DhFHULJmow8RZb6EqxyZya8TCgJQO1s455adraUkDCqhBWPxLufTceA25xq6ZsKvM88CaFRU9y2clV/s320/493px-Map_of_Jesus_Trail.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Jesus Trail</b>
is a 65 km (40 mi) hiking and pilgrimage route in the Galilee region of
Israel that traces the route Jesus may have walked, connecting many
sites from his life and ministry.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The main part of the
trail begins in Nazareth and passes through Tzippori, Cana (Kafr Kanna),
the Horns of Hattin, Mount Arbel Cliffs, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum,
Tabgha, and the Mount of Beatitudes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-travel.nytimes.com_1-0">[1]</sup> An alternate return route passes by Tiberias, the Jordan River, Mount Tabor, and Mount Precipice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></div>
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The trail was founded in 2007 by two hiking enthusiasts, Maoz Inon, a
Jewish Israeli entrepreneur who has established hostels and guesthouses
in Israel,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> and David Landis, a Christian American hiking specialist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> The actual marking of the trail took place in 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-travel.nytimes.com_1-1">[1]</sup> It is currently managed and promoted largely by the work of volunteers, and is a non-profit project.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The trail is public and free for anyone who wants to hike and camp
along its course. The Jesus Trail is marked with a blaze of three
stripes painted on rocks along the way (white, orange, and white). When
portions of the Jesus Trail combine with other trails (such as the Israel National Trail),
an additional orange circle is added to the previous trail marker. All
marking of the trail was completed by the public Israel Trails Committee
(ITC) which works in conjunction with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
Trail maintenance and cleaning up has been a combined effort of
international, national, and local organizations including JNF-KKL (The
Jewish National Fund), the Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth, village schools,
and international volunteers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
biblical reference for the Jesus Trail is based on a verse from the New
Testament Gospel of Matthew wherein at the start of Jesus' public
ministry he is described as moving from his home-town of Nazareth,
located in the hills of the Galilee, down to Capernaum which was a
lakeside fishing village on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus is described
as gathering his first disciples. The account is also related in the
two other synoptic gospels of Mark and Luke. The reference in the Gospel
of Matthew reads: "Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum
which was by the lake." (Matthew 4:13).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According to the Gospels, Capernaum became the home base for Jesus'
ministry: "And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own
city [referring to Capernaum]." (Matthew 9:1); also: "And when he
returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at
home." (Mark 2:1).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the official Jesus Trail Homepage Maoz Inon and David Landis
explain the Jesus Trail philosophy: "We hope that travelers of diverse
religious and ethnic backgrounds will gain a new understanding of the
life of Jesus through the people and land that shaped his historical
context along the Jesus Trail. Today, encounters on the trail still
serve as opportunities to extend and receive hospitality with diverse
groups of people. Modern travelers can practice living simply and
traveling light, gaining wisdom from the spirit of Jesus’ words from
Mark 6:8-9: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no
bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Jesus Trail was designed in the tradition of pilgrimage hiking trails around the world, such as the <i>Camino de Santiago de Compostela</i>
(the Way of Saint James) in northern Spain and the Saint Paul Trail in
Turkey. The medieval practice of religious pilgrimage has seen a
resurgence in recent years, with almost 200,000 hikers per year on the <i>Camino de Santiago</i> in the first decade of the 21st century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Target_group">Target group</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The trail is geared for Christians who seek a pilgrimage route that allows for a more personal experience of the Galilee
and sites from the life of Jesus, but integrates historical sites from
different eras, sites sacred to other religions, nature sites,
breathtaking panoramas and hiking for those who seek a physical
challenge.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-haaretz1_10-0">[10]</sup>
The Gospel Trail is a similar hiking path that opened in November 2011
to attract Christian tourism to Israel, which accounts for two-thirds of
all incoming tourism.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-haaretz1_10-1">[10]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Sections_of_the_trail">Sections of the trail</span></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 172px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Berg_der_Seligpreisungen_BW_2A.JPG/170px-Berg_der_Seligpreisungen_BW_2A.JPG" height="308" width="170" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Mount of Beatitudes and Sea of Galilee</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The geography and distances involved naturally allow the Jesus Trail
to be walked as a series of day-hikes for a total of four days, with
each day's hike being between 13 to 19 km (8 to 12 mi) in length.</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Day 1: Nazareth to Cana via Sepphoris – The trail starts in center of Nazareth at the Church of the Annunciation,
goes through the Old City of Nazareth and then ascends via steep
stairways to the ridge overlooking the city. From there the trail goes
out into agricultural fields towards the extensively excavated ancient
city of Tsippori (Sepphoris). After passing through the Arab village of
Mash'had the trail arrives at Kafr Kanna, the traditional site of the
New Testament account of Jesus turning water into wine.</li>
<li>Day 2: Cana to Kibbutz Lavi – After leaving Cana, the trail goes
almost entirely along forests and through natural and cultivated fields
to end at the outskirts of the modern Jewish agricultural commune
(Hebrew: <i>kibbutz</i>) of Lavi, which is located near the hill of the Horns of Hattin.</li>
<li>Day 3: Kibbutz Lavi to Moshav Arbel – This hike goes from hilltop to
hilltop, from the panoramic view at the Horns of Hattin, past the Druze shrine of Nabi Shu'ayb
in the small Arbel Valley, through striking scenery of a historically
dense landscape, to end near the Jewish agricultural cooperative
(Hebrew: <i>moshav</i>) of Arbel.</li>
<li>Day 4: Moshav Arbel to Capernaum via Mount of Beatitudes – After
ascending Mount Arbel
there is a climb down the cliff to come out on a small fertile
agricultural plain adjacent to the lake known as the Sea of Galilee
(Kinneret). Then the trail arrives at the northern shore of the lake to
the church at Tabgha which commemorates the New Testament account of
Jesus feeding the multitudes, then to the church and gardens at the
Mount of Beatitudes, which commemorates the Sermon on the Mount, and
then finally arriving at the ancient lakeside fishing village of
Capernaum with its extensive ruins and modern church.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Reference</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-travel.nytimes.com-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">Hiking Through Biblical Backcountry, New York Times</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (2010). 1:50,000 topographical map #3, "Lower Galilee" (Hebrew language map)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Walking with Jesus in the Galilee". BBC<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-05-22</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"CNS STORY: In northern Israel, walking from village to village, like Jesus". Catholicnews.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Vered, Ronit (2011-09-09). "Five Stops in the Galilee - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Israel's New Jesus Trail Takes Visitors Into Countryside". Washingtonpost.com. 2009-06-07<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Nov
5, 2009 17:15 (2009-11-05). "Monday 9th November KKL-JNF Israel will
mark International | People & The Environment | Jerusalem Post".
Fr.jpost.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span> <span class="error citation-comment" style="font-size: 100%;">Text " Updated Nov 5, 2009 17:22 " ignored (help)</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Our Philosophy | Galilee, Israel". Jesus Trail. 2010-12-22<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Distribucion De Los Peregrinos". Archicompostela.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-haaretz1-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Niemann,
Julia (2011-09-09). "Trekking along the Jesus Trail in northern Israel -
Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-02-03</span>.</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Dintaman, Anna; Landis, David (2013). <i>Hiking the Jesus Trail and Other Biblical Walks in the Galilee.</i> Second Edition, Village to Village Press.</li>
<li>Lewin, Dennis (2012). "The Jesus Trail: Hiking from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee". Backpacker Magazine.</li>
<li>Saar, Jacob (2011). <i>Jesus Trail and Jerusalem,</i> Eshkol Publishing.</li>
<li>Korb, Scott. (2010). <i>Life in Year One: What the World was Like in First-Century Palestine</i>. Riverhead Books.</li>
<li>Reed, Jonathan L. (2002). <i>Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-examination of the Evidence</i>. Trinity Press International.</li>
<li>Wright, N. T. (1999). <i>The Way of the Lord: Christian Pilgrimage Today</i>. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.</li>
</ul>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading"> </span> </div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
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Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a></h2>
<br />
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 3</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">BAPTISM
OF THE CONVERTS. THE FIRST MASS. PERPETUAL PRESENCE OF THE HOLY
SPECIES IN MARY</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
As the Apostles continued their
preaching and wonders in Jerusalem the number of the faithful
increased and, as saint Luke says in the fourth chapter of the Acts,
after seven days reached five thousand. All of them were busy
catechising the newcomers in preparation for Baptism, though that
work was done principally by the disciples; for the Apostles were
preaching and were conducting some controversies with the pharisees
and sadducees. The Queen, with the assistance of her angels and of
the other Marys, proceeded to prepare and adorn the hall, in which
her divine Son had celebrated the last Supper; and with her own hands
She cleansed it and scrubbed it for his return in the consecration to
be performed on the next day. She asked the owner to furnish it in
the same way as I have described for the Thursday of the Last Supper
and the devout host deferred to her wishes with deepest reverence.
She also prepared the unleavened bread and the wine necessary for the
consecration, together with the same paten and chalice in which the
Savior had consecrated. For the Baptism She provided pure water and
the basins for administering it with ease and reverence. Then the
loving Mother retired and passed the night in most fervent
aspirations, prostrations, thanksgiving and other exercises of
exalted prayer; offering to the eternal Father all that She, in her
heavenly wisdom, knew would help worthily to prepare Herself and all
the rest for the worthy administration of Baptism.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Early the next
day, which was the octave of the coming of the Holy Ghost, all the
faithful and catechumens gathered with the Apostles and disciples in
the</span> <span lang="en-US">house of the Cenacle. Saint Peter
preached to this gathering instructing them in the nature and
excellence of Baptism, the need in which they stood of it and its
divine effects, how they would, through it, be made members of the
mystical body of the Church, receive an interior character; be
regenerated to a new existence as children of God and inheritors of
his glory through the remission of sins and sanctifying grace. He
exhorted them to the observance of the divine law, to which they
subjected themselves by their own free will, and to humble
thanksgiving for this benefit and for all the</span> <span lang="en-US">others,
which they received from the hands of the Most High. He explained to
them also the mysterious and sacred truth of the holy Eucharist,
which was to be celebrated in the consecration of the true body and
blood of</span> <span lang="en-US">Jesus Christ, and he admonished
all those especially, who were to receive holy Communion after their
Baptism.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Through this sermon all the converts
were inspired with additional fervor; for their dispositions were
altogether sincere, the words of the Apostles full of life and
penetration, and the interior grace very abundant. Then the Apostles
themselves began to baptize amid the most devout and orderly
attention of the others. The catechumens entered one door of the
Cenacle and after being baptized, they passed out through another,
while the disciples and other of the faithful acted as ushers. The
most holy Mary was present at the entire ceremony, although keeping
to one side of the hall. She prayed for all of them and broke forth
in canticles of praise. She recognized the effects of Baptism in each
one, according to the greater or less degree of virtues infused in
their souls. She beheld them renewed and washed in the blood of the
Lamb, and their souls restored to a divine purity and spotlessness.
In witness of these effects, a most clear light visible to all that
were present, descended upon each one that was baptized. By this
miracle God wished to authenticate the first beginnings of this
Sacrament in his holy Church, and to console both those first
children and us, who are made partakers of this blessing without much
adverting to it or giving thanks for it.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">This
administration of Baptism was continued on that day until all were
baptized, although there were about five thousand to receive it.
While the baptized were making their thanksgiving for this admirable
blessing, the Apostles with all the disciples and the faithful spent</span>
<span lang="en-US">some time in prayer. All of them prostrated
themselves on the ground adoring the infinite and immutable God, and
confessing their own unworthiness of receiving Him in the most august
sacrament of the Altar. In this profound humility and adoration they
prepared themselves more immediately for Communion. And then they
recited the same psalms and prayers which Christ had recited before
consecrating, imitating faithfully that sacred function just as they
had seen it performed by their divine Master. Saint Peter took in his
hands the unleavened bread, and, after raising up his eyes to heaven
with admirable devotion, he pronounced over the bread the words of
consecration of the most holy body of Christ, as had been done before
the Lord Jesus (II Cor. 9, 24). Immediately the Cenacle was filled
with the visible splendor of innumerable angels; and this light
converged in a most singular manner on the Queen of heaven and earth
and was seen by all those present. Then saint Peter consecrated the
chalice and performed all the ceremonies, which Christ had observed
with the consecrated body and blood, raising them up for the
adoration of all the faithful. The Apostle partook himself of the
Sacrament and communicated it to the eleven Apostles as most holy
Mary had instructed him. Thereupon, at the hands of saint Peter, the
heavenly Mother partook of it, while the celestial spirits then
present attended with ineffable reverence. In approaching the altar
the great Lady made three profound prostrations, touching the ground
with her face.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">She returned to
her place, and it is impossible to describe in words the effects of
this participation of the holy Eucharist in this most exalted of
creatures. She was entirely transformed and elevated, completely
absorbed in this divine conflagration of the love of her most holy
Son, whom She had now received bodily. She remained in a trance,
elevated from the floor; but the holy angels shielded Her somewhat
from view according to her own wish, in order that the attention of
those present might not be unduly attracted by the divine effects
apparent in Her. The disciples continued to distribute holy
Communion, first to the disciples and then to the</span> <span lang="en-US">others
who had been believers before the Ascension. But of the five thousand
newly baptized only one thousand received Communion on that day;
because not all were entirely prepared or furnished with the insight
and</span> <span lang="en-US">attention required for receiving the
Lord in this great sacrament and mystery of the Altar.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">To explain the
rare and prodigious favor, that the sacramental body of Christ in the
sacred species should be preserved continually in the bosom of Mary,
it is not necessary to seek for another cause than that underlying
all the other favors with which God distinguished this great Lady,
namely: that it was his holy will and according to his infinite
wisdom, by which He performs according to measure and weight all that
is befitting (Wis. 11, 21). Christian prudence and piety will be
content to know as a reason, that God had singled this mere Creature
out to be his natural Mother, and that therefore She alone, of all
creatures, deserved this distinction. As this miracle of her
Mothership was unique and without parallel, it would be shameful
ignorance to seek proofs of what the Lord did in Her by comparing it
with what He did or ever will do in other souls; since Mary alone
rises supereminently above the common order of all. Yet, though all
this is true, the Lord nevertheless wishes that by the light of faith
and by enlightenment, we seek the reasons of the propriety and
equity, according to which the powerful arm of the Almighty</span>
<span lang="en-US">wrought these wonders in his most worthy Mother,
so that in them we may know and bless Him in Her and through Her; and
so that we may understand, how secure our salvation, all our hope,
and our lot are in the hands of that powerful Queen, toward whom her
Son has directed all the excess of his love. In accordance with these
truths I will explain what has been made known to me of this mystery.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The heavenly
Mother lived thirty–three years in the company of her Son and
true God; and from the time when He was born of her virginal womb She
never left Him to the time of his death on the Cross. She nursed Him,
served Him, followed Him and imitated Him conducting Herself always
as a Mother, Daughter and Spouse, as a most faithful Servant and
Friend; She enjoyed the sight of Him, his conversation, his doctrine
and the favors, which, by all these meritorious services, She
attained in this mortal life. Christ ascended into heaven,</span> <span lang="en-US">and
the force of love and right reason demanded, that He should take to
heaven with Him his most loving Mother, in order that He should not
be deprived of Her there, nor She in this world of his presence and
company. But the most ardent love which both of Them had for men,
dissolved in a manner these bonds of union, inducing our kindest
Mother to return to the world in order to establish the Church; and
moving the Son to give</span> <span lang="en-US">his consent to her
absence from Him during that time. But as the Son of God was powerful
enough to recompense Her for this privation to a certain extent, it
became for Him an obligation of his love to make such a recompense.
And the fulfillment of this obligation would not have been so
publicly acknowledged or made so manifest, if He denied his blessed
Mother the favor of accompanying Her upon earth, while He remained
seated at the glory of the right hand of his Father. Besides, the
most ardent love of the blessed Mother, having been accustomed and
nourished in the presence of the Lord her Son, would have inflicted
upon Her insufferable violence, if for so many years She was to be
deprived of</span> <span lang="en-US">that kind of presence of Him,
which was possible during her stay in the Church.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">From the
understanding which has been given me of the mystery of the love of
Christ the Lord for his most holy Mother and of the force with which
He was drawn toward Her, I would go so far as to say, that if</span>
<span lang="en-US">He had not found this way of remaining with Her in
the</span> <span lang="en-US">sacramental species, He would have come
down from the</span> <span lang="en-US">right hand of the Father to
the world in order to render companionship to his Mother while She
sojourned with his Church. And if it had been necessary that the
heavenly mansions and the celestial courtiers should be deprived of
the presence of the most sacred humanity from that time, He would
have considered that of</span> <span lang="en-US">less importance
than to be deprived of the company of his Mother. It is no
exaggeration to say this, when we all must confess, that in the
purest Mary the Lord found a correspondence and a degree of love more
conformable to his will than in all the blessed combined; and
consequently, his own love for Her exceeded his love for all others.
If the Shepherd of the Gospel leaves the ninety–nine sheep in
order to go in search of only one that is lost, and if we
nevertheless dare not say of Him that He leaves the greater for the
less; it should not cause wonder in us that this divine Shepherd
should leave all the rest of the</span> <span lang="en-US">saints in
order to be in the company of his most sincere Sheep, who clothed Him
with her own nature and raised and nourished Him as a Mother. Without
a doubt the eyes of his beloved Spouse and Mother would attract Him
in swiftest flight from those heights (Cant.</span> <span lang="en-US">6,
4) to that earth, where He had lived, whither He before this come for
the salvation of the children of Adam, toward whom He was less
attracted, yea rather repelled by their sins and by the necessity of
suffering for them. If now He descended to live with his beloved
Mother, it would not be to suffer and die; but to enjoy the delights
of her company. Fortunately it is not necessary to rob heaven of his
presence; since by descending in sacramental form He could satisfy
both his own love and that of his most blessed Mother, in whose
heart, as in his couch, this true Solomon could take up his rest
without leaving the right hand of his eternal Father (Cant. 3, 7).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962857"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Consider
attentively the common deception of mortals and the woeful damage
they suffer. For in the decisions of their will they ordinarily are
moved solely by what they perceive through the senses, and they
immediately proceed to act upon their choice without further
consideration or counsel. Since the sensible impressions immediately
move the animal passions and inclinations, it is evident that men do
not act according to right reason, but according to the impulse of
passion, excited by the senses and their objects. Hence, he that
considers only the injury and pain caused, is straightway moved to
vengeance; he that follows only his hankering after strange property,
as soon as he lays his eyes upon it, is impelled to injustice. In the
same manner act so many unfortunates, who follow the concupiscence of
the eyes, the movements of the flesh, and the pride of life</span>
<span lang="en-US">because these are the only things offered by the
world and the devil. In their blind deception they follow darkness as
their light, taste the bitter as sweet, take deadly poison for remedy
of their souls, and hold that for wisdom which is nothing but
diabolical and earthly ignorance. Do thou guard thyself against these
pernicious errors, and never resolve on anything, or govern thyself
by anything that is merely sensible or arising from sensible
impressions, nor pursue the advantages held out through them. In thy
actions take counsel first of all from the interior knowledge and
light communicated to thee by God, in order that thou mayest not go
blindly forward; and He shall always grant thee sufficient guidance.
Immediately seek the advice of thy superiors and teachers, if thou
canst do so before making thy choice. And if thy superior or teacher
is not at hand, seek counsel of others, even inferiors; for this is
more secure than to follow thy own will, which may be disturbed and
blinded by passion. This is the rule to be followed especially in the
exterior works, pursuing them with recollection, with secrecy, and
according to the demands of circumstances and fraternal charity as
they occur. In all of them it is necessary not to lose out of sight
the north–star of interior light, while moving in the profound
gulf of the companionship with creatures, where there is continual
danger of perishing.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<b>SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"</b><br />
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
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<span class="text"> <b><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE - MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="142"></a><b>142</b> <i>By his Revelation</i>, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."<sup>1</sup> The adequate response to this invitation is faith. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="143"></a><b>143</b> <i>By faith</i>, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.<sup>2</sup> With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of faith".<sup>3</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> </span><br />
<span class="text">
<b>ARTICLE 2 - WE BELIEVE</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="166"></a><b>166</b>
Faith is a personal act - the free response of the human person to the
initiative of God who reveals himself. But faith is not an isolated act.
No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone. You have not
given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. The believer
has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. Our love
for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our
faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I
cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my
faith I help support others in the faith.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="167"></a><b>167</b> "I believe" (<i>Apostles' Creed</i>) is the faith of the Church professed personally by each believer, principally during Baptism. "We believe" (<i>Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed</i>)
is the faith of the Church confessed by the bishops assembled in
council or more generally by the liturgical assembly of believers. "I
believe" is also the Church, our mother, responding to God by faith as
she teaches us to say both "I believe" and "We believe".<br />
<br />
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<b>I. "LORD, LOOK UPON THE FAITH OF YOUR CHURCH"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="168"></a><b>168</b>
It is the Church that believes first, and so bears, nourishes and
sustains my faith. Everywhere, it is the Church that first confesses the
Lord: "Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you", as we sing
in the hymn <i>"Te Deum"</i>; with her and in her, we are won over and
brought to confess: "I believe", "We believe". It is through the Church
that we receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism. In the <i>Rituale Romanum</i>,
the minister of Baptism asks the catechumen: "What do you ask of God's
Church?" And the answer is: "Faith." "What does faith offer you?"
"Eternal life."<sup>54</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="169"></a><b>169</b>
Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of
faith through the Church, she is our mother: "We believe the Church as
the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the
author of our salvation."<sup>55</sup> Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.<br />
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<b>II. THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="170"></a><b>170</b>
We do not believe in formulas, but in those realities they express,
which faith allows us to touch. "The believer's act [of faith] does not
terminate in the propositions, but in the realities [which they
express]."<sup>56</sup> All the same, we do approach these realities
with the help of formulations of the faith which permit us to express
the faith and to hand it on, to celebrate it in community, to assimilate
and live on it more and more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="171"></a><b>171</b>
The Church, "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", faithfully guards
"the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints". She guards
the memory of Christ's words; it is she who from generation to
generation hands on the apostles' confession of faith.<sup>57</sup> As a
mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and
communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in
order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.<br />
<br />
<b>III. ONLY ONE FAITH</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="172"></a><b>172</b>
Through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples and
nations, the Church has constantly confessed this one faith, received
from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism, and grounded in the
conviction that all people have only one God and Father.<sup>58</sup> St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a witness of this faith, declared:<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="173"></a><b>173</b>
"Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even
to the ends of the earth, having received the faith from the apostles
and their disciples. . . guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as
dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes as if having but
one soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches and hands on this
faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth."<sup>59</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="174"></a><b>174</b>
"For though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the
Tradition is one and the same. The Churches established in Germany have
no other faith or Tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of
the Celts, nor those of the East, of Egypt, of Libya, nor those
established at the center of the world. . ."<sup>60</sup> The Church's message "is true and solid, in which one and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world."<sup>61</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="175"></a><b>175</b> "We guard with care the faith that we have
received from the Church, for without ceasing, under the action of God's
Spirit, this deposit of great price, as if in an excellent vessel, is
constantly being renewed and causes the very vessel that contains it to
be renewed."<sup>62</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief"><b>IN BRIEF</b></a>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="176"></a><b>176</b> Faith is a personal adherence of the whole
man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of the intellect
and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and
words.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="177"></a><b>177</b> "To believe" has thus a twofold reference:
to the person, and to the truth: to the truth, by trust in the person
who bears witness to it.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="178"></a><b>178</b> We must believe in no one but God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="179"></a><b>179</b> Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="180"></a><b>180</b> "Believing" is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="181"></a><b>181</b> "Believing" is an ecclesial act. The
Church's faith precedes, engenders, supports and nourishes our faith.
The Church is the mother of all believers. "No one can have God as
Father who does not have the Church as Mother" (St. Cyprian, <i>De unit</i>. 6: PL 4, 519).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="182"></a><b>182</b> We believe all "that which is contained in
the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes
for belief as divinely revealed" (Paul VI, CPG § 20).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="183"></a><b>183</b> Faith is necessary for salvation. The Lord
himself affirms: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he
who does not believe will be condemned" (<i>Mk </i>16:16).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="184"></a><b>184</b> "Faith is a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come" (St. Thomas Aquinas. <i>Comp. theol</i>. 1, 2).<br />
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54 <i>Roman Ritual</i>, Rite of baptism of adults.<br />
55 <i>Faustus of Riez, De Spiritu Sancto</i> 1,2:PL 62,II.<br />
56 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,1,2, <i>ad</i> 2.<br />
57 <i>1 Tim</i> 3:15; <i>Jude</i> 3.<br />
58 Cf. <i>Eph</i> 4:4-6.<br />
59 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 1,10,1-2:PG 7/1,549-552.<br />
60 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 1,10,1-2:PG 7/1,552-553.<br />
61 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 5,20,1:PG 7/2,1177.<br />
62 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 3,24,1:PG 7/1,966.
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens, and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-15326293802030429572018-06-17T10:45:00.001-05:002018-06-17T10:45:56.420-05:00Sunday June 17, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Parable; Reading 1, Ezekiel 17:22-24; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; Reading 2, Second Corinthians 5:6-10; Gospel, Mark 4:26-34 and Lectio Divina: Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Aloysius of Gonzaga; Snippet I Biography of Saint Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus and Patron Saint of Fathers; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 2 - First Sermon of the Apostles and Mary's Care of the Converts ; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Three - Mans Response to God; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday June 17, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Parable; </i><i>Reading 1, Ezekiel 17:22-24; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; Reading 2, Second Corinthians 5:6-10; Gospel, Mark 4:26-34 and Lectio Divina:</i><i> Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Aloysius of Gonzaga;<b> </b>Snippet I Biography of Saint Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus and Patron Saint of Fathers</i><i>; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 2 - First Sermon of the Apostles and Mary's Care of the Converts ; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Three - </i><i><i>Mans Response to God</i> ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>June 15, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Our Lady of Medjugorje message to the world through Ivan's Apparition tonight on Apparition Hill. June 15, 2018. in commemoration of the 37th Anniversary of our Lady of Medjugorje.<br />
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Dear Children,<br />
Also today in a special way I desire to call you to the Eucharist. Let the Mass be the center of your life. Especially dear Children, let the Eucharist be in your families. The family must attend Holy Mass and worship Jesus. Jesus must be the center of your lives. Therefore dear children, renew family prayer and go with Jesus. Thank you dear children also today for having responded to my call. ~Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church</div>
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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Pope Francis at Angelus: the Kingdom of God grows mysteriously</h2>
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<i>On Sunday, before thousands gathered in St Peter's Square, Pope Francis explains the two parables about the Kingdom of God from the Gospel of the day before the recitation of the Angelus.</i></div>
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<b>By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp</b><br />
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Pope Francis reflected on the two parables regarding the “<b>Kingdom of God</b> and its dynamic growth” from the Sunday Gospel (Mark 4:26-34) before reciting the <b>Angelus </b>on Sunday before thousands gathered in <b>St Peter's Square</b>.<br />
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The Kingdom grows by its own power</h2>
Jesus uses the first parable (Mark 26-29) to compare the Kingdom of God to “the mysterious growth of a seed” which is sown, sprouts, grows and produces grain “independent of the care of the farmer”, the Pope said. The message is that the kingdom of God has “erupted on the field of the world”, through Jesus’ preaching and action. The Kingdom grows and develops not as a work of human labor but “of its own power, and according to criteria that are humanly speaking indecipherable…. [It] is above all an expression of the power and the goodness of God”, Pope Francis said.<br />
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The Kingdom grows mysteriously</h2>
When human history seems to develop contrary to the will of God, the Pope said that “we are called to live this period as a season of trial, of hope and in vigilant waiting for the harvest”. The Kingdom grows mysteriously; its power is hidden in a small seed that is filled with “victorious vitality”. When times are dark, we need to trust in “God’s quiet but powerful action,” and “remain anchored in God’s faithfulness, in his presence which always saves”, he said.<br />
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The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed</h2>
The meaning of this parable is “the logic God’s unpredictability” which is not easy for us to accept. Jesus invites us to a faith that exceeds calculation and forecasts. “It is an invitation to open ourselves with greater generosity to God’s plans over our own personal … plans”. The Lord offers us occasions “to be involved in his dynamics of love, of welcoming, and of mercy toward all”. It is up to us to be aware of those opportunities.<br />
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The Pope concluded his reflection saying that “courageously moving forward in trust and humble abandonment in God” is the means by which we can judge the “authenticity of the mission of the Church”. Placing ourselves in God’s hands, aware of “being small and weak instruments”, we can accomplish great works” and allow “his Kingdom —a kingdom of justice, peace and joy in the Spirit—to progress”.<br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 06/17/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - parable</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="css-1khtv86 e1rg2mtf2"><span class="bold">par</span>-<span class="italic">uh</span>-b<span class="italic">uh</span> l</span>]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> 1175–1225;</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="luna-date">1275–1325;</span> <span class="luna-langn">Middle English</span> <span class="italic">parabil</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Late Latin</span> <span class="italic">parabola</span> comparison, parable, word < <span class="luna-langn">Greek</span> <span class="italic">parabolḗ</span> comparison, equivalent to <span class="italic">para-</span> para-<sup>1</sup> + <span class="italic">bolḗ</span> a throwing</span></h4>
noun<br />
<ol class="css-zw8qdz e10vl5dg3">
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.</span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="2"><span class="css-9sn2pa e10vl5dg6">a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.</span></li>
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Lectio Divina:</h4>
<b>Jesus explained the parable to His disciples</b><br />
In the house, when they were on their own with Jesus, the disciples want to know what the parable means. They do not understand it. Jesus is astonished by their failure to understand (Mk 4:13) and at that point responds in a way that is difficult and mysterious. He says to His disciples, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'" (Mk 4:11-12) This makes the people wonder, “What use is the parable then? Is it to make things clear or to hide them?” Perhaps Jesus uses parables so that people will go on living in ignorance and not become converted? Certainly not! Today’s Gospel says that “with many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it” (Mk4:33).<br />
<br />
The parable reveals and hides at the same time! It reveals, to those who have become attuned, who accept Jesus, the Servant Messiah. It hides, from those who insist on seeing Him as Messiah who is a mighty king. These see the images of the parable but they do not grasp their meaning. In a parable, the listener has to move to the frame of reference of the storyteller. Without that, the understanding cannot begin. If a story is told as concrete instruction, then there is argument and debate by those opposed. With a parable, if there is animosity towards the idea, as many had to the new ideas of Jesus, the person goes away confused or disinterested rather than angry.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Ezekiel 17:22-24</h2>
22 "The Lord Yahweh says this: From the top of the tall cedar tree, from the highest branch I shall take a shoot and plant it myself on a high and lofty mountain.<br />
23 I shall plant it on the highest mountain in Israel. It will put out branches and bear fruit and grow into a noble cedar tree. Every kind of bird will live beneath it, every kind of winged creature will rest in the shade of its branches.<br />
24 And all the trees of the countryside will know that I, Yahweh, am the one who lays the tall tree low and raises the low tree high, who makes the green tree wither and makes the withered bear fruit. I, Yahweh, have spoken, and I will do it." '<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16</h2>
2 to proclaim your faithful love at daybreak, and your constancy all through the night,<br />
3 on the lyre, the ten-stringed lyre, to the murmur of the harp.<br />
13 Planted in the house of Yahweh, they will flourish in the courts of our God.<br />
14 In old age they will still bear fruit, will remain fresh and green,<br />
15 to proclaim Yahweh's integrity; my rock, in whom no fault can be found.<br />
~~Reading 2, Second Corinthians 5:6-10<br />
6 We are always full of confidence, then, realizing that as long as we are at home in the body we are exiled from the Lord,<br />
7 guided by faith and not yet by sight;<br />
8 we are full of confidence, then, and long instead to be exiled from the body and to be at home with the Lord.<br />
9 And so whether at home or exiled, we make it our ambition to please him.<br />
10 For at the judgement seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Second Corinthians 5:6-10</h2>
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6 We are always full of confidence, then, realizing that as long as we are at home in the body we are exiled from the Lord,<br />
7 guided by faith and not yet by sight;<br />
8 we are full of confidence, then, and long instead to be exiled from the body and to be at home with the Lord.<br />
9 And so whether at home or exiled, we make it our ambition to please him.<br />
10 For at the judgement seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel and Lectio Divina</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - Mark 4:26-34</b></span></span></span></h2>
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Gospel: Mark 4:26-34</h3>
26 He also said, 'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the land.<br />
27 Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know.<br />
28 Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.<br />
29 And when the crop is ready, at once he starts to reap because the harvest has come.'<br />
30 He also said, 'What can we say that the kingdom is like? What parable can we find for it?<br />
31 It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.<br />
32 Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.'<br />
33 Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it.<br />
34 He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were by themselves.<br />
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Lectio Divina - Mark 4:26-34</h3>
The Parables of the Kingdom of God The Kingdom is like a seed<br />
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<h4>
~~1. Opening Prayer</h4>
Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit to open the Scriptures for us in the same way that You opened them for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. With the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the terrible events of your condemnation and crucifixion. Thus, the cross, that seemed to be the end of all hope, could be seen by them as the source of life and resurrection.<br />
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Create in us the silence that will enable us to listen to Your voice in creation and in Scripture, in the events of life and in other people, especially in the poor and the suffering. May Your Word direct us so that we, too, just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, may experience the power of Your resurrection and be witnesses for others of the truth that You are alive and that You live in our midst, as the source of fraternity, peace and justice. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary, who have revealed the Father to us and have sent us Your Holy Spirit. Amen.<br />
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<h4>
~~2. Reading</h4>
a) A division of the text that will help our understanding<br />
Mk 4:26-29: The parable of the seed that springs up on its own<br />
Mk 4:30-32: The parable of the grain of mustard<br />
Mk 4:33-34: The conclusion regarding parables.<br />
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b) The text: Mk 4:26-34<br />
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.<br />
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<h4>
~~ 3. A Moment of Prayerful Silence</h4>
- so that the Word of God may enter and enlighten our lives.<br />
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<h4>
~~ 4. Questions</h4>
a) Why do both parables use growth as a theme for the kingdom of God?<br />
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b) In one parable, the result is ripe grain (food), and in the other it is shade for birds. How do these tie together?<br />
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c) What does Jesus mean by “the kingdom of God” in these parables, what would the listeners of the time mean by it, and what do we mean by it?<br />
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<h4>
5. For those who want to look more deeply at the theme</h4>
a) For a better understanding<br />
Why Jesus taught through parables: Jesus recounted many parables. All of them are taken from the life of the people. He helped people to discover the things of God in everyday life in this way, as life becomes more transparent, because the extraordinary things of God are hidden in the ordinary and common things of everyday life. The people could understand the things of life. The parables provide the key that opens that life and finds the signs of God in it.<br />
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Through the parables, Jesus helped the people to see the mysterious presence of the Kingdom in the things of life. A parable is a comparison. Jesus used the known and obvious things of life to help to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people of Galilee understood when someone talked about seeds, land, rain, sunshine, salt, flowers, fish, harvest, etc. Jesus used all these things that the people knew very well, in His parables, to help to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.<br />
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The parable of the sower is a portrait of a farmer’s life. At that time, it was hard to make a living from farming. The land was full of stones. There were many rough plants, not much rain, and a strong sun. In addition, the people, in order to take shortcuts, often walked across the land and trampled on the plants (Mk 2:23). Despite all that, every year the farmer would plant, trusting in the power of the seed and in the generosity of nature.<br />
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A parable doesn’t say everything, but induces a person to think and make discoveries, beginning with the experience the listeners have of the seed. This is not a neatly packaged doctrine that arrives all ready to be taught and embellished. The parable does not provide water in a bottle, but rather, leads people to the source. It also has depth. The deeper you penetrate it, the more you discover, and after, there is even more yet to discover and learn from it. A farmer, listening, would say, “Seed in the ground, I know what that is, but Jesus is saying that this has something to do with the kingdom of God! What could that be?” It’s not difficult to imagine the long conversations that might follow with the crowd. The parable moves with the people and gets them to listen to nature and to think about life.<br />
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b) Commentary on the text<br />
It is wonderful to see Jesus, again and again, looking at life and at what’s happening around Him, for things and images that might help the people to detect and to experience the presence of the Kingdom. In today’s Gospel, again, He tells two short stories about things that happen every day in our lives: the story of the seed that grows all on its own, and the story of the tiny mustard that grows to be so big.<br />
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The story of the seed that grows all on its own<br />
The farmer who plants the seed knows the process: first the seed, then the green shoot, the leaf, the ear and the grain. The farmer knows how to wait and will not cut the stalk before it is time, but he does not know from where the power comes for the soil, the rain, the sun and the seed to make a seed turn into fruit. That’s what the kingdom of God is like. It’s a process. There are stages and points of growth. It takes time and happens in time. The fruit comes at the right time but no one can explain its mysterious power. No one is its master. Only God!<br />
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The story of the tiny mustard seed that turns into something very big<br />
The mustard seed is small, but it grows, to the point where the birds can make their nests in its branches. That’s what the Kingdom is like. It begins as something very small. Then it grows and spreads its branches. The parable does not say who the birds are. The answer to that question will come later in the Gospel. The text suggests that it refers to the pagans who will not be able to get into the community and be sharers in the Kingdom.<br />
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Jesus explained the parable to His disciples<br />
In the house, when they were on their own with Jesus, the disciples want to know what the parable means. They do not understand it. Jesus is astonished by their failure to understand (Mk 4:13) and at that point responds in a way that is difficult and mysterious. He says to His disciples, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'" (Mk 4:11-12) This makes the people wonder, “What use is the parable then? Is it to make things clear or to hide them?” Perhaps Jesus uses parables so that people will go on living in ignorance and not become converted? Certainly not! Today’s Gospel says that “with many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it” (Mk4:33).<br />
<br />
The parable reveals and hides at the same time! It reveals, to those who have become attuned, who accept Jesus, the Servant Messiah. It hides, from those who insist on seeing Him as Messiah who is a mighty king. These see the images of the parable but they do not grasp their meaning. In a parable, the listener has to move to the frame of reference of the storyteller. Without that, the understanding cannot begin. If a story is told as concrete instruction, then there is argument and debate by those opposed. With a parable, if there is animosity towards the idea, as many had to the new ideas of Jesus, the person goes away confused or disinterested rather than angry.<br />
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<h4>
~~~6. Prayer - Psalm 96</h4>
Tell of His salvation from day to day<br />
O sing to the Lord a new song;<br />
sing to the Lord, all the earth.<br />
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;<br />
tell of His salvation from day to day.<br />
Declare His glory among the nations,<br />
His marvelous works among all the peoples.<br />
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;<br />
He is to be revered above all gods.<br />
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,<br />
but the Lord made the heavens.<br />
Honor and majesty are before Him;<br />
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.<br />
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,<br />
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.<br />
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;<br />
bring an offering, and come into His courts.<br />
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;<br />
tremble before Him, all the earth.<br />
Say among the nations, "The Lord is king!<br />
The world is firmly established;<br />
it shall never be moved.<br />
He will judge the peoples with equity."<br />
Let the heavens be glad,<br />
and let the earth rejoice;<br />
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;<br />
let the field exult, and everything in it.<br />
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy<br />
before the Lord; for He is coming,<br />
for He is coming to judge the earth.<br />
He will judge the world with righteousness,<br />
and the peoples with His truth.<br />
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<h4>
~~7. Closing Prayer</h4>
Lord Jesus, we give You thanks for Your word that has helped us to see more clearly what is the will of the Father. Let your Spirit enlighten our actions and give us the strength to be able to do what Your word has allowed us to see. Let us, like Mary your Mother, not just listen to Your Word, but also to put it into practice. You live and reign with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen<br />
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Reference: <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Week:</span></span><b> St Aloysius Gonzaga</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>June 21</b></div>
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<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> </i>Young students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, the blind, AIDS patients, AIDS care-givers</div>
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<b>Attributes</b>: Lily, cross, skull, rosary<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsX9KPXdOcHp-swPMQ8K-NonFsg0UGTh0KDmUQlPxiVJ6_8nBONu243op8gwbAzvObjhaV6wB05DLiP1FXkM_kLuaYIiuap6ZUTs8sNUsRsx7dOvaLQUh2jJobTLT9ZLqzlZDRNdPSLDF/s1600/The_Vocation_of_Saint_Aloysius_Gonzaga.PNG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsX9KPXdOcHp-swPMQ8K-NonFsg0UGTh0KDmUQlPxiVJ6_8nBONu243op8gwbAzvObjhaV6wB05DLiP1FXkM_kLuaYIiuap6ZUTs8sNUsRsx7dOvaLQUh2jJobTLT9ZLqzlZDRNdPSLDF/s1600/The_Vocation_of_Saint_Aloysius_Gonzaga.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vocation of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga</td></tr>
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<b>Aloysius Gonzaga</b>, S.J. (Italian: <span lang="it"><i>Luigi Gonzaga</i></span>, Spanish: <span lang="es"><i>Luis de Gonzaga</i></span>;
March 9, 1568 – June 21, 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a
member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman
College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of an epidemic.
He was beatified in 1605, and canonized in 1726.<br />
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Gonzaga was born the eldest of seven children,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dublin_1-0">[1]</sup>
at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia
and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Duchy of
Mantua, into the illustrious House of Gonzaga. "Aloysius" is the Latin
form of Gonzaga's given name, Luigi.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-univ_2-0">[2]</sup><br />
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He
was the oldest son of Ferrante Gonzaga (1544–1586), Marquis of
Castiglione, and Marta Tana di Santena, daughter of a baron of the
Piedmontese Della Rovere
family. His father had been offered the position of commander-in-chief
of the cavalry of Henry VIII of England, but preferred the Spanish
court.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-coulson_3-0">[3]</sup> His mother was a lady-in-waiting to Isabel, the wife of Philip II of Spain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-martin_4-0">[4]</sup><br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-martin_4-0">Early Life</sup></h2>
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As the first-born son, he was in line to inherit his father's title of Marquis.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-univ_2-1">[2]</sup>
His father assumed that Aloysius would become a soldier, as the family
was constantly involved in the frequent minor wars in the region. His
military training started at an early age, but he also received an
education in languages and the arts. As early as age four, Luigi was
given a set of miniature guns and accompanied his father on training
expeditions so that the boy might learn “the art of arms.”<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-martin_4-1">[4]</sup>
At the age of five, Aloysius was sent to a military camp to get started
on his career. His father was pleased to see his son marching around
camp at the head of a platoon of soldiers. His mother and his tutor were
less pleased with the vocabulary he picked up there.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup><br />
<br />
He grew up amid the violence and brutality of Renaissance Italy and witnessed the murder of two of his brothers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-univ_2-2">[2]</sup>
In 1576, at the age of 8, he was sent to Florence, along with his
younger brother, Rodolfo, to serve at the court of the Grand Duke
Francesco I de' Medici and to receive further education.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-oconor_6-0">[6]</sup>
While there, he fell ill with a disease of the kidneys, which was to
trouble him throughout his life. While he was ill, he took the
opportunity to read about the saints and to spend much of his time in
prayer. He is said to have taken a private vow of chastity at the age of
9. In November 1579, the brothers were sent to the Duke of Mantua.
Aloysius was shocked by the violent and frivolous lifestyle he
encountered there.<br />
<br />
Aloysius returned to Castiglione where he met Cardinal Charles Borromeo, and from him received First Communion on July 22, 1580.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-oconor_6-1">[6]</sup> After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius felt strongly that he wanted to become a missionary himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_7-0">[7]</sup>
He started practicing by teachingcatechism classes to young boys in
Castiglione in the summers. He also repeatedly visited the houses of the
Capuchin friars and the Barnabites located in Casale Monferrato, the
capital of the Gonzaga-ruled Duchy of Montferrat where the family spent
the winter. He also adopted an ascetic lifestyle.<br />
<br />
The
family was called to Spain in 1581 to assist the Holy Roman Empress
Maria of Austria. They arrived in Madrid in March 1582, where Aloysius
and Rodolfo became pages for the young Infante Diego (1575–82).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-oconor_6-2">[6]</sup>
At that point, Aloysius started thinking in earnest about joining a
religious order. He had considered joining the Capuchins, but he had a
Jesuit
confessor in Madrid and decided instead to join that order. His mother
agreed to his request, but his father was furious and prevented him from
doing so.<br />
<br />
In July 1584, a year and a half after the
Infante's death, the family returned to Italy. Aloysius still wanted to
become a priest
but several members of his family worked hard to persuade him to change
his mind. When they realized there was no way to make him give up his
plan, they tried to persuade him to become a secular priest, and offered
to arrange for a bishopric for him. If he were to became a Jesuit he
would renounce any right to his inheritance or status in society.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-coulson_3-1">[3]</sup>
His family was afraid of this, but their attempts to persuade him not
to join the Jesuits failed; Aloysius was not interested in higher office
and still wanted to become a missionary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Religious_life">Religious life</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Marmoutier_Abbaye_96.jpg/220px-Marmoutier_Abbaye_96.jpg" height="163" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting of Aloysius Gonzaga in Marmoutier Abbey, Alsace, France</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
In
November 1585, Aloysius gave up all rights of inheritance, which was
confirmed by the emperor. He went to Rome and, because of his noble
birth, gained an audience with Pope Sixtus V. Following a brief stay at
the Palazzo Aragona Gonzaga, the Roman home of his cousin, Cardinal
Scipione Gonzaga, on 25 November 1585 he was accepted into the novitiate
of the Society of Jesus in Rome. During this period, he was asked to
moderate his asceticism somewhat, and to be more social with the other
novices.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_7-1">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
Aloysius'
health continued to cause problems. In addition to the
kidney disease, he also suffered from a skin disease, chronic headaches
and insomnia. He was sent to Milan for studies, but after some time he
was sent back to Rome because of his health. On November 25, 1587, he
took the three religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. In
February and March 1588, he received minor orders and started studying
theology to prepare for ordination. In 1589, he was called to Mantua
to mediate between his brother, Rodolfo, and the Duke of Mantua. He
returned to Rome in May 1590. It is said that later that year, he had a
vision in which the Archangel Gabriel told him that he would die within a
year.<br />
<br />
In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital for the stricken, and Aloysius volunteered to work there.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foley_7-2">[7]</sup>
He was allowed to work in a ward where there were no plague victims, as
they were afraid to lose him. As it turned out, a man on his ward was
already infected, and on March 3, 1591 (six days before his 23rd
birthday), Aloysius showed the first symptoms of being infected. It
seemed certain that he would die in a short time, and he was given
Extreme Unction. To everyone's surprise, however, he recovered, but his
health was left worse than ever.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-craughwell_8-0">[8]</sup><br />
<br />
While
he was ill, he spoke several times with his confessor, the cardinal and
later saint, Robert Bellarmine. Aloysius had another vision, and told
Bellarmine that he would die on the Octave of the feast of <i>Corpus Christi</i>.<sup> </sup>
On that very day, which fell on June 21 that year, he seemed very well
in the morning, but insisted that he would die before the day was over.
As he began to grow weak, Bellarmine gave him the last rites, and
recited the prayers for the dying. He died just before midnight.<br />
<br />
Purity was his notable virtue.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup>
The night of his death, the Carmelite mystic St Maria Magdalena de
Pazzi had a vision of him in great glory because he had lived a
particularly strong interior life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Tiepolo_Gonzaga.jpg/170px-Tiepolo_Gonzaga.jpg" height="239" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="170" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Saint Aloysius Gonzaga in Glory</i> by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, incomplete provenance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Aloysius
was buried in the Church of the Most Holy Annunciation, which later
became the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Rome.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dublin_1-1">[1]</sup><br />
<br />
His
name was changed to "Robert" before his death, in honor of his
confessor. Many people considered him to be a saint soon after his
death, and his mortal remains were moved to the Sant'Ignazio church in
Rome, where they now rest in an urn of lapis lazuli in the Lancelotti
Chapel. His head was later translated to the basilica bearing his name
in Castiglione delle Stiviere.<br />
<br />
He was beatified only
fourteen years after his death by Pope Paul V, on October 19, 1605. On
December 31, 1726, he was canonized together with another Jesuit novice,
Stanislaus Kostka, by Pope Benedict XIII. Saint Aloysius' feast day is
celebrated on June 21, the date of his death.<br />
<br />
In 1729
Pope Benedict declared Aloysius to be the patron saint of young
students. In 1926 he was named patron of all Christian youth by Pope
Pius XI. Owing to the manner of his death, he has always been considered
a patron saint of plague victims. For his compassion and courage in the
face of an incurable disease, Aloysius Gonzaga has become the patron
both of AIDS sufferers and their caregivers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-craughwell_8-1">[8]</sup>
Aloysius is also the patron of Valmontone, a town not far from Rome. He
is the patron saint of the family Rosselli Del Turco/Lais.<br />
<br />
<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2013)"><br /></span></i></sup>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Iconography">Iconography</span></h2>
In
art, St Aloysius is shown as a young man wearing a black cassock and
surplice, or as a page. His attributes are a lily, referring to
innocence; a cross, referring to piety and sacrifice; a skull, referring
to his early death; and a rosary, referring to his devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-martin_4-2">[4]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Oblates_of_Saint_Aloysius">Oblates of Saint Aloysius</span></h3>
Not
long after Aloysius death, on his feast day in 1608, the three
daughters of his brother, Rodolfo, established, under his patronage, a
community of women dedicated to education, under the formal name of the
Noble Virgins of Jesus. This community still exists, although as of 2012
it is currently reduced to two members.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-dublin-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Aloysius Gonzaga". Gonzaga College, Dublin<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 24 December 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-univ-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Who is Aloysius Gonzaga?". Gonzaga University<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 24 December 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-coulson-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Coulson, John. <i>The Saints: A Concise Biographical Dictionary</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-martin-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Martin S.J., James. "The Life of Times of St. Aloysius Gonzaga", <i>America</i>, 20 June 2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardin, Ohio. <i>Saints and Feast Days</i>, Loyola Press, ISBN 978-0-8294-1505-6</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-oconor-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">O'Conor, John Francis Xavier (1907). <i>St. Aloysius Gonzaga. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1</i>. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-foley-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Foley, O.F.M., Leonard. <i>Saint of the Day</i>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-craughwell-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Craughwell, Thomas J. "Patron Saints for Modern Challenges". <i>St. Anthony Messenger</i>. American Catholic<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 24 December 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">James, William (1982). <i>The Varieties of Religious Experience</i>. Penguin Books. p. 258.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Religious Institutes of the Diocese of Mantua, Italy</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet I:</b></span></span></span></span></span><b> Saint </b><b>Joseph </b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<b>Foster father of Jesus and Patorn Saint of Fathers</b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>March 19</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> </i>Universal Church, Family, Fathers, Sicily, Italy<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Attributes</b>: star of bethelhem lilies, baby Jesus, carpenter</div>
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/litanylane/10083414" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJij6ppI2Vh_PcNY5oDS4HtErgNThpnX9YOHxk1GgXVUD3BiqIpAg0i8pgwJJzwTVJIBulq63kgAVIZsw5kzaTh2FxdM4YpFIHhnIyyUGKowd9TGeS-DxdiwtZhvwmGWSomd0CBE0665h/s320/StJoseph.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/litanylane/10083414" target="_blank">St Joseph, Guardian of Jesus</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Joseph</b> (Hebrew יוֹסֵף, "Yosef"; Greek: <span lang="el">Ἰωσήφ</span>)
is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus and
the guardian of Jesus. In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican
Christian traditions he is regarded as <b>Saint Joseph</b>.<br />
<br />
The
Pauline epistles, generally considered the earliest extant Christian
records, make no reference to Jesus' father; nor does the Gospel of
Mark, generally considered the first of the gospels<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Spong_2-0">]</sup>
The first appearance of Joseph is therefore in the gospels of Matthew
and Luke. Each contains a genealogy of Jesus
tracing his ancestry back to King David, but the two are from different
sons of David; Matthew follows the major royal line from Solomon, while
Luke follows a minor line from Nathan, another son of David and
Bathsheba.
Consequently all the names between David and Joseph are different.
According to Matthew "Jacob was the father of Joseph," while according
to Luke, Joseph, or possibly Jesus, is said to be "of Heli." Some
scholars reconcile the genealogies by viewing the Solomonic lineage in
Matthew as Joseph's major royal line, and the Nathanic lineage in Luke
to be Mary's minor line.<br />
<br />
Matthew and Luke are also the
only gospels to include the infancy narratives,
and again they differ. In Luke, Joseph lives in Nazareth and travels to
Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a Roman census.
Subsequently, Jesus was born there. In Matthew, Joseph was in Bethlehem,
the city of David, where Jesus is born, and then moves to Nazareth with
his family after the death of Herod. Matthew is the only Gospel to
include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight
into Egypt:
following the nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified
period (perhaps two years) until forced by Herod to take refuge in
Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Judea, and
settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of
Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus'
12th year, includes a reference to "both his parents". Christian
tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her
son. The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally
the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term
evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone.
Very little other information on Joseph is given in the gospels. He is
never quoted. Matthew records four dreams in which Joseph is
supernaturally instructed before, and after, the birth and early years
of Jesus. In the first dream, an angel confirms to Joseph that Mary is
with child, conceived by the Holy Spirit, that she will bear a son to be
named Jesus, Who will save His people from their sins; and Joseph
should, therefore, not be reluctant to marry her. In the second dream,
an angel tells Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt (from Bethlehem)
and remain until the angel instructs further, because Herod is seeking
to kill Jesus. In Joseph's third dream, an angel instructs Joseph to
return his family to Israel, implying that Herod is dead. However,
Joseph hears that Herod's son Archelaus reigns over Judea, and he is
afraid to continue the journey. In the fourth dream, God Himself warns
Joseph to avoid returning to Judea (Bethlehem). Joseph then settles Mary
and Jesus in the region of Galilee in Nazareth.<br />
<br />
Joseph
is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental
Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran faiths. In Catholic and other
traditions, Joseph is the patron saint of workers and has several feast
days. He was also declared to be the patron saint and protector of the
Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870, and is the patron of several
countries and regions. With the growth of Mariology, the theological
field of <i>Josephology</i> has also grown and since the 1950s centres for studying it have been formed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Paul_and_the_canonical_Gospels">Paul and the canonical Gospels</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Joseph_in_the_New_Testament">Joseph in the New Testament</span></h3>
The
epistles of Paul are generally regarded as the oldest extant
Christian writings. These mention Jesus' mother (without naming her),
but do not refer to his father - other than God (Romans 15:26 etc.). The
oldest gospel, that of Mark, also does not mention Jesus's father.
Joseph first appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, generally
regarded as later than Mark. Luke names Joseph's father as Heli, and
Matthew names his father as Jacob, which parallels the Old Testament
Joseph (whose father was also named Jacob) and is in keeping with that
gospel's depiction of Jesus as a second Moses. This theme is developed
further in the infancy narratives,
which, like the genealogies, have the function of establishing Jesus as
the promised Messiah, the descendant of David, born in Bethlehem.<br />
<br />
Like
the two differing genealogies the infancy narratives appear only
in Matthew and Luke, and take different approaches to reconciling the
requirement that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem with the tradition
that Jesus came from Nazareth. In Matthew, Joseph obeys the direction of
an angel to marry Mary and then to flee to Egypt to escape the massacre
of the children of Bethlehem planned by Herod the Great,
the tyrant who rules Judea. Once Herod has died, the angel tells him to
return to Galilee instead of to Bethlehem, and so Joseph takes his wife
and the child to Nazareth and settles there. Thus in Matthew, the
infant Jesus, like Moses, is in peril from a cruel king, like Moses he
has a (fore)father named Joseph who goes down to Egypt, like the Old
Testament Joseph this Joseph has a father named Jacob, and both Josephs
receive important dreams foretelling their future.
In Luke, Joseph already lives in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in
Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary have to travel there to be counted in a
census. Luke's account makes no mention of angels and dreams, the
Massacre of the Innocents, or of a visit to Egypt.<br />
<br />
The last time Joseph appears in person in any Gospel is the story of the Passover visit to the Temple
in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old, found only in Luke. Like the
infancy narratives the story is didactic, emphasising Jesus' awareness
of his coming mission: here Jesus speaks to his parents (both of them)
of "my father," meaning God, but they fail to understand.(Luke 2:41-51).<br />
<br />
None
of the Gospels mentions Joseph as present at any event during Jesus'
adult ministry. The synoptic Gospels, however, share a scene in which
the people of Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, doubt Jesus' status as a
prophet because they know his family. In Mark 6:3, they call Jesus
"Mary's son" instead of naming his father. In Matthew, the townspeople
call Jesus "the carpenter's son," again without naming his father, and
again he has brothers named James, and Joses (i.e., Joseph), and Simon,
and Judas (Matthew 13:53-58).
In Luke 3:23 "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age,
being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was [the son] of Heli,"
and Luke makes no mention of any brothers (Luke 4:16-30). In Luke the
tone is positive, whereas in Mark and Matthew it is disparaging.
This incident does not appear at all in John, but in a parallel story
the disbelieving Jews refer to "Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know" (John 6:41-51).<br />
<br />
Joseph is not
mentioned as being present at the Wedding at Cana at the beginning of
Jesus' mission, nor at the Passion at the end. If he had been present at
the Crucifixion, he would under Jewish custom have been expected to
take charge of Jesus' body, but this role is instead performed by Joseph
of Arimathea. Nor would Jesus have entrusted his mother to John's care
had her husband been alive.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Gospel_harmony">Gospel Harmony</span></h2>
A
sample Gospel harmony of the episodes of the life of Saint Joseph in
the canonical Gospels, in summarform of harmonies for the four
gospels.See the gallery below for artistic depictions of some of these
events.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Professional_life">Professional life</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Georges_de_La_Tour._St._Joseph%2C_the_Carpenter.JPG/170px-Georges_de_La_Tour._St._Joseph%2C_the_Carpenter.JPG" height="232" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="170" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Joseph the Carpenter, by Georges de La Tour, 1640s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Jesus is identified in the Gospel of Matthew 13:55 as the son of a τέκτων (<i>tekton</i>) and the Gospel of Mark 6:3 states that Jesus was a Tektōn himself. <i>Tekton</i>
has been traditionally translated into English as "carpenter", but is a
rather general word (from the same root that gives us "technical" and
"technology") that could cover makers of objects in various materials,
even builders. But the specific association with woodworking is a
constant in Early Christian tradition; Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165) wrote
that Jesus made yokes and ploughs, and there are similar early
references.<br />
<br />
John Dominic Crossan puts <i>tekton</i> into a historical context
more resembling an itinerant worker than an established artisan,
emphasizing his marginality in a population in which a peasant who owns
land could become quite prosperous. Other scholars have argued that <i>tekton</i>
could equally mean a highly-skilled craftsman in wood or the more
prestigious metal, perhaps running a workshop with several employees,
and noted sources recording the shortage of skilled artisans at the
time. Geza Vermes has stated that the terms 'carpenter' and 'son of a carpenter' are used in the Jewish Talmud
to signify a very learned man, and he suggests that a description of
Joseph as 'naggar' (a carpenter) could indicate that he was considered
wise and highly literate in the Torah.<br />
<br />
At the time of
Joseph, Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee, about 65 km from the
Holy City of Jerusalem, which is barely mentioned in surviving
non-Christian texts and documents. Archaeology
over most of the site is made impossible by subsequent building, but
from what has been excavated and tombs in the area around the village,
it is estimated that the population was at most about 400. It was,
however, only about 6 kilometres from the city of Tzippori
(ancient "Sepphoris"), which was destroyed by the Romans in 4 BC, and
thereafter was expensively rebuilt. Analysis of the landscape and other
evidence suggest that in Joseph's lifetime Nazareth was "oriented
towards" the nearby city, which had an overwhelmingly Jewish population
although with many signs of Hellenization,
and historians have speculated that Joseph and later Jesus too might
have traveled daily to work on the rebuilding. Specifically the large
theatre in the city has been suggested, although this has aroused much
controversy over dating and other issues.<sup> </sup>Other scholars see Joseph and Jesus as the general village craftsmen,
working in wood, stone and metal on a wide variety of jobs.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Modern_appraisal">Modern appraisal</span></h3>
The name of Joseph is found almost exclusively in the genealogies and the infancy narratives.
The variances between the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke are
explained on the basis that Matthew's genealogy traces his legal
descent, according to Jewish law, through St. Joseph; while Luke's genealogy traces his actual physical descent through Mary.<br />
<br />
Modern
positions on the question of the relationship between Joseph and the
Virgin Mary vary. The Eastern Orthodox Church, which names Joseph's
first wife as Salome, holds that Joseph was a widower and merely
betrothed, but never married, to Mary, and that references to Jesus'
"brothers" are to children of Joseph and Salome. The position of the
Catholic Church, derived from the writings of Saint Jerome,
is that Joseph was the husband of Mary, but that references to Jesus'
"brothers" should be understood to mean cousins or step-brothers. In
both cases, the church doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity means that
Joseph and Mary never had sexual relations. The Protestant churches,
following the tenet of Virgin Birth but not that of Perpetual Virginity,
hold no strong views on the subject.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Later_apocryphal_writings">Later apocryphal writings</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Sir_John_Everett_Millais_002.jpg/220px-Sir_John_Everett_Millais_002.jpg" height="134" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christ in the House of his Parents</i>, by John Everett Millais</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
The canonical gospels created a problem: they stated clearly that
Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, and that Joseph was not his
father; yet Joseph's paternity was essential to establish Jesus' Davidic
descent, and he and Mary were so much husband and wife that only
divorce could dissolve their union (Matthew 1:19).
The theological situation was complicated by the gospel references to
Jesus' "brothers and sisters" (repeated in Paul, where James is called
the "brother of Christ"), and by the fact that he was described
unambiguously by John and Mark as "Joseph's son" and "the carpenter's
son."
From the 2nd century to the 5th writers tried to explain how Jesus
could be simultaneously the "son of God" as well as the "son of Joseph".<br />
<br />
The first to offer a solution was the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James,
written about 150 AD. The original gospels never refer to Joseph's age,
but James presents him as an old man chosen by lot (i.e., by God) to
watch over the Virgin. Jesus' brothers are presented as Joseph's
children by an earlier marriage, and his years and righteousness explain
why he has not yet had sex with his wife: "I received her by lot as my
wife, and she is not yet my wife, but she has conceived by the Holy
Spirit."<br />
<br />
The Protoevangelium was extremely popular, but it leaves open the
possibility that Joseph might have had relations with Mary after the
birth of Jesus ("she is not yet my wife..."). A few centuries later the
developing doctrine that Mary was a virgin not only at the time of the
conception and birth of Christ, but throughout her life, meant that this
possibility had to be excluded. The apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter,
written in the 5th century and framed as a biography of Joseph dictated
by Jesus, describes how Joseph, aged 90 (the Protoevangelium had not
given Joseph a specific age), a widower with four sons and two
daughters, is given charge of the twelve-year-old Mary, who then lives
in his household raising his youngest son James the Less (the supposed
author of the Protoevengelium) until she is ready to be married at age
14½. Joseph's death at the age of 111, attended by angels and asserting
the perpetual virginity of Mary, takes up approximately half the story.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Sainthood">Sainthood</span></h2>
Together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family;
since he only appears in the birth narratives of the Gospels, Jesus is
depicted as a child when with him. The formal veneration of the Holy
Family began in the 17th century by Mgr François de Laval.<br />
<br />
Pope
Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal
Church in 1870, the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, as
well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death.
Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic
tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives
grace at the moment of death, and prays especially for families,
fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, immigrants,
house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in
general.<br />
<br />
The earliest records of a formal devotional following for Saint Joseph date to the year 800 and references to him as <i>nutritor Domini</i>
(educator/guardian of the Lord) began to appear in the 9th century, and
continued growing to the 14th century. Saint Thomas Aquinas
discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of
the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have
stoned her and that in his youth Jesus needed the care and protection of
a human father.<br />
<br />
In the 15th century major steps were taken by Saint Bernardine of Siena, Pierre d'Ailly and Jean Gerson.Gerson wrote <i>Consideration sur Saint Joseph</i> and preached sermons on Saint Joseph at the Council of Constance. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical <i>Quamquam Pluries</i> in which he urged Catholics to pray to Saint Joseph, as the patron of the Church in view of the challenges facing the Church.<br />
<br />
Josephology, the study of the <i>theology of Saint Joseph</i>,
is one of the most recent theological disciplines. In 1989, on the
occasion of the centenary of Quamquam Pluries Pope John Paul II issued <i>Redemptoris Custos</i>, i.e. <i>Guardian of the Redeemer</i>
which presented Saint Joseph's role in the plan of redemption, as part
of the "redemption documents" issued by John Paul II such as Redemptoris Mater to which it refers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Raffael_017.jpg/170px-Raffael_017.jpg" height="166" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="170" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy Family by Raphael</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
March
19, Saint Joseph's Day, has been the principal feast day of Saint
Joseph in Western Christianity, since the tenth century, and is
celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, many Lutherans and other
denominations. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the feast day of Saint Joseph is
celebrated on the First Sunday after the Nativity of Christ.<br />
<br />
In
1870, Pope Pius IX declared Joseph patron of the universal Church
and instituted another feast, with an octave, to be held in his honour
on Wednesday in the second week after Easter. This was abolished by Pope
Pius XII, when in 1955 he established the Feast of "St. Joseph the
Worker", to be celebrated on 1 May. This date counteracts May Day,
a union, workers and socialists holiday and reflects Joseph's status as
what many Catholics and other Christians consider the "patron of
workers" and "model of workers." Catholic and other Christian teachings
and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently
stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities
which believers should adopt.<br />
<br />
Pope John XXIII added the name of Joseph to the Canon of the Mass.
The 19 March feast is a solemnity and is transferred to another date if
impeded (for instance, if it falls on a Sunday, which must fall in Lent).
The 1 May celebration is an optional memorial, and so is omitted if
impeded. (However, the 1 May celebration is 1st class in the Tridentine
calendar, so in it St. Joseph the Worker was celebrated on 2 May in 2008
because 1 May was Ascension Thursday and in 2011 because 1 May was in
the Easter octave.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Places.2C_churches_and_Institutions">Places, Churches and Institutions</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Oratoire_Saint-Joseph_du_Mont-Royal_-_Montreal.jpg/170px-Oratoire_Saint-Joseph_du_Mont-Royal_-_Montreal.jpg" height="204" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="170" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Many
cities, towns, and locations are named after Saint Joseph. According to
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Spanish form, <i>San Jose</i>,
is the most common place name in the world. Probably the
most-recognized San Joses are San José, Costa Rica, and San Jose,
California, United States, given their name by Spanish colonists. Joseph
is the patron saint of the New World; of the countries China, Canada,
Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Peru, Vietnam; of the regions
Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily; and of several main cities and
dioceses.<br />
<br />
Many churches, monasteries and other
institutions are dedicated to Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph's Oratory is
the largest church in Canada, with the largest dome of its kind in the
world after that of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Elsewhere in the
world churches named after the saint may be known as those of <i>San Giuseppe</i>, e.g. San Giuseppe dei Teatini, <i>San José</i>, e.g. Metropolitan Cathedral of San José or <i>São José</i>, e.g. in Porto Alegre, Brazil.<br />
<br />
The
Sisters of St. Joseph were founded as an order in 1650 and have about
14,013 members worldwide. In 1871, the Josephite Fathers
of the Roman Catholic Church were created under the patronage of
Joseph, intending to work with the poor. The first Josephites in America
re-devoted their part of the Order to ministry within the
newly-emancipated African American community. The Oblates of St. Joseph
were founded in 1878 by St. Joseph Marello. In 1999 their Shrine of
Saint Joseph the Guardian of the Redeemer was named after the Apostolic
exhortation <i>Redemptoris Custos</i>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_and_devotions">Prayers and devotions</span></h3>
In
the Catholic tradition, just as there are prayers for the Seven Joys of
Mary and Seven Sorrows of Mary,
so there are also prayers for the seven joys and seven sorrows of Saint
Joseph; these include prayers for daily protection, vocation, happy
marriage, happy death, and hopeless cases; specific prayers, novenas and
devotions include the Prayer to Saint Joseph and the Novena to Saint
Joseph. St. Francis de Sales included Saint Joseph along with Virgin
Mary as saints to be invoked during prayers in his <i>Introduction to the Devout Life</i>,
Saint Teresa of Avila attributed her recovery of health to Saint Joseph
and recommended him as an advocate, and Saint Therese of Lisieux
stated that for a period of time, every day she prayed to "Saint
Joseph, Father and Protector of Virgins..." and felt safe and protected
from danger as a result, and Pius X composed a prayer to Saint Joseph
which begins:<br />
<dl><dd>Glorious St. Joseph, pattern of all who are devoted to toil,</dd><dd>obtain for me the grace to toil, in the spirit of penance,</dd><dd>in order to thereby atone for my many sins...</dd></dl>
There is a belief that planting a statue of St. Joseph on a house will help sell the house.
This belief is held by some theists as well as atheists, but
traditional Christian teachings view it as superstition and not a
devotion.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="In_art">In art</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Martin_Schongauer_001.jpg/220px-Martin_Schongauer_001.jpg" height="287" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nativity by Martin Schongauer (1475-80)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Up
to about the 17th century Joseph tends to be depicted as a man
advanced in years, with grey hair, often balding, occasionally frail and
with arthritic fingers and a sharp nose, a comparatively marginal
figure alongside Mary and Jesus if not entirely in the background,
passive other than when leading them on their flight to Egypt. Joseph is
shown mostly with a beard, not only in keeping with Jewish custom, but
also because – although the Gospel accounts do not give his age – later
literature tends to present him as an old man at the time of his wedding
to Mary. This depiction arose to allay concerns about both the celibacy
of the newly wedded couple, the mention of brothers and sisters of
Jesus in the canonical Gospels, and Joseph's other children spoken of in
apocryphal literature – concerns discussed very frankly by Jean Gerson
for example, who nonetheless favoured showing him as a younger man.<br />
<br />
In recent centuries – in step with a growing interest in Joseph's
role in Gospel exegesis – he himself has become a focal figure in
representations of the Holy Family. He is now often portrayed as a
younger or even youthful man (perhaps especially in Protestant
depictions), whether going about his work as a carpenter, or
participating actively in the daily life of Mary and Jesus as an equal
and openly affectionate member.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60">[60]</sup> Art critic Waldemar Januszczak
however emphasises the preponderance of Joseph's representation as an
old man and sees this as the need, " to explain away his impotence:
indeed to symbolise it. In Guido Reni's Nativity, Mary is about 15, and
he is about 70 - for the real love affair - is the one between the
Virgin Mary and us. She is young. She is perfect. She is virginal - it
is Joseph's task to stand aside and let us desire her, religiously. It
takes a particularly old, a particularly grey, a particularly kindly and
a particularly feeble man to do that. It takes a Joseph. Banished in
vast numbers to the backgrounds of all those gloomy stables in all those
ersatz Bethlehems, his complex iconographic task is to stand aside and
let his wife be worshipped by the rest of us. He is God's cuckold. And
art has no choice but to point this out - while, of course, appearing
not to."<br />
<br />
Full cycles of his life are rare in the Middle Ages, though the scenes from the <i>Life of the Virgin</i> or <i>Life of Christ</i> where he is present are far more often seen. The Mérode Altarpiece
of about 1425, where he has a panel to himself, working as a carpenter,
is an early example of what remained relatively rare depictions of him
pursuing his métier. Some statues of Joseph depict his staff as topped
with flowers, recalling the non-canonical Protoevangelion's account of
how Mary's spouse was chosen by collecting walking sticks of widowers in
Palestine, and Joseph's alone bursting into flower, thus identifying
him as divinely chosen. Several Eastern Orthodox Nativity icons show Joseph tempted by the Devil
(depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal,
and how he resists that temptation. There are some paintings with him
wearing a Jewish hat.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="refbegin" style="text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li><span class="citation book">Brown, Peter (2003). <i>The rise of Western Christendom : triumph and diversity, A.D. 200-1000</i> (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-22138-7</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">Bury, John Bagnell (1905). <i>Life of St. Patrick and his Place in History</i>. London</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Byrne, Francis J. (1973). <i>Irish Kings and High-Kings</i>. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-5882-8</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Cahill, Thomas (1995). <i>How the Irish Saved Civilization</i>. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-41849-3</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2000). <i>Early Christian Ireland</i>. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36395-0</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Dark, Ken (2000). <i>Britain and the end of the Roman Empire</i>. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2532-3</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">De Paor, Liam (1993). <i>Saint Patrick's World: The Christian Culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age</i>. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-144-9</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Duffy, Seán,, ed. (1997). <i>Atlas of Irish History</i>. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. ISBN 0-7171-3093-2</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Dumville, David (1994). "The Death date of St. Patrick"". In Howlett, David. <i>The Book of Letters of Saint Patrick the Bishop</i>. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-136-8</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Fletcher, Richard (1997). <i>The Conversion of Europe: From Paganism to Christianity 371–1386 AD</i>. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-686302-7</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Hood, A. B. E (1978). <i>St. Patrick: his Writings, and Muirchú's Life</i>. London and Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-299-0</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Hughes, Kathleen (1972). <i>Early Christian Ireland: Introduction to the Sources</i>. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-16145-0</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">Iannello, Fausto (2008). "Note storiche sull'Epistola ad Milites Corotici di San Patrizio". <i>Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, classe di Lettere, Filosofia e Belle Arti</i> <b>84</b>: 275–285</span></li>
<li> <span class="citation encyclopaedia">Moran, Patrick Francis Cardinal (1913). "St. Patrick". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">McCaffrey, Carmel (2003). <i>In Search of Ancient Ireland</i>. Chicago: Ivan R Dee. ISBN 978-1-56663-525-7</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">MacQuarrie, Alan (1997). <i>The Saints of Scotland: Essays in Scottish Church History AD 450–1093</i>. Edinburgh: John Donald. ISBN 0-85976-446-X</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (1995). <i>Early Medieval Ireland: 400–1200</i>. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-01565-0</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">O'Loughlin, Thomas (1999). <i>Saint Patrick: The Man and his Works</i>. London: S.P.C.K.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">O'Loughlin, Thomas (2000). <i>Celtic Theology</i>. London: Continuum</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">O'Loughlin, Thomas (2005). <i>Discovering Saint Patrick</i>. New York: Orbis</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">O'Loughlin, Thomas (2005). <i>The Capitula of Muirchu's Vita Patricii: do they point to an underlying structure in the text?</i>. . <i>Analecta Bollandiana</i> <b>123</b>: 79–89</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">O'Loughlin, Thomas (2007). Nagy, J. F.. ed. <i>The myth of Insularity and nationality in Ireland</i>. Dublin: Four Courts Press. pp. 132–140</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">O'Rahilly, T. F. (1942). <i>The Two Patricks: A Lecture on the History of Christianity in Fifth-Century Ireland</i>. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies</span></li>
<li><span class="citation web">Stancliffe, Claire (2004). "Patrick (fl. 5th cent.)". <i>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</i>. Oxford University Press<span class="printonly">. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21562</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2007-02-17</span>.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Thomas, Charles (1981). <i>Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500</i>. London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-1442-1</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal">Thompson, E. A.; G. B. Caird, Henry Chadwick (ed.) (1980). "St. Patrick and Coroticus". <i>The Journal of Theological Studies</i> <b>31</b>: 12–27. doi:10.1093/jts/XXXI.1.12.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Wood, Ian (2001). <i>The Missionary Life: Saints and the Evangelisation of Europe 400-1050</i>. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-31213-2</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Yorke, Barbara (2006). <i>The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c.600–800</i>. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-77292-3</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
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</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 2</span></h2>
<h3>
<span lang="en-US">SERMON OF THE APOSTLES. MARY’S CARE FOR THE CONVERTS</span></h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On account of the visible and open signs, by which the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles, the whole city of Jerusalem with its inhabitants was stirred to wonder. When the news of the astounding events at the house of the Cenacle spread about, the multitude of the people gathered in crowds to know more of the happenings (Acts 2, 6). On that day was being celebrated one of the paschs or feasts of the Jews; and as well on this account, as on account of the special dispensation of heaven, the city was crowded with foreigners and strangers from all parts of the world. For to them the Most High wished to manifest the wonders of the first preaching and spreading of the new law of grace, which the incarnate Word, our Redeemer and Master, had ordained for the salvation of men.</div>
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The sacred Apostles, who were filled with charity by the plenitude of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and who knew that all Jerusalem was gathering at the doors of the Cenacle, asked permission of their Mistress and Queen to go forth and preach to them; in order that such great graces might not even for a moment fail to redound to the benefit of souls and to new glory of their Author. They all left the house of the Cenacle and, placing themselves before the multitudes, began to preach the mysteries of the faith and of eternal life. Though until then they had been so shy and seclusive, they now stepped forth with unhesitating boldness and poured forth burning words, that like a flashing fire penetrated to the souls of their hearers.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This miracle, that all the men of so many different tongues then assembled in Jerusalem should hear the Apostles in their own language, joined to the doctrine which they preached, caused great astonishment. Yet I wish to remark, that though all the Apostles, on account of the plenitude of science and of gifts gratuitously received, were able to speak in the languages of all nations, because that was necessary for the preaching of the Gospel, yet on that occasion they all spoke the language of Palestine. Using only this idiom they were understood by all the different nationalities there present, as if they had spoken in the several idioms. This miracle the Lord wrought at the time in order that they might be understood and believed by those different nations, and in order that saint Peter might not be obliged to repeat in the different languages of those present, what he preached to them concerning the mysteries of faith. He preached only once and all heard and understood him, each in his own language, and so it happened also with the other Apostles. For if each one had spoken in the language of those who heard them, and which they knew as their mother tongue, it would have been necessary for them to repeat what they said at least seven or eight times according to the different nationalities mentioned by saint Luke (Acts 2, 9). This would have consumed a longer time than is intimated by the sacred text, and it would have caused great confusion and trouble to repeat the same doctrines over and over again or to speak so many languages on one occasion; nor would the miracle be so intelligible to us as the one mentioned.</div>
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The people who heard the Apostles did not understand the miracle, although they wondered at hearing each their own idiom. What saint Luke says about their speaking different languages, must be understood as meaning, that the Apostles were then and there able to understand them, as I shall mention later on (Acts 2, 4), because on that day, those that came to the Cenacle understood them all speaking in their own language. But this miracle and wonderment caused in their hearers different effects and opinions, according to the dispositions of each one. Those that listened piously received deep understanding of the Divinity and of the Redemption of man, now so eloquently and fervently propounded to them. They were moved eagerly to desire the knowledge of the truth; by the divine light they were filled with compunction and sorrow for their sins and with desire of divine mercy and forgiveness. With tears in their eyes they cried out to the Apostles and asked what they must do to gain eternal life. Others, who hardened their hearts, altogether untouched by the divine truths preached by them, became indignant at the Apostles, and instead of yielding to them, called them innovators and adventurers. Many of the Jews, more impious in their perfidy and envy, inveighed against the Apostles, saying they were drunk and insane (Acts 2, 13). Among these were some of those who had again come to their senses after having fallen to the ground at the thunder caused by the coming of the Holy Ghost;</div>
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The three thousand, who were converted by the first sermon of saint Peter, were from all the nations then gathered in Jerusalem, so that forthwith all nations, without excluding any, might partake of the fruits of the Redemption, all might be gathered to the Church, and all might experience the grace of the Holy Spirit; for the holy Church was to be composed of all nations and tribes. Many were Jews, who had followed Christ our Savior with kindly feelings and witnessed his sufferings and Death with compassion, as I said above. Some also of those, who had concurred in his Passion were converted, though these were few, because many would not alter their disposition; for, if they had done so, all of them would have been admitted to mercy and received pardon for their error. After their preaching the Apostles retired that evening within the Cenacle, in order to give an account to the Mother of mercy, the purest Mary. With them also entered a great number of the new children of the Church, in order that they might come to know and venerate the Mother of mercy.</div>
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But the great Queen of the angels was ignorant of nothing that had happened; for from her retreat She had heard the preaching of the Apostles and She knew the secret hearts and thoughts of all the hearers. The tenderest Mother remained prostrate with her face upon the ground during the whole time, tearfully praying for the conversion of all that subjected themselves to the faith of the Savior, and for all the rest, if they should consent to cooperate with the helps and the graces of the Lord. In order to help the Apostles in their great work of beginning to preach, and the bystanders in properly listening to them, the most holy Mary sent many of her accompanying angels with holy inspirations, encouraging the sacred Apostles and giving them strength to inquire and to manifest more explicitly the hidden mysteries of the humanity and Divinity of Christ our Redeemer. The angels fulfilled all the commands of their Queen, while She Herself exercised her own power and gifts according to the circumstances of the occasion. When the Apostles came to Her with those copious first–fruits of their preaching and of the Holy Ghost, She received them with incredible joy and sweetness and with the most loving kindness of a true Mother.</div>
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The Apostle saint Peter spoke to the recently converted and said to them: “My brethren, and servants of the Most High, this is the Mother of our Redeemer and Master, Jesus Christ, whose faith you have received in acknowledging Him as true God and man. She has given Him the human form, conceiving Him in her womb, and She bore Him, remaining a Virgin before, during and after his birth. Receive Her as your Mother, our Refuge and Intercessor, for through Her you and we shall receive light, direction, and release from our sins and miseries.” At these words of the Apostle and at the sight of most holy Mary these new adherents of the faith were filled with admirable light and consolation; for this privilege of conferring great interior blessings and of giving light to those who looked upon Her with pious veneration, was renewed and extended in Her time when She was at the right hand of her divine Son in heaven. As all of those faithful partook of these blessings in the presence of their Queen, they prostrated themselves at her feet and with tears besought her assistance and blessing. But the humble and prudent Queen evaded this latter, because of the presence of the Apostles, who were priests, and of saint Peter, the Vicar of Christ. Then this Apostle said to Her “Lady, do not refuse to these faithful what they piously ask for the consolation their souls.” The blessed Mary obeyed the head of the Church and in humble serenity of a Queen She gave her blessing to the newly converted.</div>
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The love which filled their hearts made them desire to hear from their heavenly Mother some words of consolation; yet their humility and reverence prevented them from asking for this favor. As they perceived how obediently She had yielded to saint Peter, they turned to him and begged him to ask Her not to send them away without some word of encouragement. Saint Peter though he considered this favor very proper for the souls who had been born again to Christ by his preaching and that of the other Apostles, nevertheless, aware that the Mother of Wisdom knew well what was to be done, presumed to say no more than these words; “Lady, listen to the petitions of thy servants and children.” Then the great Lady obeyed and said to the converts: “My dearest brethren in the Lord, give thanks and praise with your whole hearts to the Almighty God, because from among all men He has called and drawn you to the sure path of eternal life in the knowledge of the holy faith you have received. Be firm in your confession of it from all your hearts and in hearing and believing all that the law of grace contains as preached and ordained by its true Teacher Jesus, my Son and your Redeemer. Be eager to hear and obey his Apostles, who teach and instruct you, so that you may be signed and marked by Baptism in the character of children of the Most High. I offer myself as your handmaid to assist you in all that serves toward your consolation, and I shall ask Him to look upon you as a kind Father and to manifest to you the true joy of his countenance, communicating to you also his grace.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
By this sweetest of exhortations those new Children of the Church were filled with consolation, light, veneration and admiration of what they saw of the Mistress of the world; asking again for her blessing, they for that day left her presence, renewed and replete with the wonderful gifts of the Most High. The Apostles and disciples from that day on continued without intermission their preaching and their miracles, and through the entire octave they instructed not only the three thousand, who had been converted on Pentecost day, but multitudes of others, who day by day accepted the faith. Since they came from all parts of the world, they conversed and spoke with each one in his own language; for as I have said above, they spoke in various languages from that time on. This grace was given not only to the Apostles, although it was more complete and noticeable in them; also the disciples and all the one hundred and twenty, who were in the Cenacle at the time, and also the holy women, who received the Holy Ghost, were thus favored. This was really necessary at the time on account of the great multitudes, who came to the faith. Although all the men and many of the women came to the Apostles, yet many, after having heard them, went to Magdalen and her companions, who catechized, instructed and converted them and others that came at the report of the miracles they performed. For this gift was also conferred on the women, who, by the imposition of hands, cured all the sicknesses, gave sight to the blind, tongue to the mute, motion to the lame, and life to many of the dead. These and other wonders were principally wrought by the Apostles, nevertheless both their miracles and those of the women excited the wonder and astonishment of all Jerusalem; so that nothing else was talked about except the prodigies and the preaching of the Apostles of Jesus, of his disciples, and followers of his doctrine.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This was the happy beginning and the golden age of the evangelical Church, where the rushing of the stream rejoiced the city of God (Ps. 45, 5) and the current of grace and the gifts of the Holy Ghost fertilized this new paradise recently planted by the hands of the Savior Jesus, while in its midst stood the tree of life, most holy Mary. Then was faith alive, hope firm, charity ardent, sincerity pure, humility true, justice most equitable, when the faithful neither knew avarice nor followed vanity, when they trod under foot vain pomp, were free from covetousness, pride, ambition, which later prevailed among the professors of the faith, who while confessing themselves followers of Christ, denied Him in their works.</div>
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It will be possible in this third part to describe only a minute portion of the wonderful and great works accomplished by the mighty Queen in the primitive Church; but from those which I will describe, and from her life in this world after the Ascension, much can be inferred. For She did not rest or lose one moment or occasion of conferring some singular favor either upon the whole Church or some of its members. For She consumed Herself either in praying and beseeching her divine Son, without ever experiencing a refusal; or in exhorting, instructing, counseling, and, as Treasurer and Dispenser of the divine favors, distributing graces in diverse manners among the children of the Gospel. Among the hidden mysteries, which were made known to me concerning this power of the blessed Mary, was also this, that in those first ages, during which She lived in the holy Church, the number of the damned was proportionately very small; and that, comparatively, in those few years a greater number were saved than in many succeeding ages.</div>
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I acknowledge, that, if the lapse of time had decreased the power, the charity and clemency of that highest Sovereign, the good fortune of those living in that happy time might cause a holy envy in those living by the light of faith in our more protracted and less favored times. It is true we have not the happiness of seeing Her, conversing with Her and listening to Her with bodily senses; and in this respect those first children of the Church were more fortunate. But let us all remember, that in the heavenly knowledge and charity of this most loving Mother we were all present to Her, also during those times (Vol. III, 78); for She saw and knew us all in the order and succession in which we were be born in the Church; and She prayed and interceded for us no less than for those who lived in her times. Nor is She at present less powerful in heaven, than She was then upon earth; nor less our Mother, than of those first children; and She held us as her own, just as well them. But alas! that our faith and our fervor and devotion should be so very different! Not She has changed, nor is her love less ardent, nor would we experience less of her intercession and protection, if in troubled times we would hasten to her with the same sentiments of humility and fervor, asking for her prayers and trustfully relying upon Her for help, as was the case with those devoted Christians in the first beginning. Without a doubt the whole Catholic Church would then immediately experience the same assistance of the Queen throughout the whole world.</div>
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Many of those new faithful, highly impressed with her greatness by their conversation with the heavenly Mistress, returned to present to Her jewels and the richest gifts; especially the women despoiled themselves of fineries to lay them at her feet. But She would receive or permit none of these gifts. When it seemed to her appropriate not to refuse entirely, She secretly inspired the minds of the givers to bring them to the Apostles, in order that they might be equitably and justly distributed in charity among the most poor and needy of the faithful. But the humble Mother gratefully acknowledged them as if they had been given to Her. The poor and the sick She received with ineffable kindness, and many of them she cured of inveterate and long–standing infirmities. Through the hands of saint John She supplied many secret wants, never omitting the least point of virtue. As the Apostles and disciples were engaged all day in preaching the faith and in converting those that came, the great Queen busied Herself in preparing their food and attending to their comfort; and at stated times She served the priests on her knees and with incredible humility and reverence asked to kiss their hands. This She observed especially with the Apostles, knowing and beholding their souls confirmed in grace, endowed with all that the Holy Ghost had wrought in them and exalted by their dignity of being the highpriests and the founders of the Church (Eph. 2, 20). Sometimes She saw them clothed in great splendor, which elicited from Her increased reverence and veneration.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962855"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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My daughter, in what thou hast come to know of the events related in this chapter, thou wilt find a great deal that points to the mystery of the predestination of souls. Be convinced that, since the Redemption was so overflowing and copious, it was sufficient for the salvation of all men (Rom. 5, 20). The divine truth was made known to all, whoever heard its preaching or who saw the effects of the coming of the Godman into the world. Besides the outward preaching and knowledge of the remedy, all received interior inspirations and helps in order to seek and accept the means. You are surprised that, in spite of all this, only three thousand were converted by the first sermon of the Apostle among all that great multitude then in Jerusalem. It should cause a greater surprise that in our times so few are converted to the way of eternal life, as the Gospel is more widespread, its preaching is frequent, its ministers numerous, the light of the Church clearer and the knowledge of the divine mysteries more definite. With all this men are blinder, the hearts more hardened, pride more inflated, avarice more bold, and all the vices are practiced without fear of God and without consideration.</div>
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In this most perverse and unhappy state mortals cannot complain of the most high and equitable providence of the Lord, who offers to all and every one his fatherly mercy, and points out to them both the way of life and the way of death; so that if any man hardens his heart, God can permit it in strictest justice. The reprobate will have none but themselves to blame, if afterwards, when there is no more time, they shall be uselessly dismayed with what in opportune time they could and should have known. If in the short and transient life, which is given to them in order to merit the eternal, they close their eyes and ears to the truth and to the light, and if they listen to the demon, giving themselves up to all the promptings of his malice; if they thus abuse the goodness and clemency of the Lord, what can they then allege as their excuse? If they do not know how to pardon an injury and for the slightest offense meditate the direst vengeance; if, for the sake of increasing their property, they pervert the entire order of reason and of natural brotherhood; if for a passing delight they forget the eternal pains, and if, in addition to all this, they despise the warnings, helps and admonitions sent to them by God to inspire them with the fear of perdition and induce them to avoid it, how shall they afterwards find fault with the divine clemency? Let then mortals, who have sinned against God, undeceive themselves: without penance there shall be no grace, without reform no pardon, without pardon no glory. But just as these are not conceded to those that are unworthy, so they are also never denied to those that are worthy; nor is ever the mercy of God withheld from any one who seeks to obtain it.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<b>SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"</b><br />
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
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<span class="text"> <b><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE - MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="142"></a><b>142</b> <i>By his Revelation</i>, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."<sup>1</sup> The adequate response to this invitation is faith. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="143"></a><b>143</b> <i>By faith</i>, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.<sup>2</sup> With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of faith".<sup>3</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>ARTICLE 1 - I BELIEVE</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b>I. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="144"></a><b>144</b> To obey (from the Latin <i>ob-audire</i>, to "hear or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture. The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="145"></a><b>Abraham - "father of all who believe"</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b>145</b> The <i>Letter to the Hebrews</i>, in its great eulogy of the faith of Israel's ancestors, lays special emphasis on Abraham's faith: "By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go."<sup>4</sup> By faith, he lived as a stranger and pilgrim in the promised land.<sup>5</sup> By faith, Sarah was given to conceive the son of the promise. And by faith Abraham offered his only son in sacrifice.<sup>6</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="146"></a><b>146</b> Abraham thus fulfills the definition of faith in <i>Hebrews </i>11:1: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen":<sup>7</sup> "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."<sup>8</sup> Because he was "strong in his faith", Abraham became the "father of all who believe".<sup>9</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="147"></a><b>147</b> The Old Testament is rich in witnesses to this faith. The Letter to the Hebrews proclaims its eulogy of the exemplary faith of the ancestors who "received divine approval".<sup>10</sup> Yet "God had foreseen something better for us": the grace of believing in his Son Jesus, "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith".<sup>11</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="148"></a><b>Mary - "Blessed is she who believed"</b> <br />
<b>148</b> The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith. By faith Mary welcomes the tidings and promise brought by the angel Gabriel, believing that "with God nothing will be impossible" and so giving her assent: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word."<sup>12</sup> Elizabeth greeted her: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."<sup>13</sup> It is for this faith that all generations have called Mary blessed.<sup>14</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="149"></a><b>149</b> Throughout her life and until her last ordeal<sup>15</sup> when Jesus her son died on the cross, Mary's faith never wavered. She never ceased to believe in the fulfillment of God's word. And so the Church venerates in Mary the purest realization of faith.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="II"><b>II. "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED"<sup>16</sup></b></a><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="150"></a><b>To believe in God alone</b> <br />
<b>150</b> Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a <i>free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed.</i> As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature.<sup>17</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="151"></a><b>To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God</b> <br />
<b>151</b> For a Christian, believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his "beloved Son", in whom the Father is "well pleased"; God tells us to listen to him.<sup>18</sup> The Lord himself said to his disciples: "Believe in God, believe also in me."<sup>19</sup> We can believe in Jesus Christ because he is himself God, the Word made flesh: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."<sup>20</sup> Because he "has seen the Father", Jesus Christ is the only one who knows him and can reveal him.<sup>21</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="152"></a><b>To believe in the Holy Spirit</b> <br />
<b>152</b> One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus is. For "no one can say "Jesus is Lord", except by the Holy Spirit",<sup>22</sup> who "searches everything, even the depths of God. . No one comprehends the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God."<sup>23</sup> Only God knows God completely: we believe in the Holy Spirit because he is God. <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><i>The Church never ceases to proclaim her faith in one only God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.</i></span></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<span class="text"> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="III"><b>III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITH</b></a> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="153"></a><b>Faith is a grace</b> <br />
<b>153</b> When St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared to him that this revelation did not come "from flesh and blood", but from "my Father who is in heaven".<sup>24</sup> <i>Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him</i>. "Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.'"<sup>25</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="154"></a><b>Faith is a human act</b> <br />
<b>154</b> Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason. Even in human relations it is not contrary to our dignity to believe what other persons tell us about themselves and their intentions, or to trust their promises (for example, when a man and a woman marry) to share a communion of life with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our dignity to "yield by faith the full submission of. . . intellect and will to God who reveals",<sup>26</sup> and to share in an interior communion with him.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="155"></a><b>155</b> In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."<sup>27</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="156"></a><b>Faith and understanding</b> <br />
<b>156</b> What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe "because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived".<sup>28</sup> So "that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit."<sup>29</sup> Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability "are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (<i>motiva credibilitatis</i>), which show that the assent of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the mind".<sup>30</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="157"></a><b>157</b> Faith is <i>certain</i>. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but "the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives."<sup>31</sup> "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt."<sup>32</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="158"></a><b>158</b> "Faith <i>seeks understanding</i>":<sup>33</sup> it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. The grace of faith opens "the eyes of your hearts"<sup>34</sup> to a lively understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God's plan and the mysteries of faith, of their connection with each other and with Christ, the center of the revealed mystery. "The same Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood."<sup>35</sup> In the words of St. Augustine, "I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe."<sup>36</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="159"></a><b>159</b> <i>Faith and science</i>: "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth."<sup>37</sup> "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."<sup>38</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="160"></a><b>The freedom of faith</b> <br />
<b>160</b> To be human, "man's response to God by faith must be free, and. . . therefore nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of faith is of its very nature a free act."<sup>39</sup> "God calls men to serve him in spirit and in truth. Consequently they are bound to him in conscience, but not coerced. . . This fact received its fullest manifestation in Christ Jesus."<sup>40</sup> Indeed, Christ invited people to faith and conversion, but never coerced them. "For he bore witness to the truth but refused to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it. His kingdom. . . grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself."<sup>41</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="161"></a><b>The necessity of faith</b> <br />
<b>161</b> Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.<sup>42</sup> "Since "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"<sup>43</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="162"></a><b>Perseverance in faith</b> <br />
<b>162</b> Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St. Timothy: "Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith."<sup>44</sup> To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith;<sup>45</sup> it must be "working through charity," abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church.<sup>46</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="163"></a><b>Faith - the beginning of eternal life</b> <br />
<b>163</b> Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God "face to face", "as he is".<sup>47</sup> So faith is already the beginning of eternal life: <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text">When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy.<sup>48</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="164"></a><b>164</b> Now, however, "we walk by faith, not by sight";<sup>49</sup> we perceive God as "in a mirror, dimly" and only "in part".<sup>50</sup> Even though enlightened by him in whom it believes, faith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test. The world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="165"></a><b>165</b> It is then we must turn to the <i>witnesses of faith</i>: to Abraham, who "in hope. . . believed against hope";<sup>51</sup> to the Virgin Mary, who, in "her pilgrimage of faith", walked into the "night of faith"<sup>52</sup> in sharing the darkness of her son's suffering and death; and to so many others: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."<sup>53</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
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<span class="text1"> 1 <i>DV</i> 2; cf. <i>Col</i> 1:15; <i>1 Tim</i> 1:17; <i>Ex</i> 33:11; <i>Jn</i> 15:14-15; <i>Bar</i> 3:38 (Vulg.).<br />
2 Cf. <i> DV </i>5.<br />
3 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 1:5; 16:26.<br />
4 <i>Heb</i> 11:8; cf. <i>Gen</i> 12:1-4.<br />
5 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 23:4.<br />
6 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 11:17.<br />
7 <i>Heb</i> 11:1.<br />
8 <i>Rom</i> 4:3; cf. <i>Gen</i> 15:6.<br />
9 <i>Rom</i> 4:11,18; 4:20; cf. <i>Gen</i> 15:5.<br />
10 <i>Heb</i> 11:2, 39.<br />
11 <i>Heb</i> 11:40; 12:2.<br />
12 <i>Lk</i> 1:37-38; cf. <i>Gen</i> 18:14.<br />
13 <i>Lk</i> 1:45.<br />
14 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 1:48.<br />
15 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 2:35.<br />
16 <i>2 Tim</i> 1:12.<br />
17 Cf. <i>Jer</i> 17:5-6; <i>Ps</i> 40:5; 146:3-4.<br />
18 <i>Mk</i> 1:11; cf. 9:7.<br />
19 <i>Jn</i> 14:1.<br />
20 <i>Jn</i> 1:18.<br />
21 <i>Jn</i> 6:46; cf. <i>Mt</i> 11:27.<br />
22 <i>1 Cor</i> 12:3.<br />
23 <i>1 Cor</i> 2:10-11.<br />
24 <i>Mt</i> 16:17; cf. <i>Gal</i> 1:15; <i>Mt</i> 11:25.<br />
25 <i> DV </i>5; cf. DS 377; 3010.<br />
26 <i>Dei Filius</i> 3:DS 3008.<br />
27 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,2,9; cf. <i>Dei Filius </i>3:DS 3010.<br />
28 <i>Dei Filius</i> 3:DS 3008.<br />
29 <i>Dei Filius</i> 3:DS 3009.<br />
30 <i>Dei Filius</i> 3:DS 3008-3010; Cf. <i>Mk</i> 16 20; <i>Heb</i> 2:4.<br />
31 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,171,5,obj.3.<br />
32 John Henry Cardinal Newman, <i>Apologia pro vita sua</i> (London: Longman, 1878) 239.<br />
33 St. Anselm, <i>Prosl. prooem.</i>:PL 153,225A.<br />
34 <i>Eph</i> 1:18.<br />
35 <i>DV</i> 5.<br />
36 St. Augustine, <i>Sermo</i> 43,7,9:PL 38,257-258.<br />
37 <i>Dei Filius</i> 4:DS 3017.<br />
38 <i>GS</i> 36 § 1.<br />
39 <i>DH</i> 10; cf. CIC, can. 748 § 2.<br />
40 <i>DH</i> 11.<br />
41 <i>DH</i> 11; cf. <i>Jn</i> 18:37; 12:32.<br />
42 Cf. 16:16; <i>Jn</i> 3:36; 6:40 <i>et al</i>.<br />
43 <i>Dei Filius</i> 3:DS 3012; cf. <i>Mt</i> 10:22; 24:13 and <i>Heb</i> 11:6; Council of Trent:DS 1532.<br />
44 <i>1 Tim</i> 1:18-19.<br />
45 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 9:24; <i>Lk</i> 17:5; 22:32.<br />
46 <i>Gal</i> 5:6; <i>Rom</i> 15:13; cf. <i>Jas</i> 2:14-26.<br />
47 <i>1 Cor</i> 13:12; <i>1 Jn</i> 3:2.<br />
48 St. Basil, <i>De Spiritu Sancto</i>, 15,36:PG 32,132; cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,4,1.<br />
49 <i>2 Cor</i> 5:7.<br />
50 <i>l Cor</i> 13:12.<br />
51 <i>Rom</i> 4:18.<br />
52 <i>LG</i> 58; John Paul II, <i>RMat</i> 18.<br />
53 <i>Heb</i> 12:1-2. </span> <br />
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View more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/litanylane">Inspirational Designs</a> at Litany Lane.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-20985031612871457322018-06-17T08:38:00.000-05:002018-06-17T08:38:37.349-05:00Holy Trinity Sunday May 27, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Trinity; Reading 1, Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22; Reading 2, Romans 8:14-17; Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 and LectioDivina: Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Holy Trinity; Snippet I - Feast of the Visitation; Snippet II - Church of the Visitation Ein Karam, Israel; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 2 The Descent of the Holy Spirit and Mary's intuitive vision of Him; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Two - God comes To Meet Man Article Three - The Sacred Scripture; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Holy Trinity Sunday May 27, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Trinity; </i><i>Reading 1, Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22; Reading 2, Romans 8:14-17; Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 and LectioDivina:</i><i> Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Holy Trinity<b>; </b>Snippet I - Feast of the Visitation</i><i>; Snippet II - Church of the Visitation Ein Karam, Israel; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 2 The Descent of the Holy Spirit and Mary's intuitive vision of Him; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Two - God comes To Meet Man Article Three - The Sacred Scripture; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Holy Trinity Sunday </b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<b>May 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! In this peaceless time, I am calling you to have more trust in God who is your Father in Heaven and who has sent me to lead you to Him. You, open your hearts to the gifts which He desires to give you and, in the silence of your heart, Adore my Son Jesus who has given His life so that you may live in eternity - where He desires to lead you. May your hope be the joy of a meeting with the Most High in every day life. Therefore, I am calling you: do not neglect prayer because prayer works miracles. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ <span class="text_exposed_show">~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen of Peace</span><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span><b> </b><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Regina Coeli</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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Pope at Angelus: 'celebrate the God of Love on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity'</h3>
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<i>Pope Francis on Sunday described the feast of the Most Holy Trinity as an occasion to celebrate God’s love for all of us.</i></div>
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<b>By Linda Bordoni</b><br />
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Speaking to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square for the <b>Angelus </b>Prayer, <b>Pope Francis</b> remarked on the Feast we celebrate on the Sunday after Pentecost saying it calls us spread God’s love throughout the world.<br />
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He said that the Feast of the <b>Most Holy Trinity</b> highlights the mystery of God, Jesus Christ, who is One in the communion of three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.<br />
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Remarking on the liturgical Readings of the day help, the Pope said “they help us to understand that rather than wanting to reveal to us that He exists, God wants us to know that He is "with us", that He loves us, is interested in our personal history and takes care of each of us, starting from the smallest and the most needy”.<br />
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“He is God up there in heaven, but also down here on earth" he said.<br />
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Underscoring the closeness of “the God of Love who created the universe and generated a people, became flesh, died and rose for us” he said the Holy Spirit transforms all and leads to fullness.<br />
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The Pope reflected on the reading of St. Paul whom, he said, “personally experienced this transformation brought about by the God of Love.” He said Paul tells us of God’s wish to be called Father - "Daddy" - with the absolute trust of a child who abandons himself into the arms of He who gave him life.<br />
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The Pope said the Apostle also says that the Holy Spirit, acting in us, ensures that Jesus Christ is not reduced to a mere character of the past, but that we feel close to Him: “He is our contemporary and we experience the joy of being children who are loved by God”.<br />
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Finally, he said, in the Gospel, the Risen Lord promises to remain with us forever and it is precisely through his presence and the strength of his Spirit that we can carry out with serenity the mission that he entrusts to us: to proclaim and witness his Gospel to all, to spread our communion with Him and the joy that derives from it.<br />
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Pope Francis concluded his catechesis urging the faithful to celebrate the Feast of Most Holy Trinity which invites leads us to contemplate the mystery of a God who ceaselessly creates, redeems and sanctifies, always with love and out of love.<br />
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“From the beginning He has chosen to walk together with humanity and form a people that are a blessing for all nations and for all people, no one excluded” he said, urging all believers to go forth with the saving message of God’s love that relieves sins, heals the wounds of the soul and gives salvation.<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 05/27/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - trinity</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold"><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">trin-e-tee</span></span>]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
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<span class="dbox-roman">word origin:</span><span class="luna-date"> 1175–1225;</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <span class="luna-langn">Middle English</span> <span class="italic">Trinite</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Old French</span> < <span class="luna-langn">Late Latin</span> <span class="italic">trīnitās</span> triad, trio, the Trinity, equivalent to <span class="italic">trīn(us</span>) threefold (see trine) + <span class="italic">-itās</span> -ity</span></h4>
noun<br />
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<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="1"><span class="css-4x41l7 e10vl5dg6"> Also called <span class="luna-form bold">Blessed Trinity,</span> Holy Trinity. </span><span class="css-4x41l7 e10vl5dg6">the union of three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) in one Godhead, or the threefold personality of the one Divine Being.</span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="2"><span class="css-4x41l7 e10vl5dg6">a representation of this in art.</span></li>
<li class="css-2oywg7 e10vl5dg5" value="3"><span class="css-4x41l7 e10vl5dg6">Trinity Sunday.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><span style="color: #660000;">Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40</span><br />
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32 'Put this question, then, to the ages that are past, that have gone before you, from when God created the human race on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic, from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything like it ever heard?<br />
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33 Did ever a people hear the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, as you have heard it, and remain alive?<br />
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34 Has it ever been known before that any god took action himself to bring one nation out of another one, by ordeals, signs, wonders, war with mighty hand and outstretched arm, by fearsome terrors -- all of which things Yahweh your God has done for you before your eyes in Egypt?<br />
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39 'Hence, grasp this today and meditate on it carefully: Yahweh is the true God, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other.<br />
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40 Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and live long in the country that Yahweh your God is giving you for ever.'<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22</h2>
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4 The word of Yahweh is straightforward, all he does springs from his constancy.<br />
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5 He loves uprightness and justice; the faithful love of Yahweh fills the earth.<br />
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6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, by the breath of his mouth all their array.<br />
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9 for, the moment he spoke, it was so, no sooner had he commanded, than there it stood!<br />
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18 But see how Yahweh watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his faithful love,<br />
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19 to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine.<br />
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20 We are waiting for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield,<br />
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22 Yahweh, let your faithful love rest on us, as our hope has rested in you.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Romans 8:14-17</h2>
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14 All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God;<br />
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15 for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, 'Abba, Father!'<br />
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16 The Spirit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God.<br />
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17 And if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so as to share his glory.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> - Matthew 28:16-20</b></span></span></span></h2>
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</b></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Resurrection and mission</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I am with you always"</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Opening prayer</span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Create in us silence so that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. The Gospel Reading</span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a) A key to the reading:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The liturgy of Trinity Sunday uses the closing verses of Matthew's Gospel (Mt 28; 16-20). In the beginning of the Gospel, Matthew introduced Jesus as Immanuel, God with us (Mt 1:23). Here, in the last verse of his Gospel, Jesus communicates the same truth: "I am with you always" (Mt 28:20). This was the central point of the faith of the communities in the eighties (AD), and continues to be the central point of our faith. Jesus is the Immanuel, God with us. This is also the perspective for our adoration of the Most Blessed Trinity.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">b) The Matthew 28:16-20:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of time."</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. A moment of prayerful silence </span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Some questions</span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">to help us in our personal reflection.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a) What drew your attention most in this text? Why?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">b) What kind of image of Jesus does this text convey to us?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">c) Is this the first point where Jesus says “make disciples of all nations” rather than just having been sent to the House of Israel? Why now?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">d) Some translations use the phrase “they doubted” and others use “some doubted”. Does this make a difference in meaning or what we take away from it?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">e) How is the mystery of the Trinity presented in this text?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">f) In Acts 1:5, Jesus proclaims a baptism in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:38, Peter speaks of a baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. Here the text speaks of a baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. What is the difference among these three affirmations, or are they speaking of the same baptism?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">h) What, exactly, is the mission that Jesus gives the Eleven? What is the mission of our communities today as disciples of Jesus? According to the text, where do we find strength and courage to fulfill our mission?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. A key to the reading to enter deeper into the theme.</span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">i) The context:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matthew writes for the Judeo-Christian communities of Syria and Palestine. They were criticized by the Jewish brethren who said that Jesus could not be the promised Messiah and therefore, their manner of living was wrong. Matthew tries to uphold their faith and helps them understand that Jesus is indeed the Messiah who came to fulfill the promises God made in the past through the prophets. A summary of Matthew's message to the communities is found in Jesus' final promise to the disciples, the subject of our meditation on this Trinity Sunday.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ii) Commentary on the text:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Matthew 28:16: the first and last appearances of the risen Jesus to the Eleven disciples.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, Jesus appears to the women (Mt 28:9) and, through the women, tells the men that they had to go to Galilee to see Him once more. It was in Galilee that they received their first call (Mt 4:12.18) and their first official mission (Mt 10:1-16). And it is there, in Galilee, that everything will begin again: a new call and a new mission! As in the Old Testament, important events always take place on the mountain, the Mountain of God.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Matthew 28:17: Some doubted.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the disciples see Jesus, they prostrate themselves before Him. This is a response of those who believe and welcome God's presence, even though it might surprise and be beyond human ability to comprehend. So, some doubt. The four Gospels emphasis the doubt and incredulity of the disciples when confronted with the resurrection of Jesus (Mt 28:17; Mk 16:11:13,14; Lk 24:11,24:37-38; Jn 20:25). This serves to show that the apostles were not naïve and encourages the communities of the eighties (AD) which still had doubts.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Matthew 28:18: Jesus' authority.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me". This is a solemn declaration very much like the other affirmation: "Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father" (Mt 11:27). There are other similar affirmations by Jesus in John's Gospel: "Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into His hands" (Jn 13:3) and "All I have is yours, and all you have is Mine" (Jn 17:10). This same conviction of faith in Jesus appears in the canticles preserved in Paul's letters (Eph 1:3-14; Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20). The fullness of divinity is manifested in Jesus (Col 1:19). This authority of Jesus, born of His oneness with the Father, is the basis for the mission that the disciples are about to receive as well as our faith in the Most Blessed Trinity.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Matthew 28:19-20ª: The triple mission.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus conveys a triple mission: (1) to make disciples of all nations, (2) to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and (3) to teach them to observe all the commands He gave them.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a) To become a disciple: The disciple lives with the master and thus learns from this daily living together. The disciple forms a community with the master and follows him, seeking to imitate his way of living and of living together in obedience. The disciple is someone who does not place absolute value on his/her manner of thinking, but is always open to learning. A disciple is also active. It is not a passive role, like watching television. Like the "servant of Yahweh", the disciple strains his/her ear to listen to what God has to say (Is 50:4).</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">b) To baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: The Good News of God that Jesus brought to us is the revelation that God is Father and that thus, we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus lived and obtained this new experience of God for us through His death and resurrection. This is the new Spirit that He spread over His followers on the day of Pentecost. In those days, to be baptized in someone's name meant to publicly assume the commitment to observe the proclaimed message. Thus, to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit meant the same as being baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38) and the same as being baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). It meant, and still means, publicly assuming the commitment to live the Good News that Jesus brought, to reveal through prophetic brotherhood that God is Father, to struggle to overcome divisions and separations among people, and to affirm that all are children of God.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">c) To teach to observe all the commandments that Jesus gave us: We do not teach new doctrines nor do we teach our own doctrines, but we reveal the face of the God whom Jesus revealed to us. It is from this revelation that comes all the doctrine passed on to us by the apostles.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Matthew 28:20b: God is with us always.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the great promise, the synthesis of all that was revealed from the beginning. It is the summary of the name of God, the summary of the whole of the Old Testament, of all the promises, of all the desires of the human heart. It is the final summary of the Good News of God passed on to us in Matthew's Gospel.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">iii) The history of the revelation of the Name of God, One and Three:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When one hears a name for the first time, it is just a name. The more we live with the person the more the name becomes a synthesis of that person. The longer we live with the person, the greater the significance and value of the name. In the Bible, God has many names and titles that express what He means or what He can mean for us. God's personal name is YHWH. We have already come across this name in the second narration of creation in Genesis (Gen 2:4). The deep meaning of this name (the result of long living together through the centuries, which also went through the "dark night" of the crisis of the exile in Babylon) is described in the book of Exodus on the occasion of the calling of Moses (Ex 3:7-15). Living with God through the centuries endowed this name of God with meaning and depth.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God said to Moses: "Go and free my people" (cf. Ex 3:10). Moses is afraid and justifies himself by feigning humility: "Who am I?" (Ex 3:11). God answers: "I shall be with you" (Ex 3:12). Even though he knows that God will be with him in his mission of liberating the people oppressed by Pharaoh, Moses tries to excuse himself again: he asks God's name. God replies by simply reaffirming what He had already said, "I AM WHO AM". In other words, God is saying I am certainly with you and you cannot doubt this. The text then goes on: "You are to say to the people of Israel ‘I AM has sent me to you’!" The text concludes, "This is My name for all time: by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come" (Ex 3:14-15).</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This brief text, which is deeply theological, expresses the deepest conviction of faith of the people of God: God is with us. He is Immanuel, an intimate, friendly, liberating presence. All this is contained in the four letters of the name YHWH, which we pronounce as Yahweh: the One who is in our midst. This is the same certainty that Jesus communicates to His disciples in His last promise on the mountain: "I am with you always, yes, to the end of time" (Mt 28:20). The Bible is insistent on this one thing: the Name of God, that is, the presence of God in our midst expressed in the name Yahweh: "He is in our midst". In the Old Testament alone, the name Yahweh appears more than 7000 times! It is the wick of the candle around which gathers the wax of the stories.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Something tragic happened (and is still happening) when, in later centuries during the exile in Babylonia, fundamentalism, moralism, and ritualism gradually presented that living, friendly, present and loved face as a rigid and severe figure, unfittingly hung on the walls of sacred scripture, a figure that aroused fear and placed a distance between God and His people. Thus during the last centuries before Christ, the name YHWH could not be pronounced. Instead, the word Adonai was used, a translation of Kyrios, which means Lord. A cult centered on the observance of the laws, a cult centered on the temple in Jerusalem and a racially closed system, created a new kind of slavery that stifled the mystical experience and withheld contact with the living God. The Name that should have been like transparent glass which revealed the Good News of the friendly and attractive face of God, became a mirror that reflected only the face of the one who looked into it. A tragic deceit of self-contemplation! They no longer drank at the source, but drank water bottled by the doctors of the law. To this day we go on drinking water kept in storage, rather than water from the source.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By His death and resurrection, Jesus did away with small-mindedness (Col 2:14), broke the mirror of idolatrous self-contemplation, and opened a new window where God shows His face and draws us to Himself. Citing a canticle of the community, St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, "God raised Him high and gave Him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:9-11). On the day of Pentecost, Peter ended his first speech by revealing what the great discovery of the experience of the resurrection meant for him, "Let all the people know: God has constituted Jesus Christ Lord". Jesus who died and rose again, is the revelation that God, the same as always, is and continues to be YHWH (Adonai, Kyrios, Lord), an intimate presence, friendly and liberating in the midst of his people, conqueror of every barrier, even death. With the coming of Jesus, and in Jesus, the God of the forebears, who seemed so distant and severe, gained the features of a good Father, full of kindness. Abba! Our Father! For us Christians, the most important thing is not to confess that Jesus is God, but to witness that God is Jesus! God reveals Himself in Jesus. Jesus is the key to a new reading of the Old Testament. He is the new name of God.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This new revelation of the name of God in Jesus is the fruit of the completely free gift of the love of God, of His faithfulness to His Name. This faithfulness can be ours too, thanks to the complete and radical obedience of Jesus: "Obedient unto death, death on the cross" (Phil 2:8). Jesus identified Himself completely with the will of God. He says, "What the Father has told Me is what I speak" (Jn 12:50). "My food is to do the will of the one who sent Me" (Jn 4:34). That is why Jesus is the completely transparent revelation of the Father, "To have seen Me is to have seen the Father!" (Jn 14:9). In Him dwelt "the fullness of the divinity" (Col 1:19). "The Father and I are one" (Jn 10:30). Such obedience is not easy. Jesus went through difficult moments when He exclaimed: "Let this chalice pass me by!" (Mk 14:36). As the letter to the Hebrews says, "He offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears to the One who had the power to save Him out of death" (Heb 5:7). He overcame by means of prayer. That is why He became full revelation and manifestation of the Name, of what the Name means for us. Jesus' obedience is not a disciplinary one, but a prophetic one. It is an action that reveals the Father. Through obedience, chains were broken and the veil that hid the face of God was torn. A new way to God opened to us. He earned for us the gift of the Spirit when we ask the Father for the Spirit in His name in prayer (Lk 11:13). The Spirit is living water earned for us by His resurrection (Jn 7:39). It is through the Spirit that He teaches us, revealing the face of God the Father (Jn 14:26; 16:12-13).</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Final Prayer</span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord Jesus, we thank for the Word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reference: </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<b>Feast Day: </b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span><b> Trinity Sunday</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrXoScroY1PY42GqyDiFsxkHM18GGJNsp-3Z0difxznflGLq8M7q-zcZ_mPswgQwdg6Bc7ZIhbOhrw-9MYM1Tzx3g6za3dI5Jw5RhvnTPr4JFwVWvexHWa_FzPjLVvKX4cWajeahwWZJk/s1600/Holy+Trinity+Latin+825x1125.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrXoScroY1PY42GqyDiFsxkHM18GGJNsp-3Z0difxznflGLq8M7q-zcZ_mPswgQwdg6Bc7ZIhbOhrw-9MYM1Tzx3g6za3dI5Jw5RhvnTPr4JFwVWvexHWa_FzPjLVvKX4cWajeahwWZJk/s320/Holy+Trinity+Latin+825x1125.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Holy Trinity</td></tr>
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<b>Trinity Sunday</b> is the first Sunday after
Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday
of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the
Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Western_Christianity">Western Christianity</span></h2>
Trinity Sunday is celebrated in all the Western liturgical churches: Roman Catholic, Anglican,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> Lutheran,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> Presbyterian,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> Methodist and Baptist.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Church_year">Church year</span></h3>
The Sundays following Pentecost, until Advent, are numbered from this day. In traditional Catholic usage, the <i>First Sunday After Pentecost</i> is on the same day as <i>Trinity Sunday</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-directory_5-0">[5]</sup>
In the revised Roman rite, Ordinary Time resumes one week earlier, on
the Monday after Pentecost, with the Sundays that would otherwise fall
on Pentecost and Trinity Sunday omitted that year. In the Church of
England, following the pre-Reformation Sarum use, the following Sunday
is the "First Sunday after Trinity", while the Episcopal Church in the
United States of America (ECUSA)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
now follows the Catholic usage, calling it the Second Sunday after
Pentecost. The liturgical colour used on Trinity Sunday is white.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Catholicism">Catholicism</span></h3>
In the Catholic Church it is officially known as the <i>Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity</i>.
Prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, it marked the end
of a three-week period when church weddings were forbidden. The period
began on Rogation Sunday, the fifth Sunday after Easter. Trinity Sunday
was established as a Double of the Second Class by Pope John XXII to
celebrate the Trinity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mershman_7-0">[7]</sup>
It was raised to the dignity of a Double of the First Class by Pope
Pius X on 24 July 1911. During the Middle Ages, especially during the
Carolingian period, devotion to the Blessed Trinity was a highly
important feature of private devotion and inspired several liturgical
expressions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-directory_5-1">[5]</sup> The currently prescribed liturgical color is white.<br />
<br />
In the traditional Divine Office, the Athanasian Creed (<i>Quicumque vult</i>)
is said on this day at Prime. Before 1960, it was said on all Sundays
after Epiphany and Pentecost which do not fall within Octaves or on
which a feast of Double rank or higher was celebrated or commemorated,
as well as on Trinity Sunday. The 1960 reforms reduced it to once a
year, on this Sunday.<br />
<br />
In the 1962 Missal, the Mass for
the First Sunday After Pentecost is not said or commemorated on Sunday
(it is permanently impeded there by Trinity Sunday), but is used during
the week if the ferial Mass is being said.<br />
<br />
The
Thursday after Trinity Sunday is observed as the Feast of Corpus
Christi. In some countries, including the United States, Canada, and
Spain, it may be celebrated on the following Sunday, when parishioners
are more likely to attend Mass and be able to celebrate the feast.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Anglicanism">Anglicanism</span></h3>
The
Creed of Saint Athanasius, although not often used, is recited in
certain Anglican churches, particularly those of High Church tendency.
It may be found in the Historical Documents section of the 1979 Book of
Common Prayer (Episcopal Church), but its use is not specifically
provided for in the rubrics of that prayer book.<br />
<br />
Trinity
Sunday has the status of a Principal Feast in the Church of England and
is one of seven principal feast days in the Episcopal Church.<br />
<br />
Thomas
Becket (1118–70) was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sunday
after Pentecost (Whitsun), and his first act was to ordain that the
day of his consecration should be held as a new festival in honour of
the Holy Trinity. This observance spread from Canterbury throughout the
whole of western Christendom.<br />
<br />
Anglo-Catholic parishes observe Corpus Christi on the following Thursday, or in some cases the following Sunday.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Dates">Dates</span></h3>
Trinity
Sunday is the Sunday following Pentecost, and eight weeks after Easter
Sunday. Following are the dates of Trinity Sunday in the Western
churches (for the dates of Trinity Sunday in the Eastern Churches, see
Pentecost):<br />
<ul>
<li>2014: 15 June</li>
<li>2015: 31 May</li>
<li>2016: 22 May</li>
<li>2017: 11 June</li>
<li>2018: 27 May</li>
<li>2019: 16 June</li>
<li>2020: 7 June</li>
</ul>
The earliest possible date is 17 May, as in 1818 and 2285. The latest possible date is 20 June, as in 1943 and 2038.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h3>
In
the early Church, no special Office or day was assigned for the Holy
Trinity. When the Arian heresy was spreading, the Fathers prepared an
Office with canticles, responses, a Preface, and hymns, to be recited
on Sundays. In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory the Great (P.L.,
LXXVIII, 116) there are prayers and the Preface of the Trinity. The
Micrologies (P.L., CLI, 1020), written during the pontificate of
Gregory VII (Nilles, II, 460), call the Sunday after Pentecost a <i>Dominica vacans</i>,
with no special Office, but add that in some places they recited the
Office of the Holy Trinity composed by Bishop Stephen of Liège
(903-20). By others the Office was said on the Sunday before Advent.
Alexander II (1061–1073), refused a petition for a special feast on the
plea, that such a feast was not customary in the Roman Church which
daily honoured the Holy Trinity by the <i>Gloria Patri</i>, etc., but he did not forbid the celebration where it already existed.<br />
<br />
John
XXII (1316–1334) ordered the feast for the entire Church on the first
Sunday after Pentecost. A new Office had been made by the Franciscan
John Peckham, Canon of Lyons, later Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1292).
The feast ranked as a double of the second class but was raised to the
dignity of a primary of the first class, 24 July 1911, by Pius X (Acta
Ap. Sedis, III, 351). Since it was after the first great Pentecost
that the doctrine of the Trinity was proclaimed to the world, the feast
becomingly follows that of Pentecost.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Eastern_Christianity">Eastern Christianity</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="2497" data-file-width="2024" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Andrej_Rubl%C3%ABv_001.jpg/220px-Andrej_Rubl%C3%ABv_001.jpg" height="271" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Holy Trinity</i>
by St. Andrei Rublev, using the theme of the "Hospitality of Abraham."
The three angels symbolize the Trinity, which is rarely depicted
directly in Orthodox art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, the Sunday of Pentecost itself is called <i>Trinity Sunday</i> (the Sunday after Pentecost is All Saints Sunday). The Monday after Pentecost is called <i>Monday of the Holy Spirit</i>, and the next day is called the <i>Third Day of the Trinity</i>.
Though liturgical colours are not as fixed in the Eastern practice
(normally there are simply "festive" colours and "somber" or Lenten
colours), in some churches, green is used for Pentecost and its
Afterfeast.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Bach_cantatas">Bach cantatas</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Bach_cantatas"> </span></h2>
Johann Sebastian Bach composed a number of cantatas for Trinity Sunday. Three of them are extant, including <i>O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad</i>, BWV 165, <i>Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding</i>, BWV 176, and <i>Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott</i>, BWV 129.<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text"><i>Anniversaries and holidays</i> by Bernard Trawicky, Ruth Wilhelme Gregory 2000 ISBN 0-8389-0695-8 page 225</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="reference-text">"Trinity Sunday in United Kingdom", Time and Date</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"> <span class="reference-text">"Questions and answers about Trinity Sunday", St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Kingsville</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"> <span class="reference-text">"Trinity Sunday", Presbyterian Mission Agency</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-directory-5"> <span class="reference-text">"Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity", <i>Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy</i>, §157, Vatican City, 17 December 2001</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"> <span class="reference-text">"First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday", The Lectionary Page</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">Mershman, Francis. "Trinity Sunday." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 17 Jun. 2013</span></ol>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span></span><b> Feast of the Visitation </b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>May 31</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> a/a</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Attributes</b>: n.a<br />
<br />
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/litanylane/9501651" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLj1Y67Z2uBWIvPpSm-pbket-_rR9cIL6Z62rkLN0cAwJMUfedLHBBUJ4VQ4X_Sm6BCNsMPLvyw2KzCLswvofq7qG-yzgghO8n1d2_cKEYdyVslbz7Xx7H4wUtJMg4CilvpNEScZVLp32M/s1600/The+Visitation+1529++Logo+250x250.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/litanylane/9501651" target="_blank">The Visitation</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The <b>Visitation</b> is the visit of Mary with
Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 1:39–56. It is also
the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, celebrated
on 31 May in the West (2 July in calendars of the 1263–1969 period and
in the modern regional calendar of Germany) and 30 March in the East.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Event">Event</span> </h2>
Mary
visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is
pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist.
Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went to
Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to attend her cousin Elizabeth. The journey
was about 100 miles and Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary
came (Luke 1:36), Mary stayed three months. Most scholars hold she
stayed for the birth of John. Catholics believe that the purpose of
this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn
child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware
of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy as he was
cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also
responded and recognised the presence of Jesus. Thus Mary, now for the
first time, exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup>
"And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou
among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is]
this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as
soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there
shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the
Lord (Luke 1:42–45)." It is also at this point, in response to
Elizabeth's remark, that Mary proclaims the <i>Magnificat</i> (<i>My soul doth magnify the Lord</i>),
Luke 1:46–55, for which reason this canticle had traditionally been
reserved for this feast day. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church,
the Visitation is the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Feasting">Feasting</span> </h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Western_Christianity">Western Christianity</span> </h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/The_Embrace_of_Elizabeth_and_the_Virgin_Mary.jpg/220px-The_Embrace_of_Elizabeth_and_the_Virgin_Mary.jpg" height="352" width="220" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Eastern Christianity fresco of the Visitation in St. George Church in Kurbinovo, Macedonia</div>
</div>
</div>
This
feast is of medieval origin. It was kept by the Franciscan Order
before 1263 when Saint Bonaventure recommended it and the Franciscan
chapter adopted it. The Franciscan Breviary spread it to many churches.
In 1389 Pope Urban VI, hoping thereby to obtain an end to the Great
Western Schism, inserted it in the Roman Calendar, for celebration on 2
July.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> In the
Tridentine Calendar, it was a Double. When that Missal of Pope Pius V
was replaced by that of Pope Clement VIII in 1604, the Visitation
became a Double of the Second Class. It remained so until Pope John
XXIII reclassified it as a Second-Class Feast in 1962.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup>
It continued to be assigned to 2 July, the day after the end of the
octave following the feast of the birth of John the Baptist, who was
still in his mother's womb at the time of the Visitation. In 1969,
however, Pope Paul VI moved it to 31 May, "between the Solemnity of the
Annunciation of the Lord (25 March) and that of the Nativity of St.
John the Baptist (24 June), so that it would harmonize better with the
Gospel story."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup><br />
<br />
Roman Catholics who use a pre-1969 calendar and Anglicans who use the 1662 <i>Book of Common Prayer</i> celebrate the feast on 2 July (in some Anglican traditions it is merely a commemoration rather than a feast day<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup>
). So does the entire Catholic (and Lutheran) Church of Germany, using
the post-1969 calendar of Pope Paul VI (but with the variations
permitted in the German Regional Calendar).<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Eastern_Christianity">Eastern Christianity</span> </h3>
The
celebration of a feast day commemorating this event in the Eastern
Orthodox Church is of relatively recent origin, dating only to the 19th
century. The impetus to establish a feast day in the Liturgical
calendar of the Orthodox Church, and the composition of a service to be
included in the Menaion, were the work of Archimandrite Antonin
Kapustin (†1894), head of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission
in Jerusalem. The Gorneye Convent in Jerusalem, which was built on the
traditional site of the Meeting of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) and St.
Elizabeth, celebrates this Feast on 30 March. (Julian Calendar 30 March
corresponds, until 2099, to Gregorian Calendar 12 April.) If 30 March
falls between Lazarus Saturday and Pascha (Easter), the Visitation
Feast is transferred to Bright Friday. Celebration of the Feast of the
Visitation has not yet been accepted by all Orthodox jurisdictions.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Magnificat</h3>
<br />
The <i><b>Magnificat</b></i> (Latin for: [My soul] magnifies) —also known as the <i><b>Song of Mary</b></i>, the <i><b>Canticle of Mary</b></i> and in Byzantine tradition the <i><b>Ode of the Theotokos</b></i>; Greek: <span lang="grc">Ἡ ᾨδὴ τῆς Θεοτόκου</span>—is
a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church
services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and
perhaps the earliest Marian hymn. Its name comes from the first word of the Latin version of the canticle's text.<br />
<br />
The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (<span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Luke 1:46-55</span>) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Breed_1-1">[1]</sup>
In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with
John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When
Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as
the <i>Magnificat</i> in response.<br />
<br />
Within Christianity, the <i>Magnificat</i> is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the <i>Magnificat</i>
is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service:
Vespers within Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, and Evening Prayer (or
Evensong) within Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the <i>Magnificat</i> is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the <i>Magnificat</i> may also be sung during worship services.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Liturgy_of_the_Hours_.28ICEL.29">Magnificat Liturgy of the Hours (ICEL) </span>Luke (Ch. 1, 46–55)</h4>
<dl><dd>My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,</dd><dd>my spirit rejoices in God my Savior</dd><dd>for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>From this day all generations will call me blessed:</dd><dd>the Almighty has done great things for me,</dd><dd>and holy is his Name.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>He has mercy on those who fear him</dd><dd>in every generation.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>He has shown the strength of his arm,</dd><dd>he has scattered the proud in their conceit.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,</dd><dd>and has lifted up the lowly farmer's foot.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>He has filled the hungry with good things,</dd><dd>and the rich he has sent away empty.</dd></dl>
<dl><dd>He has come to the help of his servant Israel</dd><dd>for he has remembered his promise of mercy,</dd><dd>the promise he made to our fathers,</dd><dd>to Abraham and his children for ever.</dd></dl>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-headline" id="References"> </span></h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15480a.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 93</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">General Roman Calendar of 1962</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 128</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:</b></span></span></span></span></span> Church of the Visitation<span style="font-style: italic;"> - Ein Karem, Israel<br />
</span></h2>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZd8-kB5NfUfsvW5jLmETY1PodK5JwpalxzREjVBqPRvC-mC_Tnt_lE1HDmckqzVl9CgSuGTP_KtlB68ObW_J2-Xn35sDw069D3rpEYfJ7Kk6eVDWR2KbsNNuaNd1rKIo9eozXXHEdyFm/s1600/Church+of+the+Cisitation+Ein+Karem+Israel.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZd8-kB5NfUfsvW5jLmETY1PodK5JwpalxzREjVBqPRvC-mC_Tnt_lE1HDmckqzVl9CgSuGTP_KtlB68ObW_J2-Xn35sDw069D3rpEYfJ7Kk6eVDWR2KbsNNuaNd1rKIo9eozXXHEdyFm/s1600/Church+of+the+Cisitation+Ein+Karem+Israel.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Church of the Visitation</b> in Ein Karem, Israel,</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Church of the Visitation</b> in Ein Karem,
Israel, honors the visit paid by the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus,
to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:39-56) This is the
site where tradition tells us that Mary recited her song of praise, the
Magnificat, one of the most ancient hymns to Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> .</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One
tradition attributes the construction of the first church of Ein Karem
to Empress Helena of Constantinople, Constantine I's mother, who
identified the site as the home of John's father, Zachary and the place
where Elizabeth and her infant son hid from Herod's soldiers. Possibly
due to the Muslim takeover of Jerusalem in 638, the original shrine must
have gone out of reach for Christian pilgrims and by the time the
Crusaders conquered the Holy Land, they found in Ein Karem two
different locations venerated in connection with the main points of
interest for pilgrims: the meeting between Mary and her cousin
Elizabeth, the home of Zachary and Elizabeth, the birth of John, and
the hiding place of Elizabeth and John. They erected two main churches
here, the precursors of what are today the Church of St John the
Baptist and the Church of the Visitation. After the departure of the
Crusaders, the different traditions shifted back and forth between the
two locations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the site of the Church of the
Visitation the Crusaders erected a two-story church dedicated to the
meeting between Elizabeth and Mary over the ancient ruins they found
here. When the Crusaders were pushed out of the Holy Land, the church
gradually deteriorated. In the 14th century it was for a while under
the care of Armenian monks, but in 1480 a pilgrim reports only ruins
from the site. The Franciscans bought the property from an Arab family
in 1679, excavated the grounds in 1937 and erected a new church in the
following years, preserving all extant Byzantine and Crusader remains
as part of the new shrine.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Archaeologists found a
Byzantine cistern in the courtyard and, more significantly, the remains
of a Byzantine chapel over which the later churches were erected.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Description">Description</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
courtyard contains a statue of Mary and Elizabeth, and on the wall
opposite the entrance to the lower church are forty-two ceramic tablets
bearing the verses of the Magnificat in as many different languages.
On the facade of the upper church is a striking mosaic commemorating
the Visitation. Next to the church proper, a Crusader hall of the 12th
century survived in good condition.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The lower church
contains a narrow medieval barrel-vaulted crypt ending with a well-head
from which, according to tradition, Elizabeth and her infant drank.
The well is connected to a Roman or Byzantine overflow pipe running
under the medieval floor. The rock with a cleft next to the entrance of
the medieval crypt is said to mark the site where the mountain opened
up to hide Elizabeth and the infant John from Herod's soldiers - this is
the "Rock of Concealment". This tradition is based on the 2nd-century
apocryphal Protoevangelium of James 22:3. The interior of the lower
church holds Italianate frescoes depicting Archangel Gabriel announcing
to Zachary, who is shown next to the altar of the Jewish Temple, that
he will have a son; the Visitation; and Elizabeth hiding her son during
the Massacre of the Innocents in nearby Bethlehem. Also preserved are
remains of the ancient church and beautiful mosaic floors.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
upper church is dedicated to Mary, and its walls are decorated with
paintings depicting crucial episodes from the evolution of Mariology,
such as The Wedding of Cana, which consecrated Mary as the Mediatrix,
the prime intercessor between men and Jesus; the Council of Ephesus
(431) during which she was defined as <i>Theotokos</i> or the Mother of
God; the Battle of Lepanto (1571) in which a united Christian fleet
defeated the Ottoman fleet, a victory ascribed to the help of the Virgin
Mary and celebrated by the Catholic Church with the feast of Our Lady
of the Rosary; and so forth. Verses from the Magnificat are painted on
the columns of the church.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Design_.26_Construction">Design & Construction</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land purchased the plot of land with
the ruined Crusader complex in 1679, but only began reconstruction of
the lower level of the church in 1862. Design and construction of the
upper level of the structure began in 1938, and was completed by
Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi in 1955.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #990000;">Snippet III: Ein Karem, Israel</span></h2>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br />
</span> <b>Ein Karem</b> (Hebrew: <span class="script-hebrew" dir="rtl" style="font-family: "alef" , "sbl hebrew" , "david"; font-size: 115%;">עַיִן כרֶם</span>,
lit. “Spring of the Vineyard”, is an ancient village of the Jerusalem
District and now a neighbourhood in southwest Jerusalem. It was
depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 16, 1948.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Morris_2004_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup><br />
<br />
According
to Christian tradition, John the Baptist was born in Ein Karem,
leading to the establishment of many churches and monasteries. In 2010
the neighborhood had a population of 2,000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ein_Karem_under_threat_3-0">[3]</sup> It attracts three million visitors a year, one-third of them pilgrims from around the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ein_Karem_under_threat_3-1">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="898" data-file-width="1200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/JerusalemFarWest1870s.jpg/250px-JerusalemFarWest1870s.jpg" height="187" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ein Karim in the 1870s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
A
spring that provides water to the village of Ein Karem stimulated
settlement there from an early time. Pottery has been found nearby
dating to the Middle Bronze Age.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> For the Israelite age it could be identified as the location of Beth HaKerem<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup> (Jeremiah 6:1; Nehemiah 3:14), where the traditional name comes from. A reservoir here was mentioned in the copper scroll.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tsafrir_6-0">[6]</sup>
It was recorded during the Islamic conquest and again, under the name
St. Jeehan de Bois, during the Crusades. Ottoman tax registers from 1596
showed a population of 29 Muslim families.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
During
excavations in Ein Karem, a marble statue of Aphrodite (or Venus) was
found, broken in two. It is believed to date from the Roman era and was
probably toppled in Byzantine times. Today, the statue is at the
Rockefeller Museum.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Christian_traditions">Christian traditions</span></h3>
According to the Bible, Mary went "into the hill country, to a city of Judah"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup>
when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah.
Theodosius (530) says that the distance is five miles from Jerusalem to
the place where Elizabeth lived, the mother of John the Baptist.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Byzantine.2C_Crusader_and_Ottoman_periods">Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman periods</span></h3>
The Jerusalem Calendar (<i>Kalendarium Hyerosolimitanum</i>)
or Georgian Festival Calendar, dated by some before 638, the year of
the Muslim conquest, mentions the village by name, "Enqarim", as the
place of a festival in memory of Elizabeth celebrated on the
twenty-eighth of August.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MSCIAP_10-0">[10]</sup>
The Anglo-Saxon Saewulf on pilgrimage to Palestine in 1102-1103 wrote
of a monastery in the area of Ein Karim dedicated to St. Sabas where
300 monks had been "slain by Saracens".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup>
The site of the crusader church was purchased by Father Thomas of
Novaria in 1621. In 1672 the Franciscan order received a Firman from the
Ottoman Sultan and 'large sums of mon[ies]' were expended in an
extensive rebuilding programme.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MSCIAP_10-1">[10]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Modern_history">Modern history</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="577" data-file-width="893" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Ein_Karim_1954.jpg/250px-Ein_Karim_1954.jpg" height="162" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ein Kerem, 1954</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
The population of 'Ein Karim in 1922 was 1,735.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup>
In 1931 it was 2,637 and in 1944/45 it was 3,180, in each case
including the smaller localities of Ayn al-Rawwas and Ayn al-Khandaq.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
<br />
The
1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine placed 'Ayn Karim in
the Jerusalem enclave intended for international control.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup>
In February 1948 the village's 300 guerilla fighters were reinforced by
a well-armed Arab Liberation Army force of mainly Syrian fighters, and
on March 10 a substantial Iraqi detachment arrived in the village,
followed within days by some 160 Egyptian fighters. On March 19, the
villagers joined their foreign guests in attacking a Jewish convoy on
the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup>
Immediately after the April 1948 massacre at the nearby village of Deir
Yassin (2 km to the north), most of the women and children in the
village were evacuated. It was attacked by Israeli forces during the
ten-day campaign of July 1948. The remaining civilian inhabitants fled
on July 10–11. The Arab Liberation Army forces which had camped in the
village left on July 14–16 after Jewish forces captured two dominating
hilltops, Khirbet Beit Mazmil and Khirbet al-Hamama, and shelled the
village. During its last days, 'Ayn Karim suffered from severe food
shortages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Morris_16-0">[16]</sup><br />
<br />
Israel later incorporated the village into the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Morris_16-1">[16]</sup>
Ein Kerem was one of the few depopulated Arab localities which
survived the war with most of the buildings intact. The abandoned homes
were resettled with new immigrants. Over the years, the bucolic
atmosphere attracted a population of artisans and craftsmen. In 1961,
Hadassah founded its medical center on a nearby hilltop, including the
Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Landmarks">Landmarks</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Church_of_St._John_the_Baptist">Church of St. John the Baptist</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 152px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="2448" data-file-width="3264" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Ein_Kerem_Church_of_St_John_the_Baptist_by_David_Shankbone.jpg/150px-Ein_Kerem_Church_of_St_John_the_Baptist_by_David_Shankbone.jpg" height="113" width="150" /> </div>
</div>
There
are two churches by this name in Ein Kerem. One is a Catholic church
built in the second half of the 19th century on the remnants of earlier
Byzantine and Crusader churches. Inside are the remains of an ancient
mosaic floor and a cave where, according to Christian tradition, John
the Baptist was born. Additionally some remnants below the
infrastructure of the building suggests the presence of a <i>Mikve</i> or Jewish ritual bath that is dated to the Second Temple Period. The church is mentioned in the <i>Book of the Demonstration</i>,
attributed to Eutychius of Alexandria (940): "The church of Bayt
Zakariya in the district of Aelia bears witness to the visit of Mary to
her kinswoman Elizabeth."<br />
<br />
The church has been in the
hands of the Franciscans since 1674. In 1941–1942 they conducted
excavations in the area immediately west of the church and the
adjoining monastery. Several rock-cut chambers and graves were found,
as well as wine presses with mosaic floors and small chapels with
mosaic tiling. The southern rock-cut chamber contained pottery of a
type found elsewhere in Jerusalem, probably from the first century CE.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> The other is an Eastern Orthodox church built in 1894, also on the remnants of an ancient church.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Church_of_the_Visitation">Church of the Visitation</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 122px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="3648" data-file-width="2736" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Church_of_the_Visitation_IMG_0632.JPG/120px-Church_of_the_Visitation_IMG_0632.JPG" height="160" width="120" /> </div>
</div>
The
Church of the Visitation is located across the village to the
southwest from St. John's. The ancient sanctuary there was built
against a rock declivity. It is venerated as the <i>pietra del nascondimento</i>,
the "stone in which John was concealed," in reference to the
Protevangelium of James. The site is also attributed to John the
Baptist's parental summer house, where Mary visited them. The modern
church was built in 1955, also on top of ancient church remnants. It
was designed by Antonio Barluzzi, an Italian architect, who designed
many other churches in the Holy Land during the 20th century.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Les_Soeurs_de_Notre-Dame_de_Sion">Les Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Sion</span></h3>
The monastery of <i>Les Sœurs de Notre-Dame de Sion</i>
(Sisters of Our Lady of Zion) was founded by two brothers from France,
Theodore and Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne, who were born Jewish and
converted to Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> They established an orphanage here. Alphonse himself lived in the monastery and is buried in its garden.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Gorny_or_.22Moscovia.22_Convent">Gorny or "Moscovia" Convent</span></h3>
The
convent was established by the Jerusalem mission of the Russian
Orthodox Church at the end of the 19th century . The name "Gorny
Convent" refers to the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin St.
Elizabeth "into the hill country, to a town in Judah",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup> <i>gorny</i> meaning <i>mountainous</i>
in Russian. It was nicknamed "Muskobiya" (Arabic for Moscow) by the
local Arab villagers, which mutated in Hebrew to "Moskovia". Apart from
the structures serving the nunnery and a pilgrims hostel, it now
contains three churches, enclosed within a compound wall. The Church of
Our Lady of Kazan (<i>Kazanskaya</i>) is dedicated to the holy icon of
Our Lady of Kazan and is the oldest among the three churches, being
consecrated in 1873. The Cathedral of All Russian Saints, with its
gilded domes, was started before the Russian Revolution and could only
be completed in 2007. The cave church of St. John the Baptist was
consecrated in 1987.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Mary.27s_Spring">Mary's Spring</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="3194" data-file-width="2128" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Ein_Karem_BW_9.jpg/150px-Ein_Karem_BW_9.jpg" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional site of Mary's Spring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
According
to a Christian tradition which started in the 14th century, the Virgin
Mary drank water from this village spring, and here is also the place
where Mary and Elizabeth met. Therefore, since the 14th century the
spring is known as the Fountain of the Virgin. The spring waters are
considered holy by some Catholic and Orthodox Christian pilgrims who
visit the site and are filling here their bottles. What looks like a
spring is actually the end of an ancient aqueduct. The spring itself
was always known as one of the best and strongest in the Judean
Mountains, but today its water is not potable due to pollution. The
former Arab inhabitants have built a mosque and school on the site, of
which a maqam (shrine) and minaret still remain. The spring was repaired
and renovated by Baron Edmond de Rothschild.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References</h2>
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-Morris_2004-1"><span class="reference-text"><i>The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited</i>, p.xx, village #360. Benny Morris, 2004. Also gives cause of depopulation.</span></li>
<li> <span class="reference-text">A trip to Ein Kerem</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Welcome To 'Ayn Karim</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ein_Karem_under_threat-3"> <span class="reference-text">Ein Karem under threat</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"> <span class="reference-text">G. Ernest Wright, <i>Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research</i> 71 [Oct. 1938], pp. 28f</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"> <span class="reference-text">Carta's Official
Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land.
(3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.233, ISBN 965-220-186-3 (English)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Tsafrir-6"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Yoram Tsafrir, Leah Di Segni and Judith Green (1994). <i>Tabula Imperii Romani: Judaea, Palaestina</i>. Jerusalem: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. p. 82.</span>; [1] (line 46)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth and Kamal Abdulfattah (1977). <i>Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century</i>.
Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany:
Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. p. 118.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Ein Kerem". My Holy Land<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-11-08</span></span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"> <span class="reference-text">Luke 1:39</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-MSCIAP-10"> <span class="reference-text">Moshe Sharon (1997) "Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-13197-3 p 157</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"> <span class="reference-text">Moshe Sharon (1997) "Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae", BRILL, ISBN 90-04-13197-3 p 156</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"> <span class="reference-text">http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/PalestineCensus1922.pdf
PALESTINE: REPORT AND GENERAL ABSTRACTS Of THE CENSUS Of 1922. TAKEN
ON THE 23rd OF OCTOBER, 1922. COMPILED BY J.B. BARRON. Table VII:
District of Jerusalem-Jaffa</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"> <span class="reference-text">W. Khalidi, All that Remains (1992) p269-270.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"> <span class="reference-text">UN map of Jerusalem <i>Corpus Separatum</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"> <span class="reference-text">Efraim Karsh, Palestine Betrayed (2010) p182.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Morris-16"> <span class="reference-text">B. Morris,
The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited (2004) p436,
quoting: Entries for 10 and 11 July 1948, General Staff∖Operations
Logbook, IDFA∖922∖75∖∖1176; and Mordechai Abir, ´The local Arab Factor
in the War of Independence (Jerusalem Area)`18-19, IDFA 1046∖70∖185∖∖;
and Yeruham, `Arab Information (from 14.7.48)´, 15 July 1948 HA
105∖127aleph.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"> <span class="reference-text">Abel, <i>Geographie</i> II, pp. 295f</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"> <span class="reference-text">New Advent organization</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"> <span class="reference-text">http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1:39-56</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"> <span class="reference-text">Sisters of mercy Haaretz, 8 November 2007</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>
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<div style="color: #274e13;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<b>Featured Item from Litany Lane</b></h3>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
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<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
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<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
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<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
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<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 1</span><br />
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<h3>
<span lang="en-US">DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST; MARY’S INTUITIVE VISION OF HIM</span></h3>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>How the divine Right Hand showered upon the Queen of Heaven highest Gifts, In order that She might labor in the holy Church; the Coming Of the Holy Ghost; the copious Fruit of the Redemption and the Preaching of the Apostles; the first Persecution of the Church, The Conversion of saint Paul and the arrival of saint James In Spain; the Apparition of the Mother of God in Saragossa, and the Founding of the Pilgrimage of Our Lady of the Pillar.</i></span></span></div>
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In the company of the great Queen of heaven, and encouraged by Her, the twelve Apostles and the rest of the disciples and faithful joyfully waited for the fulfillment of the promise of the Savior, that He would send them the Holy Ghost, the Consoler, who should instruct them and administer unto them all that they heard in the teaching of their Lord (John 14, 26). They were so unanimous and united in charity, that during all these days none of them had any thought, affection or inclination contrary to those of the rest. They were of one heart and soul in thought and action. Although the election of saint Mathias had occurred, the least movement or sign of discord arose among those first–born children of the Church; yet this was a transaction, which is otherwise apt to arouse differences of opinion in the most excellently disposed; since each is apt to follow his own insight and does not easily yield to the opinion of others. But into this holy congregation no discord found entrance, because they were united in prayer, in fasting and in the expectation of the Holy Ghost, who does not seek repose in discordant and unyielding hearts. In order that it may be inferred, how powerful was this union in charity, not only for disposing them toward the reception of the Holy Ghost, but for overcoming and dispersing the evil spirits, I will say; that the demons, who since the death of the Savior had lain prostrate in hell, felt in themselves a new kind of oppression and terror, resulting from the virtues of those assembled in the Cenacle. Although they could not explain it to themselves, they perceived a new terrifying force, emanating from that place, and when they perceived the effects of the doctrine and example of Christ in the behavior of the disciples, they feared the ruin of their dominion.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Queen of the angels, most holy Mary, in the plenitude of her wisdom and grace, knew the time and</span> <span lang="en-US">predestined hour for the sending of the Holy Ghost upon the apostolic college. When the days of Pentecost were about to be fulfilled (Act 2, 1), (which happened fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord our Redeemer), the most blessed Mother saw, how in heaven the humanity (John 14, 26) of the Word conferred with the eternal Father concerning the promised sending of the divine Paraclete to the Apostles, and that the time predetermined by his infinite wisdom for planting the faith and all his gifts in his holy Church, was at hand. The Lord also referred to the merits acquired by Him in the flesh through his most holy Life, Passion and Death, to the mysteries wrought by Him for the salvation of the human race and to the fact, that He was the Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor between the eternal Father and men, and that among them lived his sweetest Mother, in whom the divine Persons were so well pleased. He besought his Father also, that, besides bringing grace and the invisible gifts the Holy Ghost appear in the world in visible form, that</span> <span lang="en-US">so the evangelical law might be honored before all the world; that the Apostles and faithful, who were to spread the divine truth, might be encouraged, and that the enemies of the Lord, who had in this life persecuted despised and Him unto the death of the Cross, might be filled with terror.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">This petition of our Redeemer in heaven was supported on earth by most holy Mary in a manner befitting the merciful Mother of the faithful. Prostrated upon the earth in the form of a cross and in profoundest humility, She saw, how in that consistory of the blessed Trinity, the request of the Savior was favorably accepted, and how, to fulfill and execute it, the persons of the Father and the Son, as the Principle from which the Holy Ghost proceeded, decreed the active mission of the Holy Spirit; for to these Two is attributed the sending</span> <span lang="en-US">of the third Person, because He proceeds from Both; and the third Person passively took upon Himself this mission and consented to come into the world.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">On Pentecost morning the blessed Virgin Mary exhorted the Apostles, the disciples and the pious women, numbering about one hundred and twenty, to pray more fervently and renew their hopes, since the hour was at hand in which they were to be visited by the divine Spirit from on high. At the third hour (nine o’clock), when all of them were gathered around their heavenly Mistress and engaged in fervent prayer, the air resounded with a tremendous thunder and the blowing of a violent wind mixed with the brightness of fire or lightning, all centering upon the house of the Cenacle. The house was enveloped in light and the divine fire was poured out over all of that holy gathering (Acts 2, 2). Over the head of each of the hundred and twenty persons appeared a tongue of that same fire, in which the Holy</span> <span lang="en-US">Ghost had come, filling each one with divine influences and heavenly gifts and causing at one and the same time the most diverse and contrary effects in the Cenacle and in the whole of Jerusalem, according to the diversity of the persons affected.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In the most holy Mary these effects were altogether divine, and most wonderful in the sight of all the heavenly courtiers; for as regard us men, we are incapable of understanding and explaining them. The purest Lady was transformed and exalted in God; for</span> <span lang="en-US">She saw intuitively and clearly the Holy Ghost, and for</span> <span lang="en-US">a short time enjoyed the beatific vision of he Divinity. Of his gifts and divine influences She by Herself received more than all the rest of the saints. Her glory for that</span> <span lang="en-US">space of time, exceeded that of the angels and of the</span> <span lang="en-US">blessed. She alone gave to the Lord more glory, praise and thanksgiving than all the universe for the benefit of the descent of his Holy Spirit upon his Church and</span> <span lang="en-US">for his having pledged Himself so many times to send Him and through Him to govern it to the end of the world. The blessed Trinity was so pleased with the conduct of Mary on this occasion, that It considered Itself fully repaid and compensated for having created the world; and not only compensated, but God acted as if He were under a certain obligation for possessing such a peerless Creature, whom the Father could look upon as his Daughter, the Son as his Mother, and the Holy Ghost as his Spouse; and whom (according to our way of thinking) He was now obliged to visit and enrich after having conferred upon Her such high dignity. In this exalted and blessed Spouse were renewed all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, creating new effects and operations altogether beyond our capacity to understand.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Apostles, as saint Luke says (Acts 2, 11), were also replenished and filled with the holy Ghost; for they received a wonderful increase of justifying grace of a most exalted degree. The twelve Apostles were confirmed in this sanctifying grace and were never to lose it. In all of them, according to each one’s condition were infused the habits of the seven gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Science, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude and</span> <span lang="en-US">Fear. In this magnificent blessing, as new as it was admirable in the world, the twelve Apostles were created fit ministers of the new Testament and founders of the evangelical Church for the whole world: for this new grace</span> <span lang="en-US">and blessing communicated to them a divine strength most efficacious and sweet, which inclined them to practice the most heroic virtue and the highest sanctity. Thus strengthened they prayed, they labored willingly and accomplished the most difficult and arduous tasks, engaging in their labors not with sorrow or from necessity, but with the greatest joy and alacrity.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In all the rest of the disciples and the faithful, who received the Holy Ghost in the Cenacle, the Most High wrought proportionally and respectively the same effects, except that they were not confirmed in grace like the Apostles. According to the disposition of each the gifts of grace were communicated in greater or less abundance in view of the ministry they were to hold in the holy Church. The same proportion was maintained in regard to the Apostles; yet saint Peter and saint John were more singularly favored on account of the high offices assigned to them: the one to govern the Church as its head, and the other to attend upon and serve the Queen and Mistress of heaven and of earth, most holy Mary. The sacred text of saint Luke says, that the Holy Ghost filled the whole house in which this happy congregation was gathered (Acts 2, 7), not only because all of them were filled with the Holy Ghost and his admirable gifts, but because the house itself was filled with wonderful light and splendor. This plenitude of wonders and prodigies overflowed and communicated itself also to others outside of the Cenacle; for it caused diverse and various effects of the Holy Spirit among the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its vicinity. All those, who with some piety had compassioned our Savior Jesus in his Passion and Death, deprecating his most bitter torments and reverencing his sacred Person, were interiorly visited with new light and grace, which disposed them afterwards to accept the doctrine of the Apostles. Those that were converted by the first sermon of saint Peter, were to a great extent of the number of those who, by their compassion and sorrow at the death of</span> <span lang="en-US">the Lord, had merited for themselves such a great blessing. Others of the just who were in Jerusalem outside of the Cenacle, also felt great interior consolations, by</span> <span lang="en-US">which they were moved and predisposed by new effects of grace wrought in each one proportionately by the</span> <span lang="en-US">Holy Ghost.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem. By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy. This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him. All these fell</span> <span lang="en-US">to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours. Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master. The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul. Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses. These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities. This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior. As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962853"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, in small esteem and thankfulness do the children of the Church hold this blessing of the Most</span> <span lang="en-US">High, by which, in addition to sending of his Son their Master and Redeemer, He sent also the Holy Ghost into his Church. So great was the love, by which He sought to draw them to Himself, that, in order to make them sharers of his divine perfections, He sent them first the Son, who is wisdom (John 3, 16) and afterwards the holy Ghost, who is love, so that all might be enriched in the manner in which they were capable. The divine Spirit, in coming for the first time upon the Apostles and the others gathered with them, intended it as a pledge and testimony, that He would confer the same favor on the rest of the children of the Church, of light and of the Gospel, and that He was ready to communicate his gifts to all, if all will dispose themselves toward receiving them. In witness to this truth the Holy Ghost came upon many of the faithful in visible form and with visible effects (Act 8, 17; 10, 44; 11, 15), because they were truly faithful servants, humble and sincere, pure and ready of heart to receive Him. Also in our times He comes to many just souls, although not with such open manifestation because it is neither necessary nor proper. The interior effects and gifts are all of the same nature, acting according to the disposition and state of the one who receives them.</span></div>
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Blessed is the soul which sighs and aspires after this blessing and seeks to participate in this divine fire which enkindles, enlightens and consumes all that is terrestrial and carnal, which purifies and raises it up to new existence, union and participation with God himself.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<b>SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"</b><br />
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>CHAPTER TWO - <span class="text3">GOD COMES TO MEET MAN</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="50"></a><b>50</b> By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.<sup>1</sup> Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<span class="text"> <b>ARTICLE 3 - SACRED SCRIPTURE</b></span><br />
<span class="text"><b> </b> <br />
<b>I. CHRIST - THE UNIQUE WORD OF SACRED SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="101"></a><b>101</b> In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."<sup>63</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="102"></a><b>102</b> Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:<sup>64</sup> <br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.<sup>65</sup></span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="103"></a><b>103</b> For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body.<sup>66</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="104"></a><b>104</b> In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, "but as what it really is, the word of God".<sup>67</sup> "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them."<sup>68</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>II. INSPIRATION AND TRUTH OF SACRED SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="105"></a><b>105</b> <i>God is the author of Sacred Scripture</i>. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."<sup>69</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."<sup>70</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="106"></a><b>106</b> God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."<sup>71</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="107"></a><b>107</b> The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."<sup>72</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="108"></a><b>108</b> Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word is incarnate and living".<sup>73</sup> If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."<sup>74</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>III. THE HOLY SPIRIT, INTERPRETER OF SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="109"></a><b>109</b> In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.<sup>75</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="110"></a><b>110</b> In order to discover <i>the sacred authors' intention</i>, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."<sup>76</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="111"></a><b>111</b> But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written."<sup>77</sup> <br />
The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.<sup>78</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="112"></a><b>112</b> 1. <i>Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture"</i>. Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.<sup>79</sup> <br />
<br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.<sup>80</sup></span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text"> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="113"></a><b>113</b> 2. <i>Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church"</i>. According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"<sup>81</sup>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="114"></a><b>114</b> 3. <i>Be attentive to the analogy of faith</i>.<sup>82</sup> By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="115"></a><b>The senses of Scripture</b> <br />
<b>115</b> <span class="text1">According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two <i>senses </i>of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="116"></a><b>116</b> <span class="text1">The <i>literal sense</i> is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."<sup>83</sup></span><br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="117"></a><b>117</b> <span class="text1">The <i>spiritual sense</i>. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span><br />
1. The <i>allegorical sense</i>. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism.<sup>84</sup> <br />
2. The <i>moral sense</i>. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction".<sup>85</sup> <br />
3. The <i>anagogical sense</i> (Greek: <i>anagoge</i>, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.<sup>86</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="118"></a><b>118</b> <span class="text1">A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses: </span><br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text">The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith; The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.<sup>87</sup></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text"> </span> <b>119</b> "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgement. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgement of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."<sup>88</sup><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.<sup>89</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"> </span></dd></dl>
<b>IV. THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="120"></a><b>120</b> It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.<sup>90</sup> This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New.<sup>91</sup> <br />
<span class="text1"><i>The Old Testament</i>: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 <i>and </i>2 Samuel, 1 <i>and </i>2 Kings, 1 <i>and </i>2 Chronicles, Ezra <i>and </i>Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 <i>and </i>2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, <i>the </i>Song of Songs, <i>the </i>Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi. </span><br />
<i>The New Testament: the Gospels according to </i>Matthew, Mark, Luke <i>and </i>John, <i>the </i>Acts of the Apostles, <i>the </i>Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 <i>and </i>2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 <i>and </i>2 Thessalonians, 1 <i>and </i>2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, <i>the </i>Letter to the Hebrews, <i>the </i>Letters of James, 1 <i>and </i>2 Peter, 1, 2 <i>and </i>3 John, and Jude, <i>and </i>Revelation (the Apocalypse).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="121"></a><b>The Old Testament</b> <br />
<b>121</b> The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value,<sup>92</sup> for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="122"></a><b>122</b> Indeed, "the economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, redeemer of all men."<sup>93</sup> "Even though they contain matters imperfect and provisional,"<sup>94</sup> the books of the Old Testament bear witness to the whole divine pedagogy of God's saving love: these writings "are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way."<sup>95</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="123"></a><b>123</b> Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="124"></a><b>The New Testament</b> <br />
<b>124</b> "The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament"<sup>96</sup> which hand on the ultimate truth of God's Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church's beginnings under the Spirit's guidance.<sup>97</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="125"></a><b>125</b> The <i>Gospels </i>are the heart of all the Scriptures "because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior".<sup>98</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="126"></a><b>126</b> <span class="text1">We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels: </span><br />
1. <i>The life and teaching of Jesus</i>. The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, "whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up."<sup>99</sup> <br />
2. <i>The oral tradition</i>. "For, after the ascension of the Lord, the apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller understanding which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ and enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed."<sup>100</sup> <br />
3. <i>The written Gospels</i>. "The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, selected certain of the many elements which had been handed on, either orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or explained with an eye to the situation of the churches, the while sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus."<sup>101</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="127"></a><b>127</b> The fourfold Gospel holds a unique place in the Church, as is evident both in the veneration which the liturgy accords it and in the surpassing attraction it has exercised on the saints at all times: <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">There is no doctrine which could be better, more precious and more splendid than the text of the Gospel. Behold and retain what our Lord and Master, Christ, has taught by his words and accomplished by his deeds.<sup>102</sup> But above all it's the gospels that occupy my mind when I'm at prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding fresh lights there; hidden meanings which had meant nothing to me hitherto.<sup>103</sup> <sup> </sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="128"></a><b>The unity of the Old and New Testaments</b> <br />
<b>128</b> The Church, as early as apostolic times,<sup>104</sup> and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God's works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="129"></a><b>129</b> Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself.<sup>105</sup> Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament.<sup>106</sup> As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.<sup>107</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="130"></a><b>130</b> Typology indicates the dynamic movement toward the fulfillment of the divine plan when "God [will] be everything to everyone."<sup>108</sup> Nor do the calling of the patriarchs and the exodus from Egypt, for example, lose their own value in God's plan, from the mere fact that they were intermediate stages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="131"></a><b>V. SACRED SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH</b> <br />
<b>131</b> "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life."<sup>109</sup> Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."<sup>110</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="132"></a><b>132</b> "Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture."<sup>111</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="133"></a><b>133</b> The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.<sup>112</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>IN BRIEF</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="134"></a><b>134</b> All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, "because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ" (Hugh of St. Victor, <i>De arca Noe</i> 2,8:PL 176,642: cf. ibid. 2,9:PL 176,642-643). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="135"></a><b>135</b> "The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God" (DV 24). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="136"></a><b>136</b> God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth (cf. <i>DV</i> 11). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="137"></a><b>137</b> Interpretation of the inspired Scripture must be attentive above all to what God wants to reveal through the sacred authors for our salvation. What comes from the Spirit is not fully "understood except by the Spirit's action' (cf. Origen, <i>Hom. in Ex</i>. 4, 5: PG 12, 320). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="138"></a><b>138</b> The Church accepts and venerates as inspired the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="139"></a><b>139</b> The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="140"></a><b>140</b> The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God's plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other; both are true Word of God. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="141"></a><b>141</b> "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord" (DV 21): both nourish and govern the whole Christian life. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (<i>Ps </i>119:105; cf. <i>Is </i>50:4).<br />
<br />
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<span class="text1"> 63 <i>DV</i> 13.<br />
64 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 1:1-3.<br />
65 St. Augustine, <i>En. in Ps.</i> 103,4,1:PL 37,1378; cf. <i>Ps</i> 104; <i>Jn</i> 1:1.<br />
66 Cf. <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
67 <i>1 Thes</i> 2:13; cf. <i>DV</i> 24.<br />
68 <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
69 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
70 <i>DV</i> 11; cf. <i>Jn</i> 20:31; <i>2 Tim</i> 3:16; <i>2 Pet</i> 1:19-21; 3:15-16.<br />
71 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
72 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
73 St. Bernard, <i>S. missus est hom.</i> 4,11:PL 183,86.<br />
74 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 24:45.<br />
75 Cf. <i>DV</i> 12 § 1.<br />
76 <i>DV</i> 12 § 2.<br />
77 <i>DV</i> 12 § 3.<br />
78 Cf. <i>DV</i> 12 § 4.<br />
79 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 24:25-27,44-46.<br />
80 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>Expos. in Ps.</i> 21,11; cf. <i>Ps</i> 22:14.<br />
81 Origen, <i>Hom. in Lev.</i> 5,5:PG 12,454D.<br />
82 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 12:6.<br />
83 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I, 1, 10, ad I.<br />
84 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 10:2.<br />
85 <i>1 Cor</i> 10:11; cf. <i>Heb</i> 3:1-4:11.<br />
86 Cf. <i>Rev</i> 21:1-22:5.<br />
87 Lettera gesta docet, quid credas allegoria, moralis quid agas, quo tendas anagogia; Augustine of Dacia, <i>Rotulus pugillaris</i>, I: ed. A. Walz: Angelicum 6 (1929) 256.<br />
88 <i>DV</i> 12 § 3.<br />
89 St. Augustine, <i>Contra epistolam Manichaei</i>, 5,6:PL 42,176.<br />
90 Cf. <i>DV</i> 8 § 3.<br />
91 Cf. <i>DS</i> 179; 1334-1336; 1501-1504.<br />
92 Cf. <i>DV</i> 14.<br />
93 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
94 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
95 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
96 <i>DV</i> 17; cf. <i>Rom</i> 1:16.<br />
97 Cf. <i>DV</i> 20.<br />
98 <i>DV</i> 18.<br />
99 <i>DV</i> 19; cf. <i>Acts</i> 1:1-2.<br />
100 <i>DV</i> 19.<br />
101 <i>DV</i> 19.<br />
102 St. Caesaria the Younger to St. Richildis and St. Radegunde, <i>SCh</i> 345, 480.<br />
103 St. Thérèse of Lisieux, <i>ms. autob.</i> A 83v.<br />
104 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 10:6,11; <i>Heb</i> 10:l; <i>l Pet</i> 3:21.<br />
105 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 12:29-31<br />
106 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 5:6-8; 10:1-11.<br />
107 Cf. St. Augustine, <i>Quaest. in Hept.</i> 2,73:PL 34,623; Cf. <i>DV</i> 16.<br />
108 <i>1 Cor</i> 15:28.<br />
109 <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
110 <i>DV</i> 22.<br />
111 <i>DV</i> 24.<br />
112 <i>DV</i> 25; cf. <i>Phil</i> 3:8 and St. Jerome, <i>Commentariorum in Isaiam libri xviii</i> prol.:PL 24,17B. </span> <br />
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View more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/litanylane">Inspirational Designs</a> at Litany Lane.</div>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Reference</span></h2>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-19855140422733467912018-05-20T12:03:00.000-05:002018-05-20T12:58:01.772-05:00Pentecost Sunday May 20, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Paraclete; Reading 1, Acts 2:1-11; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; Reading 2, First Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; Gospel - John15:26-27, 16:12-15; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Pentecost : Snippet I - New Feast Day of Mary Mother of the Church; Snippet II - The Cenacle ; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 1 The Descent of the Holy Spirit and Mary's intuitive vision of Him; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Two - God comes To Meet Man Article Three - The Sacred Scripture; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Pentecost Sunday May 20, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Paraclete; </i><i>Reading 1, Acts 2:1-11; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; Reading 2, First Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; Gospel - </i><i><i>John15:26-27, 16:12-15</i>; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Pentecost <b>: </b>Snippet I - </i><i><i>New Feast Day of Mary Mother of the Church</i>; Snippet II - The Cenacle ; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 1 The Descent of the Holy Spirit and Mary's intuitive vision of Him; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter Two - God comes To Meet Man Article Three - The Sacred Scripture; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Pentecost Sunday </b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<b>May 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
All that my Son, who is the light of love, has done and does, He has done out of love. Also you, my children, when you live in love and love your neighbors, you are doing the will of my Son. Apostles of my love, make yourselves little; open your pure hearts to my Son so that He can work through you. With the help of faith, be filled with love. But, my children, do not forget that the Eucharist is the heart of fa<span class="text_exposed_show">ith. This is my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood. This is a miracle of love: my Son who always comes anew, alive, to bring life back to souls. My children, by living in love you are doing the will of my Son and He lives in you. My children, my motherly desire is for you to always love Him more, because He is calling you with His love. He is giving you love so that you may spread it to all those around you. As a mother, through His love, I am with you to speak the words of love and hope to you—to speak to you the eternal words that are victorious over time and death—so as to call you to be my apostles of love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen of Peace</span><br />
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<b>April 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show">~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the<span class="text_exposed_show"> Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.</span><br />
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Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?<br />
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Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?<br />
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.<br />
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Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.<br />
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Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus<br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b> </div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<b>March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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<b>February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:</b><br />
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<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Regina Coeli</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope Francis on Pentecost: The Holy Spirit changes hearts</h2>
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<i>“The rush of violent wind” (Acts 2:2) that accompanies the Holy Spirit’s descent on the Apostles is an image suggesting change and force, Pope Francis said in his Pentecost Sunday homily. (With photo gallery.) </i></div>
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<b>By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp</b><br />
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In his homily on <b>Pentecost Sunday</b> delivered before thousands of the faithful gathered in <b>St Peter's Basilica</b>,<b> Pope Francis</b> focused on the action of the <b>Holy Spirit </b>expressed in the Scripture readings from the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul's letter to the Galatians, and St John’s Gospel.<br />
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<b>The Holy Spirit changes hearts</b></h2>
The Spirit transforms the hearts of the timid disciples from fearful men, “huddled behind closed doors”, to bold men who “bear witness to [Jesus]” (Jn 15:27), the Pope said. His action frees hearts, impels service, guides people in new directions, and makes “the lukewarm thrill to new dreams. That is what it means to change hearts”, Pope Francis said.<br />
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<b>The Holy Spirit gives life</b></h2>
Pope Francis suggests that since the Holy Spirit provokes change that we turn to Him for a “powerful ‘jolt’ ” when “we are in need of real change”. He is “the power of God” and the “giver of life”. “How good it would be for us each day to feel this jolt of life! To say when we wake up each morning: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, come into my heart, come into my day’ ”, the Pope said.<br />
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<b>The Holy Spirit changes situations</b></h2>
The Holy Spirit “penetrates the most unimaginable situations”, Pope Francis continued. He does so today just as he did in the Acts of the Apostles, in which He is the “main character”. He drives Philip from Jerusalem to Gaza, then to Azotus, then to Caesarea (Acts 8:26-40), “in constantly new situations to spread God’s newness”. Paul is “compelled by the Spirit” (Acts 20:22), traveling “far and wide” to bring the Gospel, the Pope said.<br />
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<b>The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church</b></h2>
Pope Francis recalled that as the soul of the Church, the Holy Spirit renews her with hope, fills her with joy, and causes her to blossom with new life. Even after 2000 years, “the Spirit reminds the Church that…she is always the youthful bride with whom the Lord is madly in love”.<br />
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Concluding his homily, Pope Francis said that the Spirit acts on the Church with “<i>centripetal and centrifugal</i>” forces. We are centered deep within with His centripetal force which brings unity, peace and strength amid affliction and temptation, he said. The Holy Spirit pushes us outward toward the peripheries with a centrifugal force. Thus, in the Pope’s words, “those who live by the Spirit…find themselves pulled both <i>towards God and towards the world".</i><br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 05/20/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - paraclete </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold"><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">pah-rah-kleet</span></span>]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">1400-50;</span> < <span class="dbox-roman">Medieval Latin,</span> <span class="dbox-roman">Late Latin</span> <span class="dbox-italic">Paraclētus</span> < <span class="dbox-roman">Late Greek</span> <span class="dbox-italic">Paráklētos</span> comforter, literally, (person) called in (to help), verbid of <span class="dbox-italic">parakaleîn</span> (equivalent to <span class="dbox-italic">para-</span> para-<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span> + <span class="dbox-italic">kaleîn</span> to call); replacing <span class="dbox-roman">late Middle English</span> <span class="dbox-italic">paraclit</span> < <span class="dbox-roman">Medieval Latin</span> <span class="dbox-italic">Paraclītus,</span> representing <span class="dbox-roman">Medieval Greek</span> <span class="dbox-italic">Paráklētos</span><br />
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noun<br />
1. advocate, intercessor.<br />
2. initial the Holy Spirit; the Comforter.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Acts 2:1-11</h2>
1 When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together,<br />
2 when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting;<br />
3 and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.<br />
4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.<br />
5 Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven,<br />
6 and at this sound they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language.<br />
7 They were amazed and astonished. 'Surely,' they said, 'all these men speaking are Galileans?<br />
8 How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?<br />
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,<br />
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome-<br />
11 Jews and proselytes alike -- Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><span style="color: #660000;">Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34</span></h2>
1 Bless Yahweh, my soul, Yahweh, my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and splendour,<br />
24 How countless are your works, Yahweh, all of them made so wisely! The earth is full of your creatures.<br />
29 Turn away your face and they panic; take back their breath and they die and revert to dust.<br />
30 Send out your breath and life begins; you renew the face of the earth.<br />
31 Glory to Yahweh for ever! May Yahweh find joy in his creatures!<br />
34 May my musings be pleasing to him, for Yahweh gives me joy.'<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>First Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13</h2>
3 Because of that, I want to make it quite clear to you that no one who says 'A curse on Jesus' can be speaking in the Spirit of God, and nobody is able to say, 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit.<br />
4 There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit;<br />
5 there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord.<br />
6 There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all.<br />
7 The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good.<br />
12 For as with the human body which is a unity although it has many parts -- all the parts of the body, though many, still making up one single body -- so it is with Christ.<br />
13 We were baptised into one body in a single Spirit, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><i>John 15:26-27, 16:12-15</i></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> </b></span><i>The witness of the Holy Spirit<br />
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John15:26-27, 16:12-15</i></div>
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1. Opening prayer</h3>
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Oh, My Father, when will the Consoler come? When will your Spirit of Truth reach me? The Lord Jesus has promised Him, He has said that He would have sent Him from Your womb down to us. Father, then, open wide Your heart and send Him from your holy Heavens, from Your high dwelling! Do not delay any more, but fulfill the ancient promise; save us today, for ever! Open and free Your Love for us, in order that I too can be open and freed by You, in You. May this Word of Yours today be the holy place of our encounter, be the nuptial room to be immersed in You, Oh Trinity who are Love! Come in me and I in You; dwell in me and I in You. Remain, Father! Remain Oh Son Jesus Christ! Remain for ever, Consoler Spirit, do not leave me ever! Amen.</div>
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2. Reading</h3>
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<b>b) To help in the reading of the passage:</b></div>
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<b>15, 26-27: </b>Jesus announces the coming of the Holy Spirit, as Consoler, as the defending Advocate. He will be the one to act in the process of accusation which the world has against the disciples of Christ. He will be the one to make them strong in persecution. The Spirit renders witness to the world regarding the Lord Jesus; He defends Christ, who is contested, accused, and rejected. But the witness of the disciples is also necessary. The Spirit has to use them to proclaim with strength, in this world, the Lord Jesus. It is the beauty of our life transformed into a witness of love and fidelity to Christ.</div>
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<b>16, 12: </b>Jesus places His disciples – and therefore us too – ahead of their condition of poverty and incapacity, by which they do not understand well neither the words of Jesus, nor the words of Scripture. His truth is still a burden, which they cannot receive, lift up, and carry.</div>
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<b>16, 13 –15: </b>In these last verses, the Word of Jesus reveals to the disciples what will be the action of His Spirit in them. He will be the one to guide them in the whole truth. He will make them understand the mystery of Jesus in all its importance or significance, and in the totality of His truth. He will guide, reveal, proclaim, and illuminate, bringing to us, His disciples, the words of the Father. In this way we will be led to the encounter with God. By His grace we will be rendered capable of understanding the depth of the Father and of the Son.</div>
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<b>c) The Gospel - </b><b><i>John15:26-27, 16:12-15</i>:</b></div>
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Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."</div>
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3. A moment of prayerful silence</h3>
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I keep silence, from time to time I repeat in a low voice: “Come Holy Spirit”.</div>
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4. Some questions</h3>
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a) <b>“When the Paraclete will come”. </b>Jesus immediately places me in front of a very concrete reality; He opens before me a new time and tells me that this is a time of waiting in my life. The Paraclete is about to come, the Holy Spirit. Why Lord, have I waited for you for such a short time, and has my attention toward you been so weak, so hypocritical? You send someone to look for me and I am not even aware, do I not even show any interest?</div>
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b) <b>“And you too will be witnesses”. </b>Jesus affirms this, addressing Himself to His disciples of that time and of today. He speaks precisely to me and tells me: “You too will be a witness”. I am afraid. Why lose my importance before others: my companions in school, in the university, in my team, my friends, who invite me to go out with them? Why this great difficulty? Can I not be a Christian just the same? You are my beginning and my end: You are my whole existence! How could I not be Your witness, Lord? How can I continue to keep silence in this way?.</div>
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c) “<b>He will lead you to the complete truth”. </b>I have always planned my decisions to change. I have always been able to do everything alone. And now, Lord, You tell me that another One will guide me. This is not an easy choice, I confess it. But I want to try, I want to accept You, oh You who are Love. I allow myself to be taken hold of by Your Spirit. Will He lead me to the desert, as He did with You (cf. Lk4:1)? Will He open my life, as He opened the womb of the Virgin Mary (Lk1:35)? Will He invest me as He did with Peter, with the others, with all who believed in the preaching, as it is narrated in the Acts of the Apostles? I do not know what will happen to me, but I want to say yes to You.</div>
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5. A key for the Reading</h3>
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<b>* The Holy Spirit Paraclete</b></div>
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At first sight this term may seem a bit strange. It is a Greek word which is quite vague, from ancient times. Saint John referred to it when he said: “I shall ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16) and revealing that the Spirit comes to console, to remain with them, to defend and to protect. Here, though, in this verse, there seems to emerge a nuance: the Spirit presents Himself to us as the Advocate, that is, the One who is at our side in the judgment, in the accusation, in the tribunal of persecution. We know the whole story that bears in its heart the accusation, the contempt, the condemnation of the Lord Jesus and for all those who love Him. This is the daily story of all. At the bench of the accused, at the side of Jesus, we also sit, but not alone. We have an Advocate. The Spirit of the Lord comes and acts in the judgment in our behalf: He has discourses, renders witness, tries to convince and to prove. His work is immense in our midst, and for us. Before the Father, our Advocate is Jesus, as John writes in his first Letter (1 Jn2:1); but before the world, our Advocate is the Spirit, whom he sends to us from the Father. We should not prepare our defense beforehand (Lk 21:14), thinking that we can excuse ourselves alone, but we have to make space, within us, for the breath of the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to be the one who speaks, says, proves. Paul also had to have this hard experience. He writes this in his second Letter to Timothy: “The first time I had to present my defense, no one came in to court to support me. Every one of them deserted me” (2 Tim4:16). It is truly like that. There is no defense for us, no innocence, liberation, true freedom from jail, except in the intimate relationship with the Spirit of the Lord. He comes to us, in order that we may allow ourselves to be taken up by His presence, as in an embrace, as in an intimate and intense relationship of friendship, trust, abandonment and love.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>* The Witness</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I begin to understand, continuing to accept, in my heart, the words of this Gospel, that the relationship of us, disciples with the Holy Spirit, has as its purpose to render us capable of giving our witness to Jesus. We are united unconditionally with the Holy Spirit. We are grasped by Him, taken up in His fire, which is the reciprocal Love of the Father and of the Son, so that we too may become luminous, that we also may be sources of love in this world.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To render witness means to affirm clearly, giving proofs. The first one to do this, continually, is the Spirit. In every place and at all times He acts with power, in us and around us. He is the one who moves the hearts, who changes our distorted and hardened thoughts, who brings us closer, reconciles, impels to pardon, and brings us to union. He is also the One who heals the soul, the sick body and heart. He is the One who teaches, trains and makes one docile. He gives witness to the Lord Jesus, the Savior, through all His actions, soft touches of love, and of communion on our desolate and dry earth. He calls out the Risen One, who has conquered and stepped on death for ever. He gives witness to the Living One, the Glorified One from the One who is with us until the end of time. Behold, this is the witness. The Spirit introduces this in our world, brings it to us. We cannot remain indifferent or choose a bit here and there. He is the truth. And there is only one truth: that of God, His Son Jesus Christ. We are called to give witness to all of this. That is to commit our life, out of love, to this truth. To give witness is to become martyrs, out of love. Not alone, not by our own strength or by our own wisdom. “You will also be my witnesses”, says Jesus. But our wisdom can only exist within the witness of the Holy Spirit. They are not parallel witnesses, but lives fused together: that of the Spirit and ours. This takes place before the infinite tribunals of the world, every day of our life. It becomes a sacred place, almost a sanctuary, of the witness to the Lord Jesus. It is not important to carry out great enterprises, to show wisdom and intelligence, or attract crowds of people. No, one thing alone suffices: to tell the world that the Lord is alive, that He is here, in our midst and to proclaim His mercy, His infinite love.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>* The Father</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The contact with the Holy Spirit, allowing ourselves to be embraced and invaded by Him, leads us to the Lord Jesus. It leads us to His Heart, to the source of His love. And from there we go to the Father. We had nothing. We were not able to bring anything with us coming into this world and now, behold, we are loaded with gifts! It’s impossible to contain them all. It is necessary to allow them to overflow, to flow outside, toward the brothers and sisters whom we meet.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Spirit speaks of Jesus and uses the words of the Father. He repeats to us what He hears from the Father. His dwelling is the Father, and coming to us, the Spirit brings with Him the seal of that dwelling, of that place of infinite communion, which is the womb of the Father. We understand well that this is our house. We recognize the place of our origin and our end. Receiving the Spirit of Jesus we rediscover that we also come from the Father, that we are born in Him and we live in Him. If we seek ourselves, if we want to find the way, the sense of our life here, all this is written in the words which the Spirit pronounces for us, within us, concerning us. It is truly necessary to have a great silence in order to be able to listen to understand Him. It is necessary to go back to the house. To finally rethink in the Father and to say, within ourselves: “Yes, it is now enough! I have wandered far away from You for a long time, I have been lost… I will go back to my Father”. I see how many wonders the Spirit of truth can act, that my Lord Jesus Christ sends me from the Father. It will not be Pentecost if I do not allow myself to be taken up by Him, to be led by Him to the womb of the Father, where Christ is already waiting for me, where the fire of the Holy Spirit is already burning for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
6. A moment of prayer</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Psalm 68</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(The tenderness of the Father is the dwelling of the poor)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Response: </i><b>Abbà Father, I am your son!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I pray to You, Yahweh, <br />
at the time of Your favor; <br />
in Your faithful love answer me, <br />
in the constancy of Your saving power.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Answer me, Yahweh, for Your faithful love is generous; <br />
in Your tenderness turn towards me;<br />
do not turn away from Your servant, <br />
be quick to answer me, for I am in trouble.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Come to my side, redeem me, <br />
ransom me because of my enemies.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The humble have seen and are glad. <br />
Let your courage revive, <br />
you who seek God.<br />
For God listens to the poor, <br />
He has never scorned His captive people.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let heaven and earth and seas, <br />
and all that stirs in them, acclaim Him!<br />
For God will save Zion, <br />
and rebuild the cities of Judah, <br />
and people will live there on their own land;<br />
the descendants of His servants will inherit it, <br />
and those who love His name will dwell there.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
7. Final Prayer</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thank You, Father, for the coming of the Consoler, the Advocate. Thank You for His witness of Jesus in the world in me and in my life. Thank You because it is He who makes me capable of receiving and bearing the glorious weight of your Son and my Lord. Thank you, because He guides me in truth, He hands me over to the whole truth and reveals to me the Word which You Yourself pronounce. Thank You, my Father, because in Your goodness and tenderness You have joined me today and You have attracted me to You. You have made me enter in the house of your heart. You have immersed me in the fire of the Trinitarian love, where You and Your Son Jesus are only one in the infinite kiss of the Holy Spirit. I am also here and because of this my joy is overflowing. I pray You, Father, make me give this joy to all, in the loving witness of Jesus, the Savior, every day of my life. Amen.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<b>Reference: </b><i> </i></h2>
<i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
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<tr class=""><th scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Feast Day: The Feast of the Pentecost</b></h2>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOGEeIJ6iTaSzyprR6JEfWMs6LnvM2MKl4COamgKGebH8tcUyBk_IDF1u8SC4qsn3TfM5_ap7zeamZmggyon3o1rWQ08edmGVXIaMGkQnWEuBVsQ3BAQzFKr5T22EIXpEi232ozjJNe-u/s1600/225px-Icon-Pentecost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOGEeIJ6iTaSzyprR6JEfWMs6LnvM2MKl4COamgKGebH8tcUyBk_IDF1u8SC4qsn3TfM5_ap7zeamZmggyon3o1rWQ08edmGVXIaMGkQnWEuBVsQ3BAQzFKr5T22EIXpEi232ozjJNe-u/s1600/225px-Icon-Pentecost.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Pentecost</b> (Ancient Greek: <span lang="grc">Πεντηκοστή [ἡμέρα]</span>, <i>Pentēkostē [hēmera]</i>,
"the fiftieth [day]") is the Greek name for the Feast of Weeks, a
prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving
of the Law on Sinai. This feast is still celebrated in Judaism as
Shavuot.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Later, in the Christian liturgical year, it
became a feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ, (120 in all) as described
in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described by some Christians today as the "Birthday of the Church."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Eastern church, Pentecost can also refer to the whole fifty days
between Easter and Pentecost, hence the book containing the liturgical
texts for Paschaltide is called the Pentecostarion. The feast is also
called <b>Whit Sunday</b>, or <i>Whitsun</i>, especially in England,
where the following Monday was traditionally a public holiday. Pentecost
is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday, hence its
name.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Pentecostal movement of Christianity derives its name from the New Testament event.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Old_Testament">Old Testament</span> </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pentecost is the old Greek and Latin name for the Jewish harvest festival, or Festival of Weeks (Hebrew חג השבועות <i>Hag haShavuot</i> or <i>Shevuot</i>,
literally "Festival of Weeks"), which can be found in the Hebrew Bible,
Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks (Hebrew: חג השבועות, chag
ha-Shavuot, Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10 ); Festival of Reaping
(Hebrew: חג הקציר, chag ha-Katsir, Exodus 23:16 ), and Day of the First
Fruits (Hebrew יום הביכורים, Yom ha-Bikkurim, Numbers 28:26 ).</div>
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Extra-Biblical_and_Post-Biblical_Jewish_Texts">Extra-Biblical and Post-Biblical Jewish Texts</span> </h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Talmud refers to Shavuot as <i>Atzeret</i> (Hebrew: עצרת,
literally, "refraining" or "holding back"), referring to the prohibition
against work on this holiday and to the conclusion of the holiday and
season of Passover. Since Shavuot occurs 50 days after Passover,
Hellenistic Jews gave it the name Pentecost.(πεντηκοστή, "fiftieth
day").</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According to Jewish tradition, Pentecost
commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days
after the Exodus. The Talmud derives this from a calculation based on
Biblical Texts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Jewish Encyclopedia
points to similarities between the Christian and Jewish Pentecost, as
an outpouring of the Spirit or the giving of the Law in seventy
languages. Similarly, many consider the events of each historical
Pentecost to be the birthday of each religion respectively.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
same building on Mount Zion is traditionally revered by Jews as David's
Tomb and by Christians as the Cenacle (The Upper Room), and that there
is a Jewish tradition that David was born and died on Pentecost.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="New_Testament">New Testament</span> </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The biblical narrative of Pentecost, where the 11 Disciples of Christ
(Acts 1:13, 26), along with about 109 other individuals (Acts 1:15),
including many women, among whom was Mary the mother of Jesus (Acts
1:14), received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, is
given in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. As recounted in Acts 2:1–6:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table class="cquote" style="background-color: transparent; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium none; margin: auto 0px; text-align: left; width: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: none; color: #b2b7f2; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 35px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: left;" valign="top" width="20">“</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 4px 10px;" valign="top">And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began
to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And
there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation
under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came
together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak
in his own language.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></td>
<td style="border: none; color: #b2b7f2; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 35px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: right;" valign="bottom" width="20">”</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While those on whom the Spirit had
descended were speaking in many languages, the Apostle Peter stood up
with the eleven and proclaimed to the crowd that this event was the
fulfillment of the prophecy ("I will pour out my spirit")<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup> In Acts 2:17,
it reads: "'And in the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my spirit
upon every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will
prophesy and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream
dreams." Acts 2:41 then reports: "Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about
three thousand souls."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Peter stated that this event was the beginning of a continual
outpouring that would be available to all believers from that point on,
Jews and Gentiles alike.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Location_of_the_first_Pentecost">Location of the First Pentecost</span> </h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Jerusalem_Cenacle_BW_5.JPG/220px-Jerusalem_Cenacle_BW_5.JPG" height="330" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cenacle on Mount Zion,<br />
claimed to be the location<br />
of the Last Supper and Pentecost. <br />
Bargil Pixner<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pixner_9-0">[9]</sup> claims the original<br />
Church of the Apostles is located<br />
under the current structure. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Traditional
interpretation holds that the Descent of the Holy Spirit took place in
the Upper Room, or Cenacle, while celebrating the day of Pentecost
(Shavuot). The Upper Room was first mentioned in Luke 22:12-13 ( "<i>And
he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And
they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover</i>.").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This Upper Room was to be the location of the Last Supper and the institution of Holy Communion.
The next mention of an Upper Room is in Acts 1:13-14, the continuation
of the Luke narrative, authored by the same biblical writer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup> Here the disciples and women wait and they gave themselves up to constant prayer: <i>"And
when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode
both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas,
Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes,
and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in
prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with his brethren."</i> Then, in Acts 2:1–2, <i>"And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting.",</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup>
"They" refers to the aforementioned disciples, though some think it
includes the women. The "place" referring to the same Upper Room where
these persons had <i>"</i>continued <i>with one accord in prayer and supplication".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alternative interpretations suggest that "the house" mentioned was in fact the House of God, Herod's Temple.
There were Judeans from all over the world in the Temple proper. These
people saw and heard the people whom received the gift of spiritual
birth of holy spirit. The location the Upper Room did not allow women.
Therefore, The Temple proper among all the people present is the
location of the out pouring of holy spirit. Acts Chapter 2.</div>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Date">Celebration Dates</span> </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According
to the current Jewish Calendar, the date of Pentecost is fifty days
from Passover. In Jewish antiquity dates were disputed, as in the Dead
Sea scrolls.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> or in the Mishnah.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Christian tradition Pentecost is part of the Moveable Cycle of the
ecclesiastical year. According to Christian tradition, Pentecost is
always seven weeks after Easter
Sunday; that is to say, 50 days after Easter (inclusive of Easter Day).
In other words, it falls on the eighth Sunday, counting Easter Day. The
date of Easter may be calculated using a procedure known as Computus.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since the date of Easter is calculated differently in the East and West (see Easter controversy),
in most years the two traditions celebrate Pentecost on different days
(though in some years the celebrations will coincide, as in 2010, 2011,
and 2014). In the West, the earliest possible date is May 10 (as in 1818
and 2285), and the latest possible date June 13 (as in 1943 and 2038).
In the East, this range of possible dates presently corresponds to May
23 through June 26 on the Gregorian calendar.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Liturgical_celebration">Liturgical celebration</span> </h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Eastern_churches">Eastern churches</span> </h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Eastern Orthodox Church, Pentecost is one of the Orthodox Great
Feasts and is considered to be the highest ranking Great Feast of the
Lord, second in rank only to Easter/Resurrection Sunday/Passover. The
service is celebrated with an All-night Vigil on the eve of the feast
day, and the Divine Liturgy on the day of the feast itself. Orthodox
temples
are often decorated with greenery and flowers on this feast day, and
the celebration is intentionally similar to the Jewish holiday of
Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Mosaic Law.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
feast itself lasts three days. The first day is known as "Trinity
Sunday"; the second day is known as "Spirit Monday" (or "Monday of the
Holy Spirit"); and the third day, Tuesday, is called the "Third Day of
the Trinity".."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup>
The Afterfeast of Pentecost lasts for one week, during which fasting is
not permitted, even on Wednesday and Friday. In the Russian Orthodox
tradition, the liturgical color used at Pentecost is green, and the
clergy and faithful carry flowers and green branches in their hands
during the services.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
An extraordinary service called
the Kneeling Prayer, is observed on the night of Pentecost. This is a
Vespers service to which are added three sets of long poetical prayers,
the composition of Saint Basil the Great, during which everyone makes a
full prostration, touching their foreheads to the floor (prostrations in
church having been forbidden from the day of Pascha (Easter) up to this
point).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All of the remaining days of the
ecclesiastical year, until the preparation for the next Great Lent are
named for the day after Pentecost on which they occur (for example, the
13th Tuesday After Pentecost).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Second Monday after
Pentecost is the beginning of the Apostles' Fast (which continues until
the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
on June 29). Theologically, Orthodox do not consider Pentecost to be
the "birthday" of the Church; they see the Church as having existed
before the creation of the world (cf. <i>The Shepherd of Hermas</i>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Orthodox icon of the feast depicts the Twelve Apostles seated in a semicircle (sometimes the Theotokos
(Virgin Mary) is shown sitting in the center of them). At the top of
the icon, the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, is descending
upon them. At the bottom is an allegorical figure, called <i>Kosmos</i>,
which symbolizes the world. Although Kosmos is crowned with earthly
glory he sits in the darkness caused by the ignorance of God. He is
holding a towel on which have been placed 12 scrolls, representing the
teaching of the Twelve Apostles.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the ancient <i>Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria</i>, Pentecost
is one of the seven Major "Lord's Feasts". It is celebrated at the time
of ninth hour (3:00pm) on the Sunday of Pentecost by a special
three-segment prayer known as the "Office of Genuflection (Kneeling
Prayer)". This feast is followed with the "Apostles Fast" which has a
fixed end date on the fifth of the Coptic month of Epip [which currently
falls on July 12, which is equivalent to June 29, due to the current
13-day Julian-Gregorian calendar offset]. The fifth of Epip is the
commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. Peter and Paul. The ninth hour is
the hour at which the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles according to
the book of Acts Chapter 2.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Western_churches">Western churches</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="A typical Western image of the Pentecost. Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308) Tempera on wood." class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_018.jpg/220px-Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_018.jpg" height="195" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A typical Western image of the Pentecost. Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308) Tempera on wood</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
liturgical celebrations of Pentecost in Western churches
are as rich and varied as those in the East. The main sign of Pentecost
in the West is the color red. It symbolizes joy and the fire of the
Holy Spirit. Priests or ministers & choirs wear red vestments,
and in modern times, the custom has extended to the lay people
of the congregation wearing red clothing in celebration as well. Red
banners are often hung from walls or ceilings to symbolize the blowing
of the "mighty wind"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bibleverse.7CActs.7C2:2.7CKJV_18-0">[18]</sup> and the free movement of the Spirit.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
They
may depict symbols of the Holy Spirit, such as the dove or flames,
symbols of the church such as Noah's Ark and the Pomegranate, or
especially within Protestant churches of Reformed and Evangelical
traditions, words rather than images naming for example, the gifts and
Fruits of the Spirit. Red flowers at the altar/ preaching area, and red
flowering plants such as geraniums
around the church are also typical decorations for Pentecost
masses/services. These symbolize the renewal of life, the coming of the
warmth of summer, and the growth of the church at and from the first
Pentecost. These flowers often play an important role in the ancestral
rites, and other rites, of the particular congregation. For example, in
both Protestant & Catholic churches, the plants brought in to
decorate for the holiday may be each "sponsored" by individuals in
memory of a particular loved one, or in honor of a living person on a
significant occasion, such as their Confirmation day. These dedications
are then printed in bulletins distributed at the service.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the German speaking lands, in Central Europe,
and wherever the people of these nations have wandered, green branches
are also traditionally used to decorate churches for Pentecost. Birch is
the tree most typically associated with this practice in Europe, but
other species are employed in different climates.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
singing of Pentecost hymns is also central to the celebration in the
Western tradition. Hymns such as Martin Luther's "Come Holy Spirit God
& Lord" ("<i>Komm Heiliger Geist Herre Gott</i>"),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup> Charles Wesley's "Spirit of Faith Come Down"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup> & "Come Holy Ghost Our Hearts Inspire" <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup> or Hildegard von Bingen's "O Holy Spirit Root of Life" <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup>
are popular. Some traditional hymns of Pentecost make reference not
only to themes relating to the Holy Spirit or the church, but to folk
customs connected to the holiday as well, such as the decorating with
green branches.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[28]</sup> Consider "Oh that I had a Thousand Voices" ("<i>O daß ich tausend Zungen hätte</i>")<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup> by German, Johann Mentzer Verse 2: "<i>Ye forest leaves so green and tender, that dance for joy in summer air</i>…" or "O Day Full of Grace" ("<i>Den signede Dag</i>")<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[32]</sup> by Dane, Nikolai Grundtvig verse 3: "<i>Yea were every tree endowed with speech and every leaflet singing</i>…".
In the Roman Catholic Church, Veni Sancte Spiritus is the sequence hymn
for the Day of Pentecost. This has been translated into many languages
and is sung in many denominations today. See also Veni Creator Spiritus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Trumpeters or brass ensembles
are often specially contracted to accompany singing and provide special
music at Pentecost services, recalling the Sound of the mighty wind.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bibleverse.7CActs.7C2:2.7CKJV_18-1">[18]</sup>
While this practice is common among a wide spectrum of Western
denominations (Eastern Churches do not employ instrumental accompaniment
in their worship) it is particularly typical, and distinctive to the
heritage of the Moravian Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[35]</sup></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify; width: 112px;">
<div class="thumbinner">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another custom is reading the appointed Scripture lessons in multiple
foreign languages recounting the speaking in tongues recorded in <span class="plainlinks">Acts 2:4-12</span>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[36]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Middle Ages,
cathedrals and great churches throughout Western Europe were fitted
with a peculiar architectural feature known as a Holy Ghost hole; a
small circular opening in the roof that symbolized the entrance of Holy
Spirit into the midst of the assembled worshippers. At Pentecost, these
Holy Ghost holes would be decorated with flowers, and sometimes a dove
figure lowered through into the church while the story of the Pentecost
was read. Holy Ghost holes can still be seen today in European churches
such as Canterbury Cathedral.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Similarly, a large two
dimensional dove figure would be, and in some
places still are, cut out of wood, painted and decorated with flowers,
to be lowered over the people, particularly during the singing of the
sequence hymn, or Veni Creator Spiritus. In other places, particularly
Sicily and the Italian peninsula, rose
petals were and are thrown from the galleries over the congregation
calling to mind the tongues of fire. In modern times, this practice has
been revived, and interestingly adapted as well, to include the strewing
of origami doves from above, or suspending them – sometimes by the
hundreds – from the ceiling.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[37]</sup>
In some cases, red fans, or red handkerchiefs are distributed to the
assembled worshippers to be waved during the procession, etc. Other
congregations have incorporated the use of red balloons, signifying the
"Church's Birthday" into their festivities. These may be carried by
worshippers, used to decorate the sanctuary, or released all at once.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For
some Protestants, the nine days between Ascension Day, and Pentecost
are set aside as a time of fasting, and world-wide prayer in honor of
the disciples' time of prayer and unity awaiting the Holy Spirit.
Similarly among Roman Catholics, special Pentecost Novenas
are held. The Pentecost Novena is considered the first Novena, all
other Novenas offered in preparation of various festivals and Saints
days
deriving their practice from those original nine days of prayer
observed by the disciples of Christ. While the Eve of Pentecost was
traditionally a day of fasting for Catholics, today's canon law no
longer requires it. Both Catholics and Protestants may hold spiritual
retreats, prayer vigils and litanies
in the days leading up to Pentecost. In some cases vigils on the Eve of
Pentecost may last all night. Pentecost is also one of the occasions
specially appointed for the Lutheran Litany to be sung.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[38]</sup></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 152px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From
the early days of Western Christianity, Pentecost became one of the
days set aside to celebrate Baptism.
In Northern Europe Pentecost was preferred even over Easter for this
rite, as the temperatures in late spring might be supposed to be more
conducive to outdoor immersion as was then the practice. It is proposed
that the term Whit Sunday derives from the custom of the newly baptized
wearing white clothing, and from the white vestments worn by the clergy
in English liturgical uses. The holiday was also one of the three days
each year (along with Christmas and Easter) Roman Catholics were
required to confess and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion in order
to remain in good church standing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[39]</sup>
Holy Communion is likewise often a feature of the Protestant observance
of Pentecost as well. It is one of the relatively few Sundays some
Reformed denominations may offer the communion meal, and is one of the
days of the year specially appointed among Moravians for the celebration
of their Love Feasts. Ordinations
are celebrated across a wide array of Western denominations at
Pentecost, or near to it. In some denominations, for example the
Lutheran Church, even if an ordination or consecration of a deaconess is
not celebrated on Pentecost, the liturgical color will invariably be
red, and the theme of the service will be the Holy Spirit. And above
all, Pentecost is a day for the Confirmation celebrations of young
people. Flowers, the wearing of white robes, or white dresses recalling
Baptism, rites such as the laying on of hands,
and vibrant singing play prominent roles on these joyous occasions, the
blossoming of Spring forming an equal analogy with the blossoming of
youth.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The typical image of Pentecost in the West is that of the Virgin Mary
seated centrally and prominently among the disciples, with flames
resting on the crowns of their heads. Occasionally parting clouds
suggesting the action of the "mighty wind",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bibleverse.7CActs.7C2:2.7CKJV_18-2">[18]</sup>
rays of light, and/or the Dove, are also depicted. Of course, the
Western iconographic style is less static and stylized than that of the
East, and other very different representations have been produced, and
in some cases have achieved great fame, such as the Pentecosts by Titian, Giotto and el Greco.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Paul already in the 1st century notes the importance of this festival to the early Christian communities. (See: <span class="plainlinks">Acts 20:16</span> & <span class="plainlinks">1 Corinthians 16:8</span>)
Since the lifetime of some who may have been eye-witnesses, annual
celebrations of the descent of the Holy Spirit have been observed.
Before the Second Vatican Council Pentecost Monday as well was a Holy
Day of Obligation
during which the Catholic Church addressed the newly baptized and
confirmed. Since that time however Pentecost Monday is no longer
solemnized. Nevertheless it remains an official church festival in many
Protestant churches, such as the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and others. In the Byzantine
Catholic Rite Pentecost Monday is no longer a Holy Day of Obligation,
but rather a simple holy day. In the Roman Catholic Church, as at
Easter, the liturgical rank of Monday and Tuesday of Pentecost week is a
Double of the First Class<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[40]</sup> and across many Western denominations, Pentecost is celebrated with an octave culminating on Trinity Sunday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Marking
the festival's importance, in several denominations, such as the
Lutheran and United Methodist churches (and formerly in the Roman
Catholic Church), all the Sundays from the holiday itself until the next
Advent
in late November or December are designated the 2nd, 3rd, Nth, Sunday
after Pentecost, etc. Throughout the year, in Roman Catholic piety, the
Pentecost is the third of the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, as
well as being one of the Stations of the Resurrection, or Via Lucis.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, where there is less emphasis on
the liturgical year, Pentecost may be one of the greatest celebrations
in the year, such as in Germany or Romania.
In other cases, Pentecost may be ignored as a holy day in these
churches. In many evangelical churches in the United States, the secular
holiday, Mother's Day, may be more celebrated than the ancient and
biblical feast of Pentecost.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[41]</sup>
Many evangelicals and Pentecostals are observing the liturgical
calendar and observe Pentecost as a day to teach the Gifts of the Holy
Spirit.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (December 2012)"><br /></span></a></i></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Across denominational lines Pentecost has been an opportunity for
Christians to honor the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and
celebrate the birth of the church in an ecumenical context.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[42]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43">[43]</sup></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Classical_compositions_for_Pentecost">Classical compositions for Pentecost</span> </h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 342px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Jean_II_Restout_-_Pentec%C3%B4te.jpg/340px-Jean_II_Restout_-_Pentec%C3%B4te.jpg" height="200" width="340" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Western depiction of the Pentecost, painted by Jean II Restout, 1732</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Lutheran church of the Baroque observed three days of Pentecost. Some
composers wrote sacred cantatas to be performed in the church services
of these days. Johann Sebastian Bach composed several cantatas for days
of Pentecost, including <i><i>Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!</i> BWV 172</i> in 1714 and <i>Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt</i>, BWV 68 in 1725. Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel wrote cantatas such as <i>Werdet voll Geistes</i> (Get full of spirit) in 1737.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44">[44]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mozart composed an antiphon <i>Veni Sancte Spiritus</i> in 1768.Olivier Messiaen composed an organ mass <i>Messe de la Pentecôte</i> in 1949/50. In 1964 Fritz Werner wrote an oratorio for Pentecost <i>Veni, sancte spiritus</i> (Come, Holy Spirit) on the sequence <i>Veni sancte spiritus</i>, and Jani Christou wrote <i>Tongues of Fire</i>, a Pentecost oratorio. Richard Hillert wrote a <i>Motet for the Day of Pentecost</i> for choir, vibraphone, and prepared electronic tape in 1969. Violeta Dinescu composed <i>Pfingstoratorium</i>, an oratorio for Pentecost for five soloists, mixed chorus and small orchestra in 1993.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Customs_and_traditions">Customs and traditions</span> </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Italy it was customary to scatter rose petals from the ceiling of the
churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues; hence in Sicily and
elsewhere in Italy Whitsunday is called <i>Pasqua rosatum</i>. The Italian name <i>Pasqua rossa</i> comes from the red colours of the vestments used on Whitsunday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
France it was customary to blow trumpets during Divine service, to
recall the sound of the mighty wind which accompanied the Descent of the
Holy Spirit.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the north west of England, church and
chapel parades called Whit Walks take place at Whitsun (sometimes on
Whit Friday, the Friday after Whitsun).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45">[45]</sup>
Typically, the parades contain brass bands and choirs; girls attending
are dressed in white. Traditionally, Whit Fairs (sometimes called
Whitsun Ales)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[46]</sup> took place. Other customs such as morris dancing<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">[47]</sup> and cheese rolling<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[48]</sup> are also associated with Whitsun.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Literary_allusions">Literary excerpts</span> </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According to legend, King Arthur always gathered all his knights at the round table for a feast and a quest on Pentecost:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
<i>So ever the king had a custom that at the feast of Pentecost in
especial, afore other feasts in the year, he would not go that day to
meat until he had heard or seen of a great marvel.</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49">[49]</sup></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
German
poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe declared Pentecost "das liebliche Fest"
– the lovely Feast, in a selection by the same name in his Reineke
Fuchs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[50]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Pfingsten, das liebliche Fest", speaks of Pentecost as a time of
greening and blooming in fields, woods, hills, mountains, bushes and
hedges, of birds singing new songs, meadows sprouting fragrant flowers,
and of festive sunshine gleaming from the skies and coloring the earth -
iconic lines idealizing the Pentecost holidays in the German speaking
lands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Further, Goethe records an old peasant proverb relating to Pentecost in his "Sankt-Rochus-Fest zu Bingen" <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[51]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51"> </sup>– Ripe strawberries at Pentecost mean a good wine crop.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alexandre Dumas, père mentions of Pentecost in Twenty Years After (French: Vingt ans après), the sequel to The Three Musketeers.
A meal is planned for the holiday, to which La Ramée, second in command
of the prison, is invited, and by which contrivance, the Duke is able
to escape. He speaks sarcastically of the festival to his jailor,
foreshadowing his escape : <i>"Now, what has Pentecost to do with me? Do
you fear, say, that the Holy Ghost may come down in the form of fiery
tongues and open the gates of my prison?"</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52">[52]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
William
Shakespeare mentions Pentecost in a line from Romeo and Juliet Act 1,
Scene V. At the ball at his home, Capulet speaks in refuting an
overestimate of the time elapsed since he last danced: <i>"What,
man? 'Tis not so much, 'tis not so much! 'Tis since the nuptial of
Lucentio, Come Pentecost as quickly as it will, Some five-and-twenty
years, and then we mask'd."</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[53]</sup> Note here the allusion to the tradition of mumming, Morris dancing and wedding celebrations at Pentecost.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">References</span></h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">2:1–31</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia, Pentecost (Whitsunday)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The
Seven Festivals of the Messiah 12 Edward Chumney – 1994 p230 This is
called the counting of the omer. On the fiftieth day following the Feast
of First Fruits (Bikkurim) is the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost
( Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:15–21).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 2:1–4</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 2:1–6 in all major bibles</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joel 2:28–29</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 2:41</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 2:39</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Pixner-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bargil Pixner, <i>The Church of the Apostles found on Mount Zion</i>, Biblical Archaeology Review 16.3 May/June 1990 [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Luke 22:12–13</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 1:13–14</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts 2:1–2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="plainlinks">Acts 1:13</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph Fitzmyer <i>Responses to 101 questions on the Dead Sea scrolls</i>
1992 p 87: "Particularly important for the Qumran community was the
celebration of this Feast of Weeks on 111/15, because according to Exod
19:1 Israel ... Later the renewal of the Covenant came to be celebrated
on the Feast of Weeks (see Jubilees"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Menachot 10:3</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Trinity Week – 3rd Day of the Trinity</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Patrologia Graecae</i>, 35:1108–9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-bibleverse.7CActs.7C2:2.7CKJV-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">Acts 2:2 KJV</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">John 3:8 KJV</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"St. Catherine of Sweden Roman Catholic Church – Bulletin". StCatherineofSweden.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"200-299 TLH Hymns". Lutheran-hymnal.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord". Lutheran-hymnal.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"HymnSite.com's Suggested Hymns for the Day of Pentecost (Year C)". Hymnsite.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Spirit of Faith, Come Down". Hymntime.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire". Hymntime.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"O Holy Spirit, Root of Life". Hymnsite.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Texts > O Holy Spirit, root of life". Hymnary.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark | Christian Classics Ethereal Library". Hymnary.com. 2009-08-11<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"O That I Had a Thousand Voices". Hymntime.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"O daß ich tausend Zungen hätte gospel christian songs free mp3 midi download". Ingeb.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Lutheran Worship Online Hymnal - section MO". Lutheranhymnal.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"O day full of grace". Danishchurch.vancouver.bc.ca<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Rhabanus Maurus". Hymntime.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Veni Creator Spiritus". Newadvent.org. 1912-10-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Moravian Music Foundation". MoravianMusic.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Nelson, Gertrud Muller (1986). <i>To Dance With God: Family Ritual and Community Celebration</i>. Paulist Press. p. 193. ISBN 0809128128<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts". Ecva.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">(P. Drews.). "Litany". Ccel.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Frequent Communion". Newadvent.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Pentecost". Newadvent.org. 1912-10-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Pentecost: All About Pentecost (Whitsunday)!". ChurchYear.net<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Pentecost Picnic 2009". Themint.org.uk<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholics at Monash: Photos of Ecumenical Pentecost Celebrations". MonashCatholics.blogspot.com. 2007-06-15<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cantatas for Pentecost review of the 2002 recording by Johan van Veen, 2005</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.whitfriday.brassbands.saddleworth.org/Walks.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://feastsandfestivals.blogspot.com/2010/05/23-may-whitsun-ales.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~ef/forester/BBCTranscript.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Le Morte d'Arthur</i>, Thomas Malory. Book 7, chapter 1</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Pfingsten, das liebliche Fest, war gekommen;</i> es grünten und blühten Feld und Wald;<br />
auf Hügeln und Höhn, in Büschen und Hecken<br />
Übten ein fröhliches Lied die neuermunterten Vögel;<br />
Jede Wiese sprosste von Blumen in duftenden Gründen,<br />
Festlich heiter glänzte der Himmel und farbig die Erde.<i><br /></i> [2]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Projekt Gutenberg-DE - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur". Gutenberg.spiegel.de. 2009-08-17<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Projekt Gutenberg-DE - SPIEGEL ONLINE – Nachrichten – Kultur". Gutenberg.spiegel.de. 2009-08-17<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Romeo and Juliet Text and Translation - Act I, Scene V". Enotes.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-05-17</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> New Feast Day - Mary Mother of the Church</span></span></h2>
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In Roman Catholic Mariology, <b>Mother of the Church</b> (in Latin <b>Mater Ecclesiae</b>) is a title, officially given to Mary during the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-InterCom_1-0">[1]</sup> The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan, as rediscovered by Hugo Rahner.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-InterCom_1-1">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HRahner_2-0">[2]</sup></div>
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The title "Mother of the Church" was used by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> The title was also used by Pope John Paul II<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Redemp47_5-0">[5]</sup> and is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cat963_6-0">[6]</sup></div>
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Pope John Paul II stated that overall the title indicates the Blessed Virgin Mary's maternity of Christ's faithful, as deriving from her maternity of Christ in that "Mary is present in the Church as the Mother of Christ, and at the same time as that Mother whom Christ, in the mystery of the Redemption, gave to humanity in the person of the Apostle John [cf. John 19:27]. Thus, in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="St._Ambrose_and_Hugo_Rahner">St. Ambrose and Hugo Rahner</span></h2>
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The Church has traditionally portrayed the Blessed Virgin Mary together with the apostles and disciples gathered at that first Pentecost, joined in prayer with the first members of the Church. The title, <i>Mater Ecclesiae</i> is found in the writings of Berengaud, bishop of Treves (d. 1125).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mauriello_8-0">[8]</sup> In the 1895 encyclical <i>Adjutricem populi</i> (Helper of the People) Pope Leo XIII wrote, "She is invoked as Mother of the Church and the teacher and Queen of the Apostles". Following the title's usage by Leo XIII, it was later used many times in the teachings of John XXIII and Paul VI,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup> John Paul II and Benedict XVI.</div>
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The use of the <i>Mater Ecclesiae</i> title to the Virgin Mary goes back to Ambrose of Milan in the 4th century, but this was not known until its 1944 rediscovery by Hugo Rahner.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-InterCom_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HRahner_2-1">[2]</sup> Rahner's Mariology, following Ambrose, sees Mary in her role within the Church. His interpretation, based solely on Ambrose and the early Fathers,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HRahner_2-2">[2]</sup> greatly influenced Vatican II<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> and Pope Paul VI,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_11-0">[11]</sup> who, quoting Ambrose, declared Mary the "mother of the Church".</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Pope_Paul_VI">Pope Paul VI</span></h2>
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<i>The Mother of the Church, carries on in heaven her maternal role with regard to the members of Christ, cooperating in the birth and development of divine life in the souls of the redeemed. - Pope Paul VI's "Credo of the People of God".</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Credo_12-0">[12]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ratzinger58_13-0">[13]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope Paul VI pronounced the title at the closing of the third phase of the council.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> A former archbishop of Milan, Paul VI used similar language to that of Saint Ambrose of Milan, calling Mary <i>Model of the Church</i> in light of her faith, love and complete unity with Christ and <i>Mother of the Church</i> because she gave birth to Christ.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup></div>
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Paul VI made the pronouncement of the title Mother of the Church during his speech upon the closing of the third session of the Second Vatican Council on November 21, 1964: "For the glory of the Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary the Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, the Mother of the whole People of God, both the faithful and the pastors."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_11-1">[11]</sup></div>
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In <i>Redemptoris Mater</i> Pope John Paul II referred to Paul VI's "Credo of the People of God" as a reaffirmation of the statement that Mary is the "mother of the entire Christian people, both faithful and pastors" and wrote that the Credo "restated this truth in an even more forceful way":<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Credo_12-1">[12]</sup></div>
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Pope Benedict XVI also referred to the <i>Credo</i> of Paul VI and stated that it sums up all of the scriptural texts that relate to the matter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ratzinger58_13-1">[13]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Pope_John_Paul_II">Pope John Paul II</span></h2>
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In 1980, during the UNIV Forum<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup>, an annual gathering of university students from all over the world held in Rome during Holy Week and born by inspiration of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, a young man tooking part in the gathering told Pope John Paul II that he was not able to find an image of Our Lady in St. Peter's Square, heart of Christendom. In fact, although there are 162 statues of saints, none of them depict the Mother of God. The Pope answered immediately: "then we should finish the square". When Msgr. Álvaro del Portillo, successor of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, heard this story, he asked the Spanish architect Javier Cotelo to find a good solution for the image. In July 1980 and January 1981, Cotelo submitted to the Pope a proposal of using one of the windows of the building located between St. Peter's Square and the Cortile di San Damaso, since from there the image could be seen from any part of the square. The Pope accepted the suggestion and on December 7th 1981 a mosaic of <i>Maria Mater Ecclesiae</i> -Our Lady, Mother of the Church- was installed following Cotelo's proposal. On the following day, feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope blessed the mosaic from his window, and therefore this mosaic is considered to be last stone of St. Peter's Square.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup> Moreover, this mosaic overlooking the square follows the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II's life. It's also a tribute to the intercession of Our Lady in saving his life.</div>
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In 1987, he repeated this title <i>Mother of the Church</i> in his encyclical <i>Redemptoris Mater</i> and at a general audience on September 17, 1997.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup></div>
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With regard to the title "Mother of the Church", John Paul used <i>Redemptoris Mater</i> as an opportunity to explain how the Blessed Virgin Mary's maternity of Christ's faithful derives from her maternity of Christ, as well as how Mary serves as a "type", or model, of the Church as a whole.</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>Mary is present in the Church as the Mother of Christ, and at the same time as that Mother whom Christ, in the mystery of the Redemption, gave to humanity in the person of the Apostle John. Thus, in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church. In this sense Mary, Mother of the Church, is also the Church's model. Indeed, as Paul VI hopes and asks, the Church must draw "from the Virgin Mother of God the most authentic form of perfect imitation of Christ."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup></dd></dl>
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On September 17, 1997, Pope John Paul II devoted a Wednesday general audience to the title "Mother of the Church" with regard to its application to the Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The faithful first called upon Mary with the title "Mother of God", "Mother of the faithful" or "our Mother", to emphasize her personal relationship with each of her children. Later, because of the greater attention paid to the mystery of the Church and to Mary’s relationship to her, the Blessed Virgin began more frequently to be invoked as "Mother of the Church"."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup></dd></dl>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The title "Mother of the Church" thus reflects the deep conviction of the Christian faithful, who see in Mary not only the mother of the person of Christ, but also of the faithful.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup></dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Pope_Benedict_XVI">Pope Benedict XVI</span></h2>
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Pope Benedict XVI addresses the issue, why Roman Catholic Mariology is related to ecclesiology, the teaching about the Church. On first sight, he argues, it may seem accidental, that the Council moved Mariology into ecclesiology. This relation helps to understand what "Church" really is. The theologian Hugo Rahner showed that Mariology was originally ecclesiology. The Church is like Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Joseph_Kardinal_Ratzinger_2002_22-0">[22]</sup></div>
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The Church is virgin and mother, she is immaculate and carries the burdens of history. She suffers and she is assumed into heaven. Slowly she learns, that Mary is her mirror, that she is a person in Mary. Mary on the other hand is not an isolated individual, who rests in herself. She is carrying the mystery of the Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Joseph_Kardinal_Ratzinger_2002_22-1">[22]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Pope_Francis">Pope Francis</span></h2>
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In 2018, Pope Francis decreed that the <b>Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church</b> be inserted into the Roman Calendar on the Monday after Pentecost (also known as Whit Monday) and to be celebrated every year. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup> The decree was signed on 11 February 2018, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the 160th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions. It was issued on 3 March 2018.</div>
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References </h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-Credo-12" value="1"></li>
<li id="cite_note-InterCom-1"><span class="reference-text"><i>International Theological Commission, Vol II: 1986-2007</i> edited by Michael Sharkey and Thomas Weinandy (Aug 21, 2009) ISBN 1586172263 page 208</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-HRahner-2"> <span class="reference-text">Hugo Rahner, "Mater Ecclesia - Lobpreis der Kirche aus dem ersten Jahrtausend", Einsiedeln/Köln 1944</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Bullarium Romanum,</i>series 2, t. 2, n. 61, p. 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"> <span class="reference-text">Acta Leonis XIII, 15, 302</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Redemp47-5"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Redemptoris Mater</i> Redemptoris Mather item 47 at the Vatican website</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Cat963-6"> <span class="reference-text">"Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church." Catechism item 963 at the Vatican web site</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"> <span class="reference-text">Pope John Paul II, Encyclical <i>Redemptoris Mater</i> Redemeptoris Mater item 47 at the Vatican web site</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Mauriello-8"> <span class="reference-text">Mauriello, Matthew R., "Mary, Mother of the Church", <i>Fairfield County Catholic</i>, January 1996</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"> <span class="reference-text">Pope John Paul II General Audience. September 17, 1997. "The Blessed Virgin is Mother of the Church", no. 2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"> <span class="reference-text">Lumen Gentium Chapter eight,</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-vatican.va-11"> <span class="reference-text">CONCLUSIONE DELLA III SESSIONE DEL CONCILIO VATICANO II ALLOCUZIONE DEL SANTO PADRE PAOLO VI, paragraph no. 30</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, no. 47, citing Pope Paul VI, Solemn Profession of Faith (30 June 1968), 15: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 60 (1968) 438f.</span>
<li id="cite_note-23" value="23"></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ratzinger58-13"><span class="reference-text"><i>Mary: The Church at the Source</i> by Benedict XVI, Adrian Walker and Hans Urs Von Balthasar (Oct 1, 2005) ISBN 158617018X pages 58-59</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"> <span class="reference-text">Leo Cardinal Scheffczyk, Vaticanum II, in <i>Remigius Bäumer, Leo Scheffczyk (Hrsg.) Marienlexikon Gesamtausgabe, Institutum Marianum Regensburg</i>, 1994, page 568</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"> <span class="reference-text">Ambrose of Milan, De inst. Virg 98, PL 16, 328 and IV, 3,4,PL17,876</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">"History | Univforum". <i>univforum.org</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-05-20</span></span>.</cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=univforum.org&rft.atitle=History+%7C+Univforum&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Funivforum.org%2Fen%2Fhistory&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMother+of+the+Church"></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFJavier_Martinez2011">Javier Martinez (2011-07-14), <i>La historia del mosaico de la Virgen María "Mater Ecclesia" de la plaza de San Pedro</i><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-05-20</span></span></cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=La+historia+del+mosaico+de+la+Virgen+Mar%C3%ADa+%22Mater+Ecclesia%22+de+la+plaza+de+San+Pedro&rft.date=2011-07-14&rft.au=Javier+Martinez&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Du00yUDAJUlU&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMother+of+the+Church"></span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"> <span class="reference-text">Blessed Virgin Is Mother Of The Church</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"> <span class="reference-text">Redemptoris Mater, no. 47, citing Pope Paul VI, Discourse of 21 November 1964: AAS 56 (1964) 1016</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"> <span class="reference-text">John Paul II. General Audience. September 17, 1997. "Blessed Virgin is Mother of the Church," no. 2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"> <span class="reference-text">John Paul II. General Audience. September 17, 1997. "The Blessed Virgin is Mother of the Church," no. 5</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Joseph_Kardinal_Ratzinger_2002-22"> <span class="reference-text">Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger: Weggemeinschaft des Glaubens. Kirche als Communio. Festgabe zum 75. Geburtstag, hg. vom Schülerkreis, Augsburg 2002)</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">"Decreto della Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti sulla celebrazione della beata Vergine Maria Madre della Chiesa nel Calendario Romano Generale"</span></ol>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Cenacle</span></span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_site"> </span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1944" data-file-width="2592" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Jerusalem_-_LastSupperRoom.jpg/220px-Jerusalem_-_LastSupperRoom.jpg" height="165" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cenacle - The Last Supper room</td></tr>
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The <b>Cenacle</b> (from Latin <i>cenaculum</i>), also known as the <b>"Upper Room"</b>, is a room in Jerusalem traditionally held to be the site of The Last Supper. The word is a derivative of the Latin word <i>cena</i>, which means <i>dinner</i>. In Christian tradition, based on Acts 1:13,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> the <i>"Upper Room"</i> was not only the site of the Last Supper (i.e. the <i>Cenacle</i>), but the usual place where the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem, and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> "the first Christian church".<br />
<br />
The <i>Cenacle</i> is considered the site where many other events described in the New Testament took place,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> such as:<br />
<ul>
<li>preparation for the celebration of Jesus' final Passover meal <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
<li>the washing of his disciples' feet <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
<li>certain resurrection appearances of Jesus <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></li>
<li>the gathering of the disciples after the Ascension of Jesus<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup></li>
<li>the election of Saint Matthias as apostle<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></li>
<li>the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup></li>
</ul>
Since at least the fourth century AD a structure identified as the <i>Cenacle</i>, the site of the <i>Last Supper</i>, has been a popular Christian pilgrimage site on <i>Mount Zion</i> in Jerusalem. It is documented in the narratives of many early pilgrims such as Egeria, who visited it in 384.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup>
The building has experienced numerous cycles of destruction and
reconstruction, culminating in the Gothic structure which stands today.<br />
<br />
The upper room is a focus or reference in several Christian hymns, for example in <i>An upper room did our Lord prepare</i>, written by Fred Pratt Green in 1973,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> and in <i>Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest</i> ('We meet, as in that upper room they met...'),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> written by George Wallace Briggs.<br />
<br />
While the term <i>“Cenacle”</i> refers only to the <i>“Upper Room,”</i>
the building contains another site of interest. A niche located on the
lower level of the same building is associated by tradition with the
burial site of King David, marked by a large cenotaph-sarcophagus set up
by 12th century
Crusaders. However, this tradition is attested only as far back as the
time of the Crusaders (12th century AD) and most scholars consider this
attribution to be incorrect; 1 Kings 2:10<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup>
says that David was buried “in the City of David”, identified as the
eastern hill of ancient Jerusalem, as opposed to what is today called <i>Mount Sion</i>, which is the western hill of the ancient city. The <i>Cenacle</i> is also connected to the house where the Virgin Mary lived among the Apostles until her death or <i>dormition</i>, an event celebrated in the nearby <i>Church of the Dormition</i>.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cenacle another view</td></tr>
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The early history of the Cenacle site is uncertain; scholars have
made attempts at establishing a chronology based on archaeological
evidence and historical sources. Biblical archaeologist Bargil Pixner<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pixner_17-0">[17]</sup> offers these significant dates and events in the building's history.<br />
<br />
The
original building was a synagogue later probably used by Jewish
Christians. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the building was
spared during the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus (AD 70),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup>
though Pixner thinks it was likely rebuilt right after the war, and
claims three walls of that structure are still extant: the North, East
and South walls of the present <i>King David's Tomb</i>. Roman emperor Theodosius I built an octagonal church (the "Theodosian Church" or "Holy Zion Church")
aside the synagogue (that was named "Church of the Apostles").<br />
<br />
The
Theodosian Church, probably started in AD 382, was consecrated by John
II, Bishop of Jerusalem in AD 394. Some years later, c. AD 415, Bishop
John II enlarged the Holy Zion Church transforming it in a large
rectangular basilica with five naves, always aside the Church of the
Apostles. This building was later destroyed by Persian invaders in 614
AD and shortly after partially rebuilt by patriarch Modestus. In AD 1009
the church was razed to the ground by the Muslim caliph Al-Hakim and
shortly after replaced by the Crusaders with a five-aisled basilica
named for "Saint Mary". Today part of the site is taken by the smaller
church of the Dormition Abbey. It is thought that the Cenacle occupied a
portion of two aisles on the right (southern) side of the altar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pringle_262_19-0">[19]</sup> While the church was destroyed in 1219, the section containing the former synagogue including its upper-floor room (the <i>Cenacle</i>) were spared.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pringle_262_19-1">[19]</sup><br />
<br />
In the 1330s, it passed into the custody of the Franciscan Order of
Friars, who maintained the structure until 1552, when the Ottoman
authorities took possession of it. After the Franciscan friars'
eviction, this room was transformed into a mosque, as evidenced by the mihrab in the direction of Mecca and an Arabic
inscription prohibiting public prayer at the site. Christians were not
officially allowed to return until the establishment of the State of Israel
in 1948. The historical building is currently owned by the State of
Israel. The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which had previously
owned the building and sought its return, will have administrative
control over the Cenacle itself after the Vatican-Israeli accord which
is reported to be near completion as of May 2013.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Architecture">Architecture</span></h3>
Scholars offer wide-ranging dates and builders for the surviving
Gothic-style Cenacle. Some believe that it was constructed by Crusaders
just before Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, while others
attribute it to Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, after he arrived in the city in 1229. Still others hold
that it was not built in this form until the Franciscans acquired the
site in the 1330s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup> Scarce documentation and disturbed structural features offer little strong support for any of these dates.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup><br />
<br />
In its current state, the Cenacle is divided into six rib-vaulted
bays. The bays are supported by three freestanding columns which
bilaterally divide the space, as well as six pillars flanking the side
walls. While the capital of the westernmost freestanding column is flush
with the Cenacle’s interior wall, the column shaft itself is completely
independent of the wall, leading scholars to consider the possibility
that this wall was not original to the building.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup><br />
<br />
An analysis of the column and pillar capitals offers clues, but not a
solution, to the mystery of the current building’s origin. The
Corinthianesque capital between the second and third bays of the Cenacle
is stylistically indicative of multiple geographical regions and
chronological periods. This capital’s spiky leaves, which tightly adhere
to the volume of the column before erupting into scrolls, are in
congruence with common outputs of the 12th century sculpture workshop at
the Temple site in Jerusalem in the last years before Saladin’s
conquest in 1187.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[23]</sup>
The workshop also frequently utilized drilling as an ornamental device.
The Jerusalem workshop included artists from diverse regions in the
West, who brought stylistic traits with them from their native
countries. The workshop produced sculpture for many Crusader projects
and other structures, such as the al-Aqsa mosque.<br />
<br />
This comparison allows for the support of the 12th century date of
the Cenacle. There are also, however, similar capitals which originated
in workshops in southern Italy, a draw for scholars who wish to
associate the building with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and the
Sixth Crusade in 1229. Examples can be seen in the Romanesque cathedral
in Bitonto,
a small city near Bari, in southern Italy, and on column supports of
the pulpit in the Pisa Baptistery, carved by Apulian-born sculptor
Nicola Pisano around 1260.<br />
<br />
The capitals of the freestanding columns are not identical. The
capital between the first and second bays seems either severely
weathered or shallowly carved, and its volume is a marked contrast from
the others. It rises from the shaft in a straight cylinder, rather than
in an inverted pyramid, and then flares only just before it intersects
with the abacus. The third capital, which now flanks the Cenacle’s
western wall, is also unique among the three. It is not decorated with a
floral motif, rather, scrolling crockets spring from the base of the
volume. Enlart has proposed a comparison to buildings constructed by
Frederick II in Apulia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup><br />
<br />
Analysis of these column capitals does not yield significant evidence
to link them to the 14th century and a potential Franciscan
construction, nor does it definitively date them to the 12th or 13th
century. The building remains a frustrating, but intriguing, mystery.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
References:</h2>
<ol>
<li>1:13</li>
<li>Catholic Encyclopedia: Jerusalem (A.D. 71–1099): "During the first
Christian centuries the church at this place was the centre of
Christianity in Jerusalem, "Holy and glorious Sion, mother of all
churches" (Intercession in "St. James' Liturgy", ed. Brightman, p. 54).
Certainly no spot in Christendom can be more venerable than the place of
the Last Supper, which became the first Christian church."</li>
<li>"The Cenacle". Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Retrieved 20 June 2009.</li>
<li>"The Coenaculum". www.goisrael.com. Israel Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 20 June 2009.</li>
<li>22:13</li>
<li>13:4–11</li>
<li>16:14</li>
<li>24:33</li>
<li>John 20:19</li>
<li>Acts 1:13</li>
<li>Acts 1:15</li>
<li>Acts 2:1–4</li>
<li>Denys Pringle, The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Vol. 3. The City of Jerusalem (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2007).</li>
<li>http://www.hymnary.org/text/an_upper_room_did_our_lord_prepare</li>
<li>http://www.hymnary.org/text/come_risen_lord_and_deign_to_be_our_gues</li>
<li>1 Kings 2:10</li>
<li>Bargil Pixner, The Church of the Apostles found on Mount Zion, Biblical Archaeology Review 16.3 May/June 1990 [1]</li>
<li>Catholic Encyclopedia: Jerusalem (A.D. 71–1099): "Epiphanius (d.
403) says that when the Emperor Hadrian came to Jerusalem in 130 he
found the Temple and the whole city destroyed save for a few houses,
among them the one where the Apostles had received the Holy Ghost. This
house, says Epiphanius, is "in that part of Sion which was spared when
the city was destroyed" — therefore in the "upper part ("De mens.et
pond.", cap. xiv). From the time of Cyril of Jerusalem, who speaks of
"the upper Church of the Apostles, where the Holy Ghost came down upon
them" (Catech., ii, 6; P.G., XXXIII), there are abundant witnesses of
the place. A great basilica was built over the spot in the fourth
century; the crusaders built another church when the older one had been
destroyed by Hakim in 1010. It is the famous Coenaculum or Cenacle — now
a Moslem shrine — near the Gate of David, and supposed to be David's
tomb (Nebi Daud)."; Epiphanius' Weights and Measures at
tertullian.org.14: "For this Hadrian..." </li>
<li>Pringle 262 </li>
<li>Hugh Plommer has written in favor of a date prior to 1187. See “The
Cenacle on Mount Sion,.” in Crusader Art in the Twelfth Century, edited
by Jaroslav Folda (Oxford: B.A.R., 1982) pp. 139–166. Camille Enlart
supports a date after 1229. See Les monuments des croisés dans le
royaume de Jérusalem; architecture religieuse et civile (Paris: P.
Geuthner, 1925). Peter Fergusson believes that the structure dates from
the 12th century but was heavily modified by the Franciscans in the 14th
century. See “The Refectory at Easby Abbey: Form and Iconography.” In
The Art Bulletin, Vol. 71, No. 3 (Sep., 1989), pp. 334–351. The
Franciscans themselves take credit for the building. See Fr. Eugene
Hoade, Guide to the Holy Land (Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press,
1971). </li>
<li>Pilgrimage accounts are vague. See the accounts of Daniel the Abbot
and John of Wuerzburg in Jerusalem Pilgrimage 1099–1185, edited by John
Wilkinson, Joyce Hill, and William H. Ryan (London: Hakluyt Society,
1988). Each describes the Cenacle simply as an “upper room” with no
precise architectural consideration. </li>
<li>Plommer 169
See Zehava Jacoby, “The Workshop of the Temple Area in Jerusalem in the Twelfth Century: its Origin, Evolution, and Impact,” </li>
<li>Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, 45 Bd., H. 4 (1982), 325–394. Drilling is discussed on 362. </li>
<li>Enlart 258. </li>
<li>"Saint Mark's Syrian Orthodox Church". www.goisrael.com. Israel Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
</li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<b>Featured Item from Litany Lane</b></h3>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
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<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
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<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
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<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
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<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 7, Chapter 1</span><br />
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<h3>
<span lang="en-US">DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST; MARY’S INTUITIVE VISION OF HIM</span></h3>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>How the divine Right Hand showered upon the Queen of Heaven highest Gifts, In order that She might labor in the holy Church; the Coming Of the Holy Ghost; the copious Fruit of the Redemption and the Preaching of the Apostles; the first Persecution of the Church, The Conversion of saint Paul and the arrival of saint James In Spain; the Apparition of the Mother of God in Saragossa, and the Founding of the Pilgrimage of Our Lady of the Pillar.</i></span></span></div>
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In the company of the great Queen of heaven, and encouraged by Her, the twelve Apostles and the rest of the disciples and faithful joyfully waited for the fulfillment of the promise of the Savior, that He would send them the Holy Ghost, the Consoler, who should instruct them and administer unto them all that they heard in the teaching of their Lord (John 14, 26). They were so unanimous and united in charity, that during all these days none of them had any thought, affection or inclination contrary to those of the rest. They were of one heart and soul in thought and action. Although the election of saint Mathias had occurred, the least movement or sign of discord arose among those first–born children of the Church; yet this was a transaction, which is otherwise apt to arouse differences of opinion in the most excellently disposed; since each is apt to follow his own insight and does not easily yield to the opinion of others. But into this holy congregation no discord found entrance, because they were united in prayer, in fasting and in the expectation of the Holy Ghost, who does not seek repose in discordant and unyielding hearts. In order that it may be inferred, how powerful was this union in charity, not only for disposing them toward the reception of the Holy Ghost, but for overcoming and dispersing the evil spirits, I will say; that the demons, who since the death of the Savior had lain prostrate in hell, felt in themselves a new kind of oppression and terror, resulting from the virtues of those assembled in the Cenacle. Although they could not explain it to themselves, they perceived a new terrifying force, emanating from that place, and when they perceived the effects of the doctrine and example of Christ in the behavior of the disciples, they feared the ruin of their dominion.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Queen of the angels, most holy Mary, in the plenitude of her wisdom and grace, knew the time and</span> <span lang="en-US">predestined hour for the sending of the Holy Ghost upon the apostolic college. When the days of Pentecost were about to be fulfilled (Act 2, 1), (which happened fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord our Redeemer), the most blessed Mother saw, how in heaven the humanity (John 14, 26) of the Word conferred with the eternal Father concerning the promised sending of the divine Paraclete to the Apostles, and that the time predetermined by his infinite wisdom for planting the faith and all his gifts in his holy Church, was at hand. The Lord also referred to the merits acquired by Him in the flesh through his most holy Life, Passion and Death, to the mysteries wrought by Him for the salvation of the human race and to the fact, that He was the Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor between the eternal Father and men, and that among them lived his sweetest Mother, in whom the divine Persons were so well pleased. He besought his Father also, that, besides bringing grace and the invisible gifts the Holy Ghost appear in the world in visible form, that</span> <span lang="en-US">so the evangelical law might be honored before all the world; that the Apostles and faithful, who were to spread the divine truth, might be encouraged, and that the enemies of the Lord, who had in this life persecuted despised and Him unto the death of the Cross, might be filled with terror.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">This petition of our Redeemer in heaven was supported on earth by most holy Mary in a manner befitting the merciful Mother of the faithful. Prostrated upon the earth in the form of a cross and in profoundest humility, She saw, how in that consistory of the blessed Trinity, the request of the Savior was favorably accepted, and how, to fulfill and execute it, the persons of the Father and the Son, as the Principle from which the Holy Ghost proceeded, decreed the active mission of the Holy Spirit; for to these Two is attributed the sending</span> <span lang="en-US">of the third Person, because He proceeds from Both; and the third Person passively took upon Himself this mission and consented to come into the world.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">On Pentecost morning the blessed Virgin Mary exhorted the Apostles, the disciples and the pious women, numbering about one hundred and twenty, to pray more fervently and renew their hopes, since the hour was at hand in which they were to be visited by the divine Spirit from on high. At the third hour (nine o’clock), when all of them were gathered around their heavenly Mistress and engaged in fervent prayer, the air resounded with a tremendous thunder and the blowing of a violent wind mixed with the brightness of fire or lightning, all centering upon the house of the Cenacle. The house was enveloped in light and the divine fire was poured out over all of that holy gathering (Acts 2, 2). Over the head of each of the hundred and twenty persons appeared a tongue of that same fire, in which the Holy</span> <span lang="en-US">Ghost had come, filling each one with divine influences and heavenly gifts and causing at one and the same time the most diverse and contrary effects in the Cenacle and in the whole of Jerusalem, according to the diversity of the persons affected.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In the most holy Mary these effects were altogether divine, and most wonderful in the sight of all the heavenly courtiers; for as regard us men, we are incapable of understanding and explaining them. The purest Lady was transformed and exalted in God; for</span> <span lang="en-US">She saw intuitively and clearly the Holy Ghost, and for</span> <span lang="en-US">a short time enjoyed the beatific vision of he Divinity. Of his gifts and divine influences She by Herself received more than all the rest of the saints. Her glory for that</span> <span lang="en-US">space of time, exceeded that of the angels and of the</span> <span lang="en-US">blessed. She alone gave to the Lord more glory, praise and thanksgiving than all the universe for the benefit of the descent of his Holy Spirit upon his Church and</span> <span lang="en-US">for his having pledged Himself so many times to send Him and through Him to govern it to the end of the world. The blessed Trinity was so pleased with the conduct of Mary on this occasion, that It considered Itself fully repaid and compensated for having created the world; and not only compensated, but God acted as if He were under a certain obligation for possessing such a peerless Creature, whom the Father could look upon as his Daughter, the Son as his Mother, and the Holy Ghost as his Spouse; and whom (according to our way of thinking) He was now obliged to visit and enrich after having conferred upon Her such high dignity. In this exalted and blessed Spouse were renewed all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, creating new effects and operations altogether beyond our capacity to understand.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Apostles, as saint Luke says (Acts 2, 11), were also replenished and filled with the holy Ghost; for they received a wonderful increase of justifying grace of a most exalted degree. The twelve Apostles were confirmed in this sanctifying grace and were never to lose it. In all of them, according to each one’s condition were infused the habits of the seven gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Science, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude and</span> <span lang="en-US">Fear. In this magnificent blessing, as new as it was admirable in the world, the twelve Apostles were created fit ministers of the new Testament and founders of the evangelical Church for the whole world: for this new grace</span> <span lang="en-US">and blessing communicated to them a divine strength most efficacious and sweet, which inclined them to practice the most heroic virtue and the highest sanctity. Thus strengthened they prayed, they labored willingly and accomplished the most difficult and arduous tasks, engaging in their labors not with sorrow or from necessity, but with the greatest joy and alacrity.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In all the rest of the disciples and the faithful, who received the Holy Ghost in the Cenacle, the Most High wrought proportionally and respectively the same effects, except that they were not confirmed in grace like the Apostles. According to the disposition of each the gifts of grace were communicated in greater or less abundance in view of the ministry they were to hold in the holy Church. The same proportion was maintained in regard to the Apostles; yet saint Peter and saint John were more singularly favored on account of the high offices assigned to them: the one to govern the Church as its head, and the other to attend upon and serve the Queen and Mistress of heaven and of earth, most holy Mary. The sacred text of saint Luke says, that the Holy Ghost filled the whole house in which this happy congregation was gathered (Acts 2, 7), not only because all of them were filled with the Holy Ghost and his admirable gifts, but because the house itself was filled with wonderful light and splendor. This plenitude of wonders and prodigies overflowed and communicated itself also to others outside of the Cenacle; for it caused diverse and various effects of the Holy Spirit among the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its vicinity. All those, who with some piety had compassioned our Savior Jesus in his Passion and Death, deprecating his most bitter torments and reverencing his sacred Person, were interiorly visited with new light and grace, which disposed them afterwards to accept the doctrine of the Apostles. Those that were converted by the first sermon of saint Peter, were to a great extent of the number of those who, by their compassion and sorrow at the death of</span> <span lang="en-US">the Lord, had merited for themselves such a great blessing. Others of the just who were in Jerusalem outside of the Cenacle, also felt great interior consolations, by</span> <span lang="en-US">which they were moved and predisposed by new effects of grace wrought in each one proportionately by the</span> <span lang="en-US">Holy Ghost.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem. By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy. This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him. All these fell</span> <span lang="en-US">to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours. Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master. The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul. Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses. These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities. This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior. As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962853"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, in small esteem and thankfulness do the children of the Church hold this blessing of the Most</span> <span lang="en-US">High, by which, in addition to sending of his Son their Master and Redeemer, He sent also the Holy Ghost into his Church. So great was the love, by which He sought to draw them to Himself, that, in order to make them sharers of his divine perfections, He sent them first the Son, who is wisdom (John 3, 16) and afterwards the holy Ghost, who is love, so that all might be enriched in the manner in which they were capable. The divine Spirit, in coming for the first time upon the Apostles and the others gathered with them, intended it as a pledge and testimony, that He would confer the same favor on the rest of the children of the Church, of light and of the Gospel, and that He was ready to communicate his gifts to all, if all will dispose themselves toward receiving them. In witness to this truth the Holy Ghost came upon many of the faithful in visible form and with visible effects (Act 8, 17; 10, 44; 11, 15), because they were truly faithful servants, humble and sincere, pure and ready of heart to receive Him. Also in our times He comes to many just souls, although not with such open manifestation because it is neither necessary nor proper. The interior effects and gifts are all of the same nature, acting according to the disposition and state of the one who receives them.</span></div>
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Blessed is the soul which sighs and aspires after this blessing and seeks to participate in this divine fire which enkindles, enlightens and consumes all that is terrestrial and carnal, which purifies and raises it up to new existence, union and participation with God himself.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"<br />
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>CHAPTER TWO - <span class="text3">GOD COMES TO MEET MAN</span></b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="50"></a><b>50</b> By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.<sup>1</sup> Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="text"> <b>ARTICLE 3 - SACRED SCRIPTURE</b></span><br />
<span class="text"><b> </b> <br />
<b>I. CHRIST - THE UNIQUE WORD OF SACRED SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="101"></a><b>101</b> In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."<sup>63</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="102"></a><b>102</b> Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:<sup>64</sup> <br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.<sup>65</sup></span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="103"></a><b>103</b> For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God's Word and Christ's Body.<sup>66</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="104"></a><b>104</b> In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, "but as what it really is, the word of God".<sup>67</sup> "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them."<sup>68</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>II. INSPIRATION AND TRUTH OF SACRED SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="105"></a><b>105</b> <i>God is the author of Sacred Scripture</i>. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."<sup>69</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."<sup>70</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="106"></a><b>106</b> God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."<sup>71</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="107"></a><b>107</b> The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."<sup>72</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="108"></a><b>108</b> Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word is incarnate and living".<sup>73</sup> If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."<sup>74</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>III. THE HOLY SPIRIT, INTERPRETER OF SCRIPTURE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="109"></a><b>109</b> In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.<sup>75</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="110"></a><b>110</b> In order to discover <i>the sacred authors' intention</i>, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."<sup>76</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="111"></a><b>111</b> But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written."<sup>77</sup> <br />
The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.<sup>78</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="112"></a><b>112</b> 1. <i>Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture"</i>. Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.<sup>79</sup> <br />
<br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.<sup>80</sup></span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="113"></a><b>113</b> 2. <i>Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church"</i>. According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"<sup>81</sup>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="114"></a><b>114</b> 3. <i>Be attentive to the analogy of faith</i>.<sup>82</sup> By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="115"></a><b>The senses of Scripture</b> <br />
<b>115</b> <span class="text1">According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two <i>senses </i>of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="116"></a><b>116</b> <span class="text1">The <i>literal sense</i> is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."<sup>83</sup></span><br />
<span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="117"></a><b>117</b> <span class="text1">The <i>spiritual sense</i>. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span><br />
1. The <i>allegorical sense</i>. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism.<sup>84</sup> <br />
2. The <i>moral sense</i>. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction".<sup>85</sup> <br />
3. The <i>anagogical sense</i> (Greek: <i>anagoge</i>, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.<sup>86</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="118"></a><b>118</b> <span class="text1">A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses: </span><br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text">The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.<sup>87</sup></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text">
</span> <b>119</b> "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgement. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgement of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."<sup>88</sup><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.<sup>89</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1">
</span></dd></dl>
<b>IV. THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="120"></a><b>120</b> It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.<sup>90</sup> This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New.<sup>91</sup> <br />
<span class="text1"><i>The Old Testament</i>: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 <i>and </i>2 Samuel, 1 <i>and </i>2 Kings, 1 <i>and </i>2 Chronicles, Ezra <i>and </i>Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 <i>and </i>2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, <i>the </i>Song of Songs, <i>the </i>Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi. </span><br />
<i>The New Testament: the Gospels according to </i>Matthew, Mark, Luke <i>and </i>John, <i>the </i>Acts of the Apostles, <i>the </i>Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 <i>and </i>2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 <i>and </i>2 Thessalonians, 1 <i>and </i>2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, <i>the </i>Letter to the Hebrews, <i>the </i>Letters of James, 1 <i>and </i>2 Peter, 1, 2 <i>and </i>3 John, and Jude, <i>and </i>Revelation (the Apocalypse).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="121"></a><b>The Old Testament</b> <br />
<b>121</b> The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value,<sup>92</sup> for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="122"></a><b>122</b> Indeed, "the economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, redeemer of all men."<sup>93</sup> "Even though they contain matters imperfect and provisional,"<sup>94</sup> the books of the Old Testament bear witness to the whole divine pedagogy of God's saving love: these writings "are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way."<sup>95</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="123"></a><b>123</b> Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="124"></a><b>The New Testament</b> <br />
<b>124</b> "The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament"<sup>96</sup> which hand on the ultimate truth of God's Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church's beginnings under the Spirit's guidance.<sup>97</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="125"></a><b>125</b> The <i>Gospels </i>are the heart of all the Scriptures "because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior".<sup>98</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="126"></a><b>126</b> <span class="text1">We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels: </span><br />
1. <i>The life and teaching of Jesus</i>. The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, "whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up."<sup>99</sup> <br />
2. <i>The oral tradition</i>. "For, after the ascension of the Lord, the apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller understanding which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ and enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed."<sup>100</sup> <br />
3. <i>The written Gospels</i>. "The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, selected certain of the many elements which had been handed on, either orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or explained with an eye to the situation of the churches, the while sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus."<sup>101</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="127"></a><b>127</b> The fourfold Gospel holds a unique place in the Church, as is evident both in the veneration which the liturgy accords it and in the surpassing attraction it has exercised on the saints at all times: <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">There is no doctrine which could be better, more precious and more splendid than the text of the Gospel. Behold and retain what our Lord and Master, Christ, has taught by his words and accomplished by his deeds.<sup>102</sup> But above all it's the gospels that occupy my mind when I'm at prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding fresh lights there; hidden meanings which had meant nothing to me hitherto.<sup>103</sup>
<sup> </sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="128"></a><b>The unity of the Old and New Testaments</b> <br />
<b>128</b> The Church, as early as apostolic times,<sup>104</sup> and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God's works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="129"></a><b>129</b> Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself.<sup>105</sup> Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament.<sup>106</sup> As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.<sup>107</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="130"></a><b>130</b> Typology indicates the dynamic movement toward the fulfillment of the divine plan when "God [will] be everything to everyone."<sup>108</sup> Nor do the calling of the patriarchs and the exodus from Egypt, for example, lose their own value in God's plan, from the mere fact that they were intermediate stages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="131"></a><b>V. SACRED SCRIPTURE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH</b> <br />
<b>131</b> "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life."<sup>109</sup> Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."<sup>110</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="132"></a><b>132</b> "Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture."<sup>111</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="133"></a><b>133</b> The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.<sup>112</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>IN BRIEF</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="134"></a><b>134</b> All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, "because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ" (Hugh of St. Victor, <i>De arca Noe</i> 2,8:PL 176,642: cf. ibid. 2,9:PL 176,642-643). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="135"></a><b>135</b> "The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God" (DV 24). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="136"></a><b>136</b> God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth (cf. <i>DV</i> 11). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="137"></a><b>137</b> Interpretation of the inspired Scripture must be attentive above all to what God wants to reveal through the sacred authors for our salvation. What comes from the Spirit is not fully "understood except by the Spirit's action' (cf. Origen, <i>Hom. in Ex</i>. 4, 5: PG 12, 320). <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="138"></a><b>138</b> The Church accepts and venerates as inspired the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="139"></a><b>139</b> The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="140"></a><b>140</b> The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God's plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other; both are true Word of God. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="141"></a><b>141</b> "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord" (DV 21): both nourish and govern the whole Christian life. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (<i>Ps </i>119:105; cf. <i>Is </i>50:4).<br />
<br />
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<span class="text1"> 63 <i>DV</i> 13.<br />
64 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 1:1-3.<br />
65 St. Augustine, <i>En. in Ps.</i> 103,4,1:PL 37,1378; cf. <i>Ps</i> 104; <i>Jn</i> 1:1.<br />
66 Cf. <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
67 <i>1 Thes</i> 2:13; cf. <i>DV</i> 24.<br />
68 <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
69 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
70 <i>DV</i> 11; cf. <i>Jn</i> 20:31; <i>2 Tim</i> 3:16; <i>2 Pet</i> 1:19-21; 3:15-16.<br />
71 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
72 <i>DV</i> 11.<br />
73 St. Bernard, <i>S. missus est hom.</i> 4,11:PL 183,86.<br />
74 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 24:45.<br />
75 Cf. <i>DV</i> 12 § 1.<br />
76 <i>DV</i> 12 § 2.<br />
77 <i>DV</i> 12 § 3.<br />
78 Cf. <i>DV</i> 12 § 4.<br />
79 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 24:25-27,44-46.<br />
80 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>Expos. in Ps.</i> 21,11; cf. <i>Ps</i> 22:14.<br />
81 Origen, <i>Hom. in Lev.</i> 5,5:PG 12,454D.<br />
82 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 12:6.<br />
83 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> I, 1, 10, ad I.<br />
84 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 10:2.<br />
85 <i>1 Cor</i> 10:11; cf. <i>Heb</i> 3:1-4:11.<br />
86 Cf. <i>Rev</i> 21:1-22:5.<br />
87 Lettera gesta docet, quid credas allegoria, moralis quid agas, quo tendas anagogia; Augustine of Dacia, <i>Rotulus pugillaris</i>, I: ed. A. Walz: Angelicum 6 (1929) 256.<br />
88 <i>DV</i> 12 § 3.<br />
89 St. Augustine, <i>Contra epistolam Manichaei</i>, 5,6:PL 42,176.<br />
90 Cf. <i>DV</i> 8 § 3.<br />
91 Cf. <i>DS</i> 179; 1334-1336; 1501-1504.<br />
92 Cf. <i>DV</i> 14.<br />
93 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
94 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
95 <i>DV</i> 15.<br />
96 <i>DV</i> 17; cf. <i>Rom</i> 1:16.<br />
97 Cf. <i>DV</i> 20.<br />
98 <i>DV</i> 18.<br />
99 <i>DV</i> 19; cf. <i>Acts</i> 1:1-2.<br />
100 <i>DV</i> 19.<br />
101 <i>DV</i> 19.<br />
102 St. Caesaria the Younger to St. Richildis and St. Radegunde, <i>SCh</i> 345, 480.<br />
103 St. Thérèse of Lisieux, <i>ms. autob.</i> A 83v.<br />
104 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 10:6,11; <i>Heb</i> 10:l; <i>l Pet</i> 3:21.<br />
105 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 12:29-31<br />
106 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 5:6-8; 10:1-11.<br />
107 Cf. St. Augustine, <i>Quaest. in Hept.</i> 2,73:PL 34,623; Cf. <i>DV</i> 16.<br />
108 <i>1 Cor</i> 15:28.<br />
109 <i>DV</i> 21.<br />
110 <i>DV</i> 22.<br />
111 <i>DV</i> 24.<br />
112 <i>DV</i> 25; cf. <i>Phil</i> 3:8 and St. Jerome, <i>Commentariorum in Isaiam libri xviii</i> prol.:PL 24,17B. </span> <br />
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View more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/litanylane">Inspirational Designs</a> at Litany Lane.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-32989074098128642032018-05-13T03:54:00.002-05:002018-05-20T12:09:15.011-05:00Ascension Sunday May 13, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Fortitude; Reading 1 - Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20; Reading 2- First John 4:11-16; Gospel - Mark 16:15-20; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima : Snippet I - Fatima Portugal; Snippet II - Sanctuary of Fatima; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 12 The Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter TWO - God comes To Meet Man Article Two - The Transmission of Divine Revelation; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Ascension Sunday May 13, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Fortitude; Reading 1 - Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20; Reading 2- First John 4:11-16; Gospel - Mark 16:15-20; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima <b>: </b>Snippet I - Fatima Portugal; Snippet II - Sanctuary of Fatima; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 12 The Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section One - I Believe, We Believe, Chapter TWO - God comes To Meet Man Article Two - The Transmission of Divine Revelation; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Ascension Sunday </b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>May 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
All that my Son, who is the light of love, has done and does, He has done out of love. Also you, my children, when you live in love and love your neighbors, you are doing the will of my Son. Apostles of my love, make yourselves little; open your pure hearts to my Son so that He can work through you. With the help of faith, be filled with love. But, my children, do not forget that the Eucharist is the heart of fa<span class="text_exposed_show">ith. This is my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood. This is a miracle of love: my Son who always comes anew, alive, to bring life back to souls. My children, by living in love you are doing the will of my Son and He lives in you. My children, my motherly desire is for you to always love Him more, because He is calling you with His love. He is giving you love so that you may spread it to all those around you. As a mother, through His love, I am with you to speak the words of love and hope to you—to speak to you the eternal words that are victorious over time and death—so as to call you to be my apostles of love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen of Peace</span><br />
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<b>April 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show">~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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February 26, 2018<br />
Jesus<br />
<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> </span><div align="center" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Regina Coeli</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<br />
(Vatican Radio)<br />
<h3 class="article__title" itemprop="headline">
Pope at Mass: Don't dialogue with the devil, the great liar </h3>
<div class="article__subTitle">
<i>At Mass at Casa Santa Marta,
Tuesday morning, Pope Francis talked about how to deal with the devil
who though defeated and dying is still dangerous. </i></div>
<div class="article__subTitle">
</div>
<br />
Never approach the devil nor talk to him: he is "defeated" but
dangerous because he seduces and, like a chained angry dog, bites if you
go to pat him. Pope Francis offered this advice in his homily at Mass,
Tuesday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. <br />
<br />
Commenting on John’s Gospel where Jesus says “the ruler of this world
has been condemned," the Pope spoke about the seduction of the devil
and how to deal with him.<br />
<br />
The Pope said that even though the devil is defeated and dying he has
a great power and capacity to seduce. He promises many things,
bringing us beautifully packed gifts, without revealing their
contents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Dying but dangerous</b><br />
The Pope compared the devil to a dying crocodile, who hunters advise
not to approach because it can still strike you dead with its tail.
Hence the devil is very dangerous, his proposals are all lies and we
foolishly believe him.<br />
<br />
The Pope described the devil as the father of lies, saying he speaks
well, he can sing in order to deceive and he is loser who moves about
like a winner. His light dazzles like the fireworks but does not last.
Instead the light of the Lord is "gentle and permanent".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Never dialogue with the devil</b><br />
The devil, the Pope said, knows how to seduce us in our vanity and
curiosity and we buy everything, falling into temptation. Knowing that a
thought, a desire or move is dangerous and we still go there, it is
like approaching the devil who is like a chained angry dog that can
still bite. <br />
<br />
Unlike Eve who thought herself a “great theologian” and fell, the
Pope said we must never dialogue with the devil because he wins, he is
more intelligent than us. On the contrary, Jesus in the desert responds
to the devil with the Word of God, hunts down demons, sometimes asking
his name but doesn't dialogue.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Pray, watch, fast</b><br />
<br />
Recalling the advice of Jesus to watch, do penance and fast, Pope
Francis said we too must do so but never enter into dialogue with the
devil. And in moments of temptation we must approach the mother, like
frightened children do. According to the Russian mystics, in times of
spiritual upheavals, take refuge under the mantle of the great Mother of
God, the Pope said. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 05/13/2018<i> </i> </li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - fortitude </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold"><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold">fawr</span>-ti-tood</span></span>]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">Word Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1350-1400;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">fortitūdō</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">strength,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">firmness,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">courage,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">forti(s</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">strong</span> + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">-tūdō</span> </span> -tude<br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}">
<header class="luna-data-header">
<span class="dbox-pg">noun</span> </header>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1.</span> mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously: <span class="def-number"></span><br />
<div class="def-content">
<div class="def-block def-inline-example">
<span class="dbox-example">Never once did her fortitude waver during that long illness.</span></div>
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> </section> </div>
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<span class="dbox-roman">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ<span class="dbox-roman">▬♥▬●▬</span>ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Acts 1:15-17, 20-26</i></h2>
<sup>15</sup> One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -- there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation,<br />
<sup>16</sup> 'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who acted as guide to the men who arrested Jesus-<br />
<sup>17</sup> after being one of our number and sharing our ministry.<br />
<sup>20</sup> Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Reduce his encampment to ruin and leave his tent unoccupied. And again: Let someone else take over his office.<br />
<sup>21</sup> 'Out of the men who have been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was living with us,<br />
<sup>22</sup> from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us, one must be appointed to serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.'<br />
<sup>23</sup> Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias,<br />
<sup>24</sup> they prayed, 'Lord, you can read everyone's heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen<br />
<sup>25</sup> to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.'<br />
<sup>26</sup> They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> [Of David] Bless Yahweh, my soul, from the depths of my being, his holy name;<br />
<sup>2</sup> bless Yahweh, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness.<br />
<sup>11</sup> As the height of heaven above earth, so strong is his faithful love for those who fear him.<br />
<sup>12</sup> As the distance of east from west, so far from us does he put our faults.<br />
<sup>19</sup> Yahweh has fixed his throne in heaven, his sovereign power rules over all.<br />
<sup>20</sup> Bless Yahweh, all his angels, mighty warriors who fulfil his commands, attentive to the sound of his words.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>First John 4:11-16</i></h2>
<sup>11</sup> My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another.<br />
<sup>12</sup> No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us.<br />
<sup>13</sup> This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit.<br />
<sup>14</sup> We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world.<br />
<sup>15</sup> Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.<br />
<sup>16</sup> We have recognized for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span>Mark 16:15-20</h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Ascension of The Lord<br />
<br />
"Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News!"<br />
He lives in our midst!<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Opening prayer</h3>
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the
same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to discover
the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and
death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.<br />
<br />
Create in us silence
so that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures,
in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your
word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may
experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You
are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We
ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and
sent us Your Spirit. Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~2. Reading</h3>
a) A key to the reading:<br />
The liturgy of the feast of the Ascension presents us with a scene
where Jesus appears to the disciples and confers on them the mission of
going to the whole world to proclaim the Good News. The text of Mark's
Gospel (Mk 16:9-20) is the final section of the appendix of that Gospel
(Mk 16:15-20). We expand the brief commentary to include the whole of
the appendix. During the reading we need to pay attention to the
following point: "To whom does Jesus appear, what are the various
aspects of the mission and what are the signs of His presence in the
community?"<br />
b) A division of the text as an aid to the reading:<br />
Mark 16:9-11: Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.<br />
Mark 16:12-13: Jesus appears to two disciples.<br />
Mark 16:14-18: Jesus appears to the eleven and gives them a mission.<br />
Mark 16:19-20: Jesus ascends into heaven in the presence of the disciples.<br />
c) The Gospel: Mark 16:15-20<br />
Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the
gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will
accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they
will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay
hands on the sick, and they will recover.”<br />
So then the Lord
Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his
seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached
everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word
through accompanying signs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~3. A moment of prayerful silence </h3>
<br />
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.</h3>
<br />
a) How do we handle discerning and verifying the news we hear today?
What news today would be able to make us change our lives completely as
news of the Resurrection did back then?<br />
<br />
b) To whom does Jesus manifest Himself alive and how do they react (Mk 16:9-20)?<br />
<br />
c) In this text, who has the greatest difficulty in believing in the resurrection?<br />
<br />
d) As Paul says, "God brought us to life with Christ…and gave us a
place with Him in heaven" (Eph 2:6). How does this affirmation help us
to understand the meaning of the Ascension?<br />
<br />
e) What are the signs
of Jesus' presence within the community? What is the meaning of each
sign? What is our personal involvement, reaction and response to each?<br />
<br />
f) What signs best convince people today of the presence of Jesus in our midst?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~5. A key to the reading to enter deeper into the theme.</h3>
<br />
i) The context:<br />
The appendix of Mark's Gospel offers a list of Jesus' appearances (Mk
16:9-20). There are other lists but they do not always coincide. The
list given by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is quite different
(1Cor 15:3-8). These differences show that, in the beginning, Christians
were not concerned about describing or proving the resurrection. For
them, faith in the resurrection was so vivid and evident that there was
no need to prove it. The communities themselves, living and persevering
among so many challenges and persecutions from the Roman Empire, were
living proof of the truth of the resurrection.<br />
<br />
The people of that
time were not easily convinced of things. They demanded proof all along
the way, from the Pharisees to Thomas. Considerable weight must be
given to the way the first communities lived out their witness. The
Gospels are not a general history book. Much is also handed down through
tradition (Jn 21:25). Consider, even in that time, the Jews paid to
create false news stories of the Resurrection. Belief within the first
communities, despite death and persecution, is more convincing than
logical arguments for us today. Their radical change of life proves they
experienced Jesus and the Gospel in reality.<br />
<br />
ii) Commentary on the text:<br />
a) Mark 16:9-11: Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, but the other disciples do not believe her.<br />
Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene and she announces this to the
others. To come into the world, God chose to depend on the yes of Mary
of Nazareth (Lk 1:38). To be recognized as living in our midst, He chose
to depend on the word of Mary Magdalene who had been freed from seven
devils.<br />
Mark says that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. In
this he agrees with the other three Evangelists (cf. Mt 28:9-10; Jn
20:16; Lk 24:9-11). But on the list of appearances given in the Letter
to the Corinthians (1Cor 15:3-8), there is no mention of any appearances
to the women. The first Christians found it difficult to believe the
witness of women. This was a condition of the society at the time.<br />
<br />
b) Mark 16:12-13: Jesus appears to two disciples<br />
The story of Jesus' appearance to the two disciples who were walking in
the fields is probably a reference to Jesus' appearance to the
disciples from Emmaus who, on returning, shared their experience of the
resurrection with "the eleven” and their companions (Lk 24:33-34). Only
here, Mark differs from Luke because the others did not believe in the
witness of the two disciples.<br />
<br />
c) Mark 16:14: Jesus scolds the eleven for their incredulity<br />
Finally, Jesus appears to the eleven disciples gathered at table and
scolds then because they have not believed those who had seen Him risen.
For the third time, Mark makes reference to the resistance of the
disciples to believe the witness of those who had experienced the
resurrection of Jesus. Why does Mark insist so much on the incredulity
of the disciples? Probably to teach two things: first, that faith in the
risen Jesus is transmitted through the faith of those who give witness
to it; second, that no one must give up hope when doubt or confusion
arises in one's heart. Even the eleven had doubts!<br />
<br />
d) Mark 16:15-18: The signs that go with the proclamation of the Good News<br />
Jesus immediately confers the mission of announcing the Good News to
all creation. The requirement for anyone who wishes to be saved is this:
to believe and be baptized. To those who have the courage to believe in
the Good News and are baptized, He promises the following signs: (1)
they will drive out devils; (2) they will speak in new tongues; (3) they
will hold snakes in their hands; (4) if they drink poison it will not
harm them; (5) they will lay hands on the sick and these will be healed.
These signs take place even now:<br />
<br />
* to drive out devils is to
fight the power of evil that chokes life. The life of many people has
improved since they entered in community and have started to live the
good news of the presence of God. By participating in the life of the
community, they drive out evil from their lives.<br />
<br />
* to speak in
new tongues: is to begin to communicate with others in a new way.
Sometimes we meet someone whom we have never met before, but it is as if
we have known each other for a long time. This is because we speak the
same language of love. The way of thinking about others and speaking to
them is different than what our original inclination was.<br />
<br />
* to
hold snakes in one's hand and to overcome poison: there are so many
things that poison our life and living together. Gossip breaks down
relationships for instance, as does envy, hate, pride, and many others.
Those who live in the presence of God can overcome these deadly poisons.
“Snakes”, as in serpents, can refer back to the devil’s interaction in
the Garden. We are able to restrain these demons who attack us.<br />
<br />
*
to heal the sick: wherever we have a clearer awareness of the presence
of God, we find also special care for those excluded and marginalized,
especially the sick. What best restores health is welcoming and loving
care. To “lay hands on” means to touch. It demands more than tossing a
donation in a cup. Touching creates a bond of friendship, whereas a
donation is more like a transaction.<br />
<br />
<br />
e) Mark 16:19-20: Through the community, Jesus continues His mission<br />
The Jesus who, in Palestine, welcomed the poor and revealed to them the
love of the Father, is the same Jesus who now continues to be present
in our midst in our communities, from couples to families to parishes
and religious orders. Through us, He continues His mission of revealing
the Good News of the love of God for the poor. To this day, the
resurrection still takes place. No earthly power can neutralize the
force that comes from faith in the resurrection (Rom 8:35-39). A
community that wants to witness to the resurrection must be a sign of
life, must fight against the power of death. So that the world may
become a place of life, that community must believe that another world
is possible. Above all, where the life of the people is in danger
because of a system of death that is imposed, the community must be a
living proof of the hope that conquers the world, without fear of
unhappiness!<br />
<br />
<br />
iii) Further information on the Gospel of Mark - God's surprises:<br />
From the start, Mark's Gospel insists that "The time has come…and the
kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News" (Mk 1:15).
This initial request for conversion and faith shows us the door through
which we have access to Jesus and the Good News of God that He brings.
There is no other access. Faith demands belief in Jesus, in His Word,
accepting Him unconditionally. We are invited to not shield ourselves
with any name or title, doctrine or custom, and to keep ourselves always
open to the surprises of God which demand a constant conversion. Names
and titles, doctrines and customs, devotions and pleadings are like a
tag that we wear on our chest for identification. The tag is important
because it helps us and directs us when necessary to meet a person we
are looking for. But when we meet, we do not look at the tag any more,
but at the face! Very often, when we meet the person we are looking for
he or she is quite different from what we imagined before. The meeting
always carries some surprises! More so our meeting with God in Jesus.
Throughout Mark's Gospel there are many surprises for the disciples, and
these come from where they least expect them:<br />
<br />
* from a pagan who gives Peter a lesson because he recognizes the presence of God in the crucified one (Mk 15:39);<br />
* from a poor widow who gives her all to share with others (Mk 12:43-44);<br />
* from a blind man who annoys the disciples by calling out and who does not even have a definite belief (Mk 10:46-52);<br />
* from marginalized little ones who believe in Jesus (Mk 9:42);<br />
* from those who use the name of Jesus to fight evil but who do not belong to the "Church" (Mk 9:38-40);<br />
* from an anonymous woman who scandalizes the disciples by her manner of acting (Mk 14:3-9);<br />
* from a father of a family who is obliged to carry the cross and becomes a model disciple (Mk 15:21)<br />
* from Joseph of Arimathea who risks everything by asking for the body of Jesus to give it burial (Mk 15:43).<br />
* from women who, then, could not be official witnesses but were chosen
by Jesus as expert witnesses of His resurrection (Mk 15:40.47;
16:6.9-10).<br />
In a word: The twelve disciples who were specially
called by Jesus (Mk 3:13-19) and who were sent by Him on a mission (Mk
6:7-13), failed. Peter denied Him (Mk 14:66-72), Judas betrayed Him (Mk
14:44-45) and all fled (Mk 14:50). But it is precisely through their
failure that is shown the strength of faith of the others who were not
part of the group of the chosen twelve. The community must clearly be
aware that it does not own Jesus nor does it own all the criteria of the
action of God in our midst. Jesus does not belong to us, but we, the
community, the Church, belong to Jesus, and Jesus is of God (1Cor 3:23).
The greatest surprise of all is the resurrection!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~ 6. Psalm 27 (26)</h3>
<br />
Courage born of faith<br />
The Lord is my light and my salvation;<br />
whom shall I fear?<br />
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;<br />
of whom shall I be afraid?<br />
When evildoers assail me,<br />
uttering slanders against me,<br />
my adversaries and foes,<br />
they shall stumble and fall.<br />
Though a host encamp against me,<br />
my heart shall not fear;<br />
though war arise against me,<br />
yet I will be confident.<br />
One thing have I asked of the Lord,<br />
that will I seek after;<br />
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord<br />
all the days of my life,<br />
to behold the beauty of the Lord,<br />
and to inquire in His temple.<br />
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble;<br />
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent,<br />
He will set me high upon a rock.<br />
And now my head shall be lifted up<br />
above my enemies round about me;<br />
and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;<br />
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.<br />
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,<br />
be gracious to me and answer me!<br />
Thou hast said, "Seek ye My face."<br />
My heart says to Thee,<br />
"Thy face, Lord, do I seek."<br />
Hide not Thy face from me.<br />
Turn not Thy servant away in anger,<br />
Thou who hast been my help.<br />
Cast me not off, forsake me not,<br />
O God of my salvation!<br />
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,<br />
but the Lord will take me up.<br />
Teach me Thy way, O Lord;<br />
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.<br />
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;<br />
for false witnesses have risen against me,<br />
and they breathe out violence.<br />
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord<br />
in the land of the living!<br />
Wait for the Lord; be strong,<br />
and let your heart take courage;<br />
yea, wait for the Lord!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
~ 7. Final Prayer</h3>
<br />
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which Your Word has revealed
to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also
practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity
of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
<b>Reference: </b><i> </i></h2>
<i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr class=""><th scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Saint of the Day: </b><b>Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima </b></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>May 13</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Attributes</b>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKlrtw4uByU/USVEAAw-kLI/AAAAAAAAI-A/qK1k29AO_FI/s1600/180px-Pf%C3%A4rrich_Pfarrkirche_Marienstatue_aus_Fatima.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKlrtw4uByU/USVEAAw-kLI/AAAAAAAAI-A/qK1k29AO_FI/s320/180px-Pf%C3%A4rrich_Pfarrkirche_Marienstatue_aus_Fatima.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Our Lady of Fátima</b> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt"><i>Nossa Senhora de Fátima</i></span>, <small>European Portuguese: </small><span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[ˈnɔsɐ sɨˈɲoɾɐ dɨ ˈfatimɐ]</span>)
is a title for the Virgin Mary due to her reputed apparitions to three
shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal on the thirteenth day of six
consecutive months in 1917, beginning on May 13. The three children were
Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The title of <i>Our Lady of the Rosary</i>
is also sometimes used to refer to the same apparition (although it was
first used in 1208 for the reputed apparition in the church of Prouille),
because the children related that the apparition called herself the
"Lady of the Rosary". It is also common to see a combination of these
titles, i.e. <b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima</b> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt"><i>Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima</i></span>).<sup><i> </i></sup>The
events at Fátima gained particular fame due to their elements of
prophecy and eschatology, particularly with regard to possible world war
and the conversion of Soviet Russia. The reported apparitions at Fátima
were officially declared "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><i> </i></u></span></span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 202px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Newspaper_fatima.jpg/200px-Newspaper_fatima.jpg" height="303" width="200" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Page from <i>Ilustração Portuguesa</i>,
29 October 1917, showing the people looking at the miracle of the sun
during the Fátima apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On
May 13, 1917, ten year old Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and
Francisco Marto were herding sheep at a location known as the Cova da
Iria
near their home village of Fátima, Portugal. Lúcia described seeing a
woman "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and
stronger than a crystal ball filled with the most sparkling water and
pierced by the burning rays of the sun."
Further appearances were reported to have taken place on the thirteenth
day of the month in June and July. In these, the woman exhorted the
children to do penance and Acts of Reparation
as well as making personal sacrifices to save sinners. The children
subsequently wore tight cords around their waists to cause themselves
pain, performed self-flagellation using stinging nettles,
abstained from drinking water on hot days, and performed other works of
penance. According to Lúcia's account, in the course of her
appearances, the woman confided to the children three secrets, now known
as the Three Secrets of Fátima.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thousands of people flocked to Fátima and Aljustrel in the following
months, drawn by reports of visions and miracles. On August 19, 1917,
the provincial administrator and anticlerical Freemason, Artur Santos
(no relation to Lúcia Santos), believing that the events were
politically disruptive, intercepted and jailed the children before they
could reach the Cova da Iria that day. Prisoners held with them in the
provincial jail later testified that the children, while upset, were
first consoled by the inmates, and later led them in praying the rosary.
The administrator interrogated the children and tried unsuccessfully to
get them to divulge the contents of the secrets. In the process, he
threatened the children, saying he would boil them in a pot of oil, one
by one unless they confessed. The children refused, but Lúcia told him
everything short of the secrets, and offered to ask the Lady for
permission to tell the Administrator the secrets.
That month, instead of the usual apparition in the Cova da Iria on the
13th, the children reported that they saw the Virgin Mary on 15 August,
the Feast of the Assumption, at nearby Valinhos.</div>
<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 252px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Danse_du_Soleil_Fatima_13_oct_1917.jpg/250px-Danse_du_Soleil_Fatima_13_oct_1917.jpg" height="130" width="250" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Photograph taken during the reputed "Dance of the Sun" at Fátima on 13 October 1917.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As
early as July 1917 it was claimed that the Virgin Mary had
promised a miracle for the last of her apparitions on October 13, so
that all would believe. What happened then became known as "Miracle of
the Sun". A crowd believed to number approximately 70,000,
including newspaper reporters and photographers, gathered at the Cova
da Iria. The incessant rain had finally ceased and a thin layer of
clouds cloaked the silver disc of the sun. Witnesses said later it could
be looked upon without hurting the eyes.
Lúcia, moved by what she said was an interior impulse, called out to
the crowd to look at the sun. Witnesses later spoke of the sun appearing
to change colors and rotate like a wheel. Not everyone saw the same
things, and witnesses gave widely varying descriptions of the "sun's
dance". The phenomenon is claimed to have been witnessed by most people
in the crowd as well as people many miles away.
While the crowd was staring at the sun, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta
said later they were seeing lovely images of the Holy Family, Our Lady
of Sorrows with Jesus Christ, and then Our Lady of Mount Carmel. They
said they saw Saint Joseph and Jesus bless the people. The children were aged 10, 9, and 7 at the time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Columnist Avelino de Almeida of <i>O Século</i> (Portugal's most influential newspaper, which was pro-government in policy and avowedly anti-clerical),
reported the following: "Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose
aspect was biblical as they stood bare-headed, eagerly searching the
sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all
cosmic laws - the sun 'danced' according to the typical expression of
the people." Eye specialist Dr. Domingos Pinto Coelho, writing for the newspaper <i>Ordem</i>
reported "The sun, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at
another aureoled in yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceeding
fast and whirling movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the
sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat". The
special reporter for the October 17, 1917 edition of the Lisbon daily, <i>O Dia</i>,
reported the following, "...the silver sun, enveloped in the same gauzy
purple light was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken
clouds...The light turned a beautiful blue, as if it had come through
the stained-glass windows of a cathedral, and spread itself over the
people who knelt with outstretched hands...people wept and prayed with
uncovered heads, in the presence of a miracle they had awaited. The
seconds seemed like hours, so vivid were they."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 252px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Chapel_Fatima.jpg/250px-Chapel_Fatima.jpg" height="174" width="250" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Chapel of Apparitions, built at the place where the Fátima apparitions were reported</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No movement or other phenomenon of the sun was registered by scientists at the time.
According to contemporary reports from poet Afonso Lopes Vieira and
schoolteacher Delfina Lopes with her students and other witnesses in the
town of Alburita, the solar phenomenon was visible from up to forty
kilometers away. Not all witnesses reported seeing the sun "dance". Some
people only saw the radiant colors, and others, including some
believers, saw nothing at all.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since no scientifically verifiable physical cause can be adduced to
support the phenomenon of the sun, various explanations have been
advanced to explain the descriptions given by numerous witnesses. A
leading conjecture is a mass hallucination possibly stimulated by the
religious fervor of the crowds expectantly waiting for a predicted sign.
Another conjecture is a possible visual artifact caused by looking at
the sun for a prolonged period. As noted by Auguste Meessen, a professor
at the Institute of Physics, Catholic University of Leuven, looking directly at the Sun can cause phosphene
visual artifacts and temporary partial blindness. He has proposed that
the reported observations were optical effects caused by prolonged
staring at the sun. Meessen contends that retinal after-images produced
after brief periods of sun gazing are a likely cause of the observed
dancing effects. Similarly Meessen states that the colour changes
witnessed were most likely caused by the bleaching of photosensitive
retinal cells.
Meessen observes that solar miracles have been witnessed in many places
where religiously charged pilgrims have been encouraged to stare at the
sun. He cites the apparitions at Heroldsbach in Germany (1949) as an
example where exactly the same optical effects as at Fátima were
witnessed by more than 10,000 people.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is no evidence that people who came to Fátima, even those
expecting a miracle, were staring at the sun before Lúcia spoke. Most
would have been focused on the tree where the children said the
apparition appeared. Some onlookers reported other phenomena, including
luminous mist and the showers of flower petals seen around and above the
tree during previous visitations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In addition to the Miracle of the Sun, the seers at Fátima indicated
that the apparition prophesied a great sign in the night sky which would
precede a second great war.
On January 25, 1938, bright lights, an aurora borealis appeared all
over the northern hemisphere, including in places as far south as North
Africa, Bermuda and California. It was the widest occurrence of the
aurora since 1709 and people in Paris and elsewhere believed a great fire was burning and fire departments were called.
Lúcia, the sole surviving seer at the time, indicated that it was the
sign foretold and so apprised her superior and the bishop in letters the
following day. Just over a month later, Hitler seized Austria and eight months later invaded Czechoslovakia.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Three_Secrets_of_F.C3.A1tima">Three Secrets of Fátima</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Three_Secrets_of_F.C3.A1tima"> </span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_two_secrets">First two secrets</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>First secret</b> was a vision of hell, which Lúcia describes in her Third Memoir, as follows:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>"Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the
earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like
transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating
about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that
issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now
falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or
equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which
horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be
distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful
and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but
an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly
Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first
Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died
of fear and terror."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup></dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Second secret </b>included Mary's instructions on how to save souls
from hell and convert the world to the Christian faith, also revealed by
Lúcia in her Third Memoir:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>"I
have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them,
God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If
what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be
peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending
God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI.
When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is
the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world
for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church
and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the
consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of
reparation on the First Saturdays.
If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be
peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing
wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy
Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.
In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will
consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of
peace will be granted to the world."<br />
<br /></dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Third secret</b>, a vision of the death of the Pope and other religious figures, was transcribed by the Bishop of Leiria and reads:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of
Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his
left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they
would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the
splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand:
pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud
voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!' And we saw in an immense light that
is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they
pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression
that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, Religious men and
women going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big
Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before
reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins
and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he
prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached
the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he
was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him,
and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops,
Priests, Religious men and women, and various lay people of different
ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two
Angels each with a crystal aspersorium
in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and
with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God."<br />
<br /></dd><dd><br /></dd></dl>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Controversy_around_the_Third_Secret">Controversy around the Third Secret</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Vatican
withheld the Third Secret until 26 June 2000, despite Lúcia's
declaration that it could be released to the public after 1960. Some
sources, including Canon Barthas and Cardinal Ottaviani,
said that Lúcia insisted to them it must be released by 1960, saying
that, "by that time, it will be more clearly understood", and, "because
the Blessed Virgin wishes it so."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When
1960 arrived, rather than releasing the Third Secret, the Vatican
published an official press release stating that it was "most probable
the Secret would remain, forever, under absolute seal." After this
announcement, immense speculation over the content of the secret
materialized. According to the New York Times,
speculation over the content of the secret ranged from "worldwide
nuclear annihilation to deep rifts in the Roman Catholic Church that
lead to rival papacies."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some
sources claim that the four-page, handwritten text of the Third Secret
released by the Vatican in the year 2000 is not the real secret, or at
least not the full secret. In particular, it is alleged that Cardinals
Bertone, Ratzinger and Sodano
engaged in a systematic deception to cover-up the existence of a
one-page document containing the so-called words of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, which some believe contains information about the Apocalypse and a
great apostasy. These sources contend that the Third Secret actually
comprises two texts, where one of these texts is the published four-page
vision, and the other is a single-page letter allegedly containing the
words of the Virgin Mary which has been concealed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Vatican has maintained its position that the full text of the
Third Secret was published in June 2000. According to a December 2001
Vatican press release (subsequently published in <i>L'Osservatore Romano</i>),
Lúcia told then Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone in an interview that the
secret had been completely revealed and published - that no secrets
remained. Bertone, along with Cardinal Ratzinger, co-authored <i>The Message of Fátima</i>,
the document published in June 2000 by the Vatican that allegedly
contains a scanned copy of the original text of the Third Secret.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
During
his apostolic visit to Portugal between May 11 and 14, 2010 on the
occasion of the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Jacinta and
Francisco Marto, Pope Benedict XVI
explained in a rare conversation with reporters that the interpretation
of the third secret did not stop with the interpretation of a
prediction of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square in 1981. The Third Secret of Fátima,
said Benedict XVI, "has a permanent and ongoing significance" and that
"its significance could even be extended to include the suffering the
Church is going through today as a result of the recent reports of
sexual abuse involving the clergy".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fate_of_the_three_children">Fate of the three children</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sister
Lúcia reported seeing the Virgin Mary again in 1925 at the Dorothean
convent at Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain). This time she said she was asked
to convey the message of the First Saturday Devotions. By her account a
subsequent vision of Christ as a child reiterated this request.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sister
Lúcia was transferred to another convent in Tui or Tuy, Galicia in
1928. In 1929, Sister Lúcia reported that Mary returned and repeated her
request for the Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sister
Lúcia reportedly saw Mary in private visions periodically throughout
her life. Most significant was the apparition in Rianxo, Galicia,
in 1931, in which she said that Jesus visited her, taught her two
prayers and delivered a message to give to the church's hierarchy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
1947, Sister Lúcia left the Dorothean order and joined the Discalced
Carmelite order in a monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. Lúcia died on
February 13, 2005, at the age of 97. After her death, the Vatican,
specifically Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (at that time, still head of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith),
ordered her cell sealed off. It is believed this was because Sister
Lúcia had continued to receive more revelations and the evidence needed
to be examined in the course of proceedings for her possible
canonization.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sister
Lúcia's cousins, the siblings Francisco (1908–1919) and Jacinta Marto
(1910–1920), were both victims of the Great Spanish Flu Epidemic of
1918-20. Francisco and Jacinta were declared venerable by Pope John Paul
II in a public ceremony at Fátima on May 13, 1989. He returned there on
May 13, 2000 to declare them 'blessed' (a title of veneration below
that of sainthood; see Canonization). Jacinta is the youngest
non-martyred child ever to be beatified.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In 1936 and again in 1941, Sister Lúcia claimed that the Virgin Mary
had predicted the deaths of two of the children during the second
apparition on June 13, 1917. Besides Lúcia's account, the testimony of
Olímpia Marto (mother of the two younger children) and several others
state that her children did not keep this information secret and
ecstatically predicted their own deaths many times to her and to curious
pilgrims.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
fact, it was the first thing Jacinta told her mother when she spoke to
her after the initial apparition.According to the 1941 account, on 13
June, Lúcia asked the Virgin if
the three children would go to heaven when they died. She said that she
heard Mary reply, "Yes, I shall take Francisco and Jacinta soon, but you
will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known
and loved on Earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the
world to my Immaculate Heart."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Exhumed
in 1935 and again in 1951, Jacinta's face was found incorrupt or immune
to decay. Francisco's body, however, had decomposed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Consecration_of_Russia">Consecration of Russia</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 202px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Statue_of_Pope_Pius_XII_in_Fatima_Portugal.jpg/200px-Statue_of_Pope_Pius_XII_in_Fatima_Portugal.jpg" height="279" width="200" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Statue of Pope Pius XII in Fátima, Portugal. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According
to Sister Lúcia, the Virgin Mary promised that the Consecration of
Russia would lead to Russia's conversion and an era of peace.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter <i>Sacro Vergente</i> of 7 July 1952, consecrated Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pius XII wrote,</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to
the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We
consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of
Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></dd></dl>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
1952 the Pope said to the Russian people and the Stalinist regime that
the Virgin Mary was always victorious. "The gates of hell
will never prevail, where she offers her protection. She is the good
mother, the mother of all, and it has never been heard, that those who
seek her protection, will not receive it. With this certainty, the Pope
dedicates all people of Russia to the immaculate heart of the Virgin.
She will help! Error and atheism will be overcome with her assistance
and divine grace." </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Popes
Pius XII and John Paul II both had special relations to Our Lady of
Fátima. Pope Benedict XV began Pacelli's church career, elevating him to
archbishop in the Sistine Chapel
on May 13, 1917, the date of the first reported apparition. Pius XII
was laid to rest in the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica on October 13,
1958, the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope
John Paul II again consecrated the entire world to the Virgin
Mary in 1984, without explicitly mentioning Russia. Some believe that
Sister Lúcia verified that this ceremony fulfilled the requests of the
Virgin Mary. However, in the Blue Army's Spanish magazine, Sol de Fátima,
in the September 1985 issue, Sister Lúcia said that the ceremony did
not fulfill the Virgin Mary's request, as there was no specific mention
of Russia, and "many bishops attached no importance to it." In 2001,
Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone issued a statement, claiming that he had met
with Sister Lúcia, who reportedly told him, "I have already said that
the consecration desired by Our Lady was made in 1984, and has been
accepted in Heaven." Sister Lúcia died on February 13, 2005, without
making any public statement of her own to settle the issue.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some maintain that, according to Lúcia and Fátima advocates such as Abbe Georges de Nantes, Fr. Paul Kramer and Nicholas Gruner,
Russia has never been specifically consecrated to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary by any Pope simultaneously with all the world's bishops, which
is what Lúcia in the 1985 interview had said Mary had asked for.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, by letters of August 29, 1989 and July 3, 1990, she stated
that the consecration had been completed; indeed in the 1990 letter in
response to a question by Rev. Father Robert J. Fox, she confirmed:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
I come to answer your question, "If the consecration made by Pope
John Paul II on March 25, 1984 in union with all the bishops of the
world, accomplished the conditions for the consecration of Russia
according to the request of Our Lady in Tuy on June 13 of 1929?" Yes, it
was accomplished, and since then I have said that it was made. And I
say that no other person responds for me, it is I who receive and open
all letters and respond to them.</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the meantime, the conception of
Theotokos Derzhavnaya Orthodox Christian venerated icon points out that
Virgin Mary is considered actual Tsarina of Russia by the religious
appeal of Nicholas II thus Consecration of Russia may refer to return of
Russian monarchy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">
</sup></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fydb6j9mPM/USVEejqFoUI/AAAAAAAAI-I/3aqIm-wX-2c/s1600/Fatima.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fydb6j9mPM/USVEejqFoUI/AAAAAAAAI-I/3aqIm-wX-2c/s320/Fatima.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima </b>is one of the largest Marian shrines in the world.<b><sup> </sup></b>The <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima</b> (also known as the <i>Fátima Shrine</i>, the <i>Sanctuary of Fátima</i> or <b>Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</b>)
is a Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Fátima, Portugal. Its
construction began in 1928 and it was consecrated in October 1953.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The basilica is built at the site of the
Marian apparitions reported by three Portuguese children in 1917 and
known as Our Lady of Fátima. The tombs of Blessed Francisco Marto,
Blessed Jacinta Marto and Sister Lúcia, the three children, are in the <i>Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</i>. Scenes of the Marian apparitions are shown in stained glass.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fifteen church altars are dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.
The large church organ was installed in 1952 and has about twelve
thousand pipes. Four statues of the four great apostles of the Rosary
and to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are at the four
corners of the Basilica: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint Dominic, Saint John Eudes and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The shrine attracts a large number of Roman Catholics,
and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine
with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the
significant dates of the Fátima apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Chapel of Apparitions</i> is at the very heart of the
basilica. The exact location of the apparitions is marked by a marble
pillar which holds a statue of the Virgin Mary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Paul VI Pastoral Center was inaugurated on May 13, 1982, by Pope John Paul II,
as a center for study and reflection on the message of Fátima. It can
seat over two thousand people and has accommodation for four hundred
pilgrims.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The treasury of the sanctuary holds the <i>Irish Monstrance</i>
considered to be one of the most significant works of religious art
from Ireland. The monstrance was gifted to the basilica in 1949.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary,
which is to the south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall
intended to emphasize the belief that the Rosary prayers influenced the
fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on
the Our Lady of Fátima messages.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The large statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which stands in the niche
above the main entrance of the basilica, was sculpted by American priest
Thomas McGlynn, O.P. Father McGlynn spent considerable time with the
visionary Sister Lúcia
as she described for him in detail how Mary looked during her
appearances to the children. The statue is not what Father McGlynn had
in mind when he approached Sister Lúcia, but is more accurately
described as a collaboration between visionary and sculptor, producing
perhaps the most accurate representation of Our Lady of Fátima ever to
be sculpted. The statue was presented as a gift from the Catholic people
of the United States to the Sanctuary of Fátima in 1958.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="F.C3.A1tima_prayers_and_reparations">Fátima </span>P<span class="mw-headline" id="F.C3.A1tima_prayers_and_reparations">rayers and </span>R<span class="mw-headline" id="F.C3.A1tima_prayers_and_reparations">eparations</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many
Roman Catholics
recite prayers based on Our Lady of Fátima. Lúcia later said that, in
1916, she and her cousins had several visions of an angel calling
himself the "Angel of Portugal" and the "Angel of Peace" who taught them
to bow with their heads to the ground
and to say "O God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. I ask
pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do
not love you." Lúcia later set this prayer to music and a recording
exists of her singing it. It was also said that sometime later the angel
returned and taught them a eucharistic devotion now known as the Angel
Prayer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lúcia said that the Lady emphasized Acts of Reparation
and prayers to console Jesus for the sins of the world. Lúcia said that
Mary's words were "When you make some sacrifice, say 'O Jesus, it is
for your love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'" At the first
apparition, Lúcia wrote, the children were so moved by the radiance they
perceived that they involuntarily said "Most Holy Trinity, I adore you!
My God, my God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament."
Lúcia also said that she heard Mary ask for these words to be added to
the Rosary after the Gloria Patri prayer: "O my Jesus, pardon us, save
us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in
most need."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the tradition of Marian visitations, the "conversion of sinners" is not
necessarily religious conversion to the Roman Catholic Church,
for that would be the "conversion of heretics or apostates who are
'outside the church and alien to the Christian Faith' according to Pope
Leo XIII in his encyclical on the Unity of the Church, Satis Cognitum".
Conversion of sinners refers to general repentance and attempt to amend
one's life according to the teachings of Jesus for those True Catholics
who do profess the faith truly, but are fallen into sins. Lúcia wrote
that she and her cousins defined "sinners" not as non-Catholics but as
those who had fallen away from the church or, more specifically,
willfully indulged in sinful activity, particularly "sins of the flesh"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[53]</sup>
and "acts of injustice and a lack of charity towards the poor, widows
and orphans, the ignorant and the helpless" which she said were even
worse than sins of impurity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Pilgrimage">Pilgrimage</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tleft" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 182px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Pf%C3%A4rrich_Pfarrkirche_Marienstatue_aus_Fatima.jpg/180px-Pf%C3%A4rrich_Pfarrkirche_Marienstatue_aus_Fatima.jpg" height="324" width="180" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lúcia of Fátima.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
An estimated 70,000 people assembled to witness the last of the promised appearances of the Lady in the <i>Cova da Iria</i>
on October 13, 1917. The widely reported miracle of the sun was a
factor that led to Fátima quickly becoming a major centre of pilgrimage.
Two million pilgrims visited the site in the decade following the
events of 1917. A small chapel - the <i>Capelinha</i>
- was built by local people on the site of the apparitions. The
construction was neither encouraged nor hindered by the Catholic Church
authorities. On May 13, 1920, pilgrims defied government troops to
install a statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel,
and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
was first officially celebrated there in January 1924. A hostel for the
sick was begun in that year. In 1927 the first rector of the sanctuary
was appointed and a set of Stations of the Cross were erected on the
mountain road. The foundation stone for the present basilica was laid
the next year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1930 was the year both of official church recognition of the
apparition events as "worthy of belief" and the granting of a papal indulgence to pilgrims visiting Fátima.
In 1935 the bodies of the visionaries Jacinta and Francisco were
reinterred in the basilica. The coronation of the statue of Our Lady of
Fátima there in 1946 drew such large crowds that the entrance to the
site had to be barred.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today pilgrimage to the site goes on all year round and additional
chapels, hospitals and other facilities have been constructed. The
principal pilgrimage festivals take place on the thirteenth day of each
month, from May to October, on the anniversaries of the original
appearances. The largest crowds gather on 13 May and 13 October, when up
to a million
pilgrims have attended to pray and witness processions of the statue of
Our Lady of Fátima, both during the day and by the light of tens of
thousands of candles at night.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Political_aspects">Political aspects</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From
the French Revolution onwards the Catholic Church had adopted an
increasingly embattled world view and from the pontificate of Pius IX
the Church had been waging war against the so-called twin enemies of
liberalism and socialism. At the same time religion had become
predominantly a female activity by the early twentieth century.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
numerical predominance of women within the Catholic Church went
alongside a corresponding development of female divine symbols. Dramatic
affirmations of feminine power were given in the apparitions of the
Virgin Mary which occurred all over Western Europe from the 1840s. The
Virgin, usually in the form of the Immaculate Conception, revealed
herself to female seers, often children. When Our Lady appeared to
Catherine Labouré, Bernadette Soubirous, Lúcia Santos at Fátima, or to
the children at Beauraing later, in 1932, and Mariette Beco in 1933,
these dramatic affirmations of divine power in an increasingly
irreligious/secular age, a transformation more strongly felt in the
Western world, offered 'proof' of the power of heaven against "the
onslaughts of secularizing governments".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"The Marian militancy of the Jesuit congregations divided the world
into two camps, those who would defend the Virgin and those who would
defile her. In the wake of the apparitions at Fatima in Portugal such a
view of the world appeared to be shared by the Virgin herself. The
'secrets of Fatima' revealed periodically by the seer Lucia showed
Mary's concern with the apostacy of Soviet Russia and the threat of communist anticlericalism. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our
Lady of Fatima presented a vision of a world divided. Rome, and
Mary, were ranged against the Soviet Union in a struggle between the
redeemed and the fallen. With the advent of the Spanish Second Republic,
the Virgin Mary [would be] seen on Spanish soil at Ezquioga. Ramona
Olazabal insisted Mary had marked the palms of her hands with a sword.
Seers gained much credence in Integrist and Carlist
circles. The visions at Ezquioga were widely covered in the press, as
were the sixteen other visitations of the Virgin to Spain in 1931. There
was also the Fatima story, an officially sanctioned apparition, the
cult of which, far from being condemned, was actively encouraged by the
Church. As the forces of the Republic gathered strength in Spain, the
Virgin Mary was to be found leading the armies of the faithful ranged
against the Godless."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Blue Army of Our Lady is made up of Catholics and non-Catholics who
believe that by dedicating themselves to daily prayer (specifically, of
the Rosary) they can help to achieve world peace and put an end to the
error of communism. In 1952, a feature film, <i>The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima</i>, was released. Critics held that the film overplayed the role of socialist
and other leftist elements in Portuguese government as the
"adversaries" of the visions. They state that since the government was
controlled not by socialists but by Freemasons at the time,
most government opposition to the visions would have been motivated by
concern for separation of church and state, not by atheistic,
antitheistic or Communistic ideology. Other critics have stated that
only the enemies of the message propose such a belief.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Official_position_of_the_Catholic_Church">Official position of the Catholic Church</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Fatima_church.jpg/220px-Fatima_church.jpg" height="162" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Inside the Basilica of the Rosary</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Private revelations do not form part of the deposit of faith of the Catholic Church,
and its members are not bound to believe in any of them. However, as a
matter of prudence, assent would normally be expected of a Catholic
based on the discernment of the Church and its judgment that an
apparition is worthy of belief.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a canonical enquiry, the visions of Fátima were officially
declared "worthy of belief" in October 1930 by the Bishop of
Leiria-Fátima.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ecclesiastical
approbation does not imply that the Church provides an
infallible guarantee on the supernatural nature of the event.
Theologians like Karl Rahner argued however, that Popes, by
authoritatively fostering the Marian veneration in places as Fátima and
Lourdes, motivate the faithful into an acceptance of divine faith.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65">[65]</sup> Popes Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI
all voiced their acceptance of the supernatural origin of the Fátima
events in unusually clear and strong terms. After the local bishop had
declared that (1) the visions of the three children are credible and (2)
the veneration of the Blessed Virgin is permitted, the Portuguese
bishops approved and declared the genuine supernatural nature of the
event. The Vatican responded with granting indulgences and permitting
special Liturgies of the Mass to be celebrated in Fátima.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_15-2">[15]</sup>
In 1939, Eugenio Pacelli, who was consecrated bishop on May 13,
1917—the day of the first apparition—was elected to the papacy as Pius
XII, <i>and became the Pope of Fátima</i>.
One year after World War II had started, Sister Lúcia asked Pope Pius
XII to consecrate the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
She repeated this request on December 2, 1940, stating in the year 1929,
the Blessed Lady requested in another apparition the consecration of
Russia to her Immaculate Heart. She promised the conversion of Russia
from its errors.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On May 13, 1942, the 25th anniversary of the first apparition and the
silver jubilee of the episcopal consecration of Pope Pius XII, the
Vatican published the Message and Secret of Fátima. On October 31, 1942,
Pope Pius XII,
in a radio address, informed the people of Portugal about the
apparitions of Fátima, consecrating the human race to the Immaculate
Heart of the Virgin with specific mention of Russia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67"><b><i> </i></b></sup>On December 8, 1942, the Pontiff officially and solemnly declared this
consecration in a ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. On May 13,
1946, Cardinal Masalla, the personal delegate of Pius XII, crowned in
his name Our Lady of Fátima, as the Pope issued a second message about
Fátima:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><i>"The faithful virgin never disappointed the trust, put on her.
She will transform into a fountain of graces, physical and spiritual
graces, over all of Portugal, and from there, breaking all frontiers,
over the whole Church and the entire world"</i>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On 1 May 1948, in
Auspicia Quaedam, Pope Pius XII requested the consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of every Catholic family, parish and diocese.</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><i>"It is our wish, consequently, that wherever the opportunity
suggests itself, this consecration be made in the various dioceses as
well as in each of the parishes and families."</i></li>
</ul>
<i> </i> <br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On May 18, 1950, the Pope again sent a message to the people of
Portugal regarding Fátima: "May Portugal never forget the heavenly
message of Fátima, which, before anybody else she was blessed to hear.
To keep Fátima in your heart and to translate Fátima into deeds, is the
best guarantee for ever more graces". In numerous additional messages, and in his encyclicals <i>Fulgens Corona</i> (1953), and <i>Ad Caeli Reginam</i> (1954), Pius XII encouraged the veneration of the Virgin in Fátima.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the end of the Second Vatican Council Pope Paul VI
renewed the consecration of Pius XII to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
and, in an unusual gesture, announced his own pilgrimage to the
sanctuary on the fiftieth anniversary of the first apparition. On May
13, 1967, he prayed at the shrine together with Sister Lúcia. This
historic gesture further cemented the official support for Fátima. Pope John Paul II
credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life following the
assassination attempt on Wednesday, May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of
Fátima, in 1981.
He followed the footsteps of Paul VI, on May 12, 1987, to express his
gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life. The following day, he
renewed the consecration of Pius XII to the Immaculate Heart of the
Virgin.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On May 12 and 13, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
and strongly stated his acceptance of the supernatural origin of the
Fátima apparitions. On the first day, the Pope arrived at the Chapel of
Apparitions to pray and gave a Golden Rose to Our Lady of Fátima "<i>as
a homage of gratitude from the Pope for the marvels that the Almighty
has worked through you in the hearts of so many who come as pilgrims to
this your maternal home</i>". The Pope also recalled the "invisible hand" that saved John Paul II and said in a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary that "<i>it
is a profound consolation to know that you are crowned not only with
the silver and gold of our joys and hopes, but also with the 'bullet' of
our anxieties and sufferings</i>".
On the second day, Pope Benedict's homily pronounced in front of more
than 500,000 pilgrims a reference to the Fátima prophecy about the
triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and related it to the final
"glory of the Most Holy Trinity".</div>
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References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li><span class="citation book">Alonso, Joaquín María (1976) (in Spanish). <i>La verdad sobre el secreto de Fatima: Fátima sin mitos</i>. Centro Mariano "Cor Mariae Centrum". ISBN 978-84-85167-02-9<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 26 October 2010</span>.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Alonso, Joaquin Maria; Kondor, Luis (1998). <i>Fátima in Lucia's own words: sister Lucia's memoirs</i>. Secretariado dos Pastorinhos. ISBN 978-972-8524-00-5<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 26 October 2010</span>.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Cuneo, Michael. <i>The Vengeful Virgin: Studies in Contemporary Catholic Apocalypticism</i>.</span> in <span class="citation book">Robbins, Thomas; Palmer, Susan J. (1997). <i>Millennium, messiahs, and mayhem: contemporary apocalyptic movements</i>. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-91649-3<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 26 October 2010</span>.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal" id="CITEREFDe_Marchi1952">De Marchi, John (1952). <i>The Immaculate Heart</i>. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFFerrara2008">Ferrara, Christopher (2008). <i>The Secret Still Hidden</i>. Good Counsel Publications Inc.. ISBN 978-0-9815357-0-8</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal" id="CITEREFFr.C3.A8re_Fran.C3.A7ois_de_Marie_des_Anges1994">Frère François de Marie des Anges (1994). <i>Fatima: Tragedy and Triumph</i>. New York, U.S.A</span></li>
<li><span class="citation Journal" id="CITEREFFrere_Michel_de_la_Sainte_Trinite1990">Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinite (1990). <i>The Whole Truth About Fatima, Volume III</i>. New York, U.S.A.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFKramer2002">Kramer, Father Paul (2002). <i>The Devil's Final Battle</i>. Good Counsel Publications Inc.. ISBN 978-0-9663046-5-7</span></li>
<li>Joe Nickell: <i>Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures</i>: Prometheus Books: 1998: ISBN 1-57392-680-9</li>
<li>Nick Perry and Loreto Echevarria: <i>Under the Heel of Mary</i>: New York: Routledge: 1988: ISBN 0-415-01296-1</li>
<li>Sandra Zimdars-Swartz: <i>Encountering Mary</i>: Princeton: Princeton University Press: 1991: ISBN 0-691-07371-6</li>
<li>Walsh, William:<i>Our Lady of Fatima</i>: Image: Reissue edition (October 1, 1954): 240 pp: ISBN 978-0385028691</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> </span>Fatima, Portugal </span></h2>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Basilica_Fatima.jpg/800px-Basilica_Fatima.jpg" height="196" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima<br />
(with the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="left">
<div class="thumbcaption">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Fátima</b> is a civil parish in the municipality of Ourém, in the Portuguese Centro
region. With a population of 11,538 inhabitants in 2011, the parish
actually encompasses several villages and localities of which Fátima,
with a population of 7,756 residents, is the largest. Part of the urban
agglomeration of Leiria, it is 187 km (116 mi) south of Porto and 123 km (76 mi) north of Lisbon.
It has been permanently associated with the Marian apparitions that
occurred in Cova da Iria in 1917 and which were later recognized by the
Catholic Church.</div>
</div>
<div class="thumbcaption" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span> </h2>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 237px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Danse_du_Soleil_Fatima_13_oct_1917.jpg/235px-Danse_du_Soleil_Fatima_13_oct_1917.jpg" height="122" width="235" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
A close-up of the Christian pilgrams during the <i>Miracle of the Sun</i>, on 13 October 1917</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 237px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Miracle_of_the_Sun.jpg/235px-Miracle_of_the_Sun.jpg" height="165" width="235" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
An image of the crowd during the last apparition in Cova da Iria</div>
</div>
</div>
The
name of the town and parish evolved from the Arabic name Fatima, the
name of a Moorish princess and, originally, the name of the daughter of
Muhammad, prophet of Islam.<br />
<br />
The parish was founded in 1568, when it was annexed by the Collegiate of Ourém (Portuguese: <span lang="pt"><i>Colegiada de Ourém</i></span>).<br />
<br />
The history of Fátima is associated with three children: Lúcia and
her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who on 13 May 1917, while
guarding their sheep in Cova da Iria, witnessed an apparition of a <i>lady dressed in white</i>. Cova da Iria is now the <i>Chapel of Apparitions</i> or Portuguese: <span lang="pt"><i>Capela das Aparições</i></span>. The lady, later referred to as <i>Our Lady of the Rosary</i>,
indicated that she was sent by God with a message of prayer, repentance
and consecrations. She visited the children each month on the 13th day
from May 13 - October 13. The last apparition occurred on October 13th,
and was witnessed by 70,000 pilgrims, who saw the <i>Miracle of the Sun</i>. In addition, <i>Our Lady of Fátima</i> sent a message that consisted of three secrets: first, a vision of Hell <i>where the souls of the sinful would travel</i>
without prayer; the second, prophesied the beginning of the Second
World War; and ultimately, the mysterious third secret, which was
written down by Lúcia dos Santos in 1944, and held by the Vatican, since
1957.<br />
<br />
Lucia
became a nun and as Sister Lúcia, she recounted three visits
from an angel to her and her cousins. Between April and October in 1916
this angel invited them to pray and do penitence. The angel visited them
twice in Loca do Cabeço and once by the well in Lúcia's garden. Jacinta
died in 1919 and Francisco in 1920 from the Spanish flu Epidemic of
1918-1920, and were later beatified on 13 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Lucia lived until 2005.<br />
<br />
In order to mark the location of the apparitions, a wooden arch with a cross was constructed in Cova da Iria.
The faithful began to travel in pilgrimage to the site. On 6 August
1918, with donations from the public, a small chapel was begun, built
from rock and limestone and covered in tile. With a width of 3.3 metres
(11 ft) by 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) length, and 2.85 metres (9.4 ft) height,
it began to become a center of Marian worship, receiving names such as <i>a fé. Fátima, cidade da Paz</i> (<i>the faith of Fatima, City of Peace</i>), or <i>Terra de Milagres e Aparições</i> (<i>Land of Miracles and Apparitions</i>).<br />
<br />
The construction of the sanctuary brought local development to the
region, which eventually allowed the town of Fátima to be elevated to
the status of city on 12 July 1997.
Actually, there was a movement in the parish, primarily from the
economic sector, who desired that Fátima become its own municipality.
But, the project, which was led by engineer Júlio Silva, ex-president of
the Junta de Freguesia, was vetoed on July 2003 by Portuguese President
Jorge Sampaio, resulting in disappointment among its residents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Geography">Geography</span> </h2>
Fátima
is located on the Estremenho Limestone Massif, on the flanks of the
Serra de Aire, approximately 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level.
The geology of the Serras de Aire and Candeeiros gives rise to an arid
landscape with a rocky ground interspersed with limestone outcroppings.
There are various geological formations in the region including
sinkholes, uvalas and polje (like the Polje de Minde-Mata), as well as
karst grottoes, caves with stalactites and stalagmites, in addition to
lapiez fields.<br />
<br />
The climate is characterized by heavy precipitation during the winter
with approximately 1,400 millimetres (55 in) annually and warm, dry
summers.<br />
<br />
The trees in this area are primarily dominated by Holly oak (<i>Quercus ilex</i>), Portuguese oak (<i>Quercus faginea</i>), Strawberry trees (<i>Arbutus unedo</i>),
Buckthorn and Olive trees, all of which are resistant to the
precipitation extremes of the climate. There are also areas of savannah,
strips of land bounded by walls of loose stone.<br />
<br />
Until 1917, Fátima was an unknown village involved in shepherding and agriculture.
It became known worldwide because of the Marian apparitions seen by
three young shepherds, occurring between 13 May and 13 October 1917. About 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Fátima is Aljustrel, a small hamlet where the three shepherd children were born.
To the west, near Aljustrel, is Loca do Cabeço, a smaller agglomeration
of rocky outcroppings where, in 1916, an angel appeared twice to the
three children.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Culture">Culture</span> </h2>
The Sanctuary of Fátima,
in Cova da Iria, is the principal focus of visitors. Annually pilgrims
regularly fill the country roads leading to the shrine. Numbers can
reach hundreds of the thousands on 13 May and 13 October, the
significant dates of the apparitions in Fátima.<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<h2>
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima</h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Fatima.jpg/220px-Fatima.jpg" height="329" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Our Lady of Fátima Basilica, bearing the images of Francisco and Jacinta Marto.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Fatima_church.jpg/220px-Fatima_church.jpg" height="162" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Interior view of Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Chapel_Fatima.jpg/220px-Chapel_Fatima.jpg" height="153" width="220" />
<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
The Chapel of Apparitions at Fátima.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima</b> (also known as the <i>Fátima Shrine</i>, the <i>Sanctuary of Fátima</i> or <b>Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</b>)
is a Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Fátima, Portugal. Its
construction began in 1928 and it was consecrated in October 1953.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
basilica is built at the site of the Marian apparitions reported by
three Portuguese children in 1917 and known as Our Lady of Fátima. The
tombs of Blessed Francisco Marto, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Sister
Lúcia, the three children, are in the <i>Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</i>. Scenes of the Marian apparitions are shown in stained glass.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fifteen church altars are dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.
The large church organ was installed in 1952 and has about twelve
thousand pipes. Four statues of the four great apostles of the Rosary
and to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are at the four
corners of the Basilica: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint Dominic, Saint John Eudes and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The shrine attracts a large number of Roman Catholics,
and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine
with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the
significant dates of the Fátima apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <i>Chapel of Apparitions</i> is at the very heart of the
basilica. The exact location of the apparitions is marked by a marble
pillar which holds a statue of the Virgin Mary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Paul VI Pastoral Center was inaugurated on May 13, 1982, by Pope John Paul II,
as a center for study and reflection on the message of Fátima. It can
seat over two thousand people and has accommodation for four hundred
pilgrims.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The treasury of the sanctuary holds the <i>Irish Monstrance</i>
considered to be one of the most significant works of religious art
from Ireland. The monstrance was gifted to the basilica in 1949.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary, which is to the south of the rectory,
is a segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that
the Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the
Consecration of Russia based on the Our Lady of Fátima messages.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The large statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which stands in the niche
above the main entrance of the basilica, was sculpted by American priest
Thomas McGlynn, O.P. Father McGlynn spent considerable time with the
visionary Sister Lúcia
as she described for him in detail how Mary looked during her
appearances to the children. The statue is not what Father McGlynn had
in mind when he approached Sister Lúcia, but is more accurately
described as a collaboration between visionary and sculptor, producing
perhaps the most accurate representation of Our Lady of Fátima ever to
be sculpted. The statue was presented as a gift from the Catholic people
of the United States to the Sanctuary of Fátima in 1958.</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
References<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6"> </sup></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ul>
<li><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Trudy Ring, 1996, <i>International Dictionary of Historic Places</i>, ISBN 978-1-884964-02-2 page 245</span></li>
<li><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Leo Madigan, <i>A Pilgrim's Handbook to Fatima</i>, Gracewing Press ISBN 0-85244-532-6 page 168</span></li>
<li><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Regis St. Louis and Robert Landon, 2007, <i>Portugal</i>, Lonely Planet Press ISBN 978-1-74059-918-4 page 290</span></li>
<li><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFWalsh1954">Walsh, William Thomas (1 October 1954), <i>Our Lady of Fatima</i>, Random House, ISBN 978-0385028691</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span></span></span>Sanctuary of Fatima</span></h2>
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The <b>Sanctuary of Fátima</b> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Santuário de Fátima</i></span>), also known as <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima</b> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Santuário de Nossa Senhora de Fátima</i></span>),
is a group of Catholic religious buildings and structures in Cova da
Iria, in the civil parish of Fátima, in the municipality of Ourém, in
Portugal.<br />
<br />
In addition to the Basilica of <i>Our Lady of the Rosary</i> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Basilicia da Nossa Senhora de Rosário</i></span>), it comprises the Chapel of the Lausperene (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Capela de Lausperene</i></span>), a great oak tree (near which the Marian Apparitions occurred), a monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Monumento ao Sagrado Coração de Jesus</i></span>) and the Chapel of the Apparitions (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Capelinha das Aparições</i></span>), where three children Lucia Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto,
were first visited by Mary. In addition, several other structures and
monuments were built in the intervening years to commemorate the events
associated with the events in 1916, including: the Hostel/Retreat House
of <i>Our Lady of Sorrows</i> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Albergue e Casa de Retiros de Nossa Senhora das Dores</i></span>), the rectory, the Hostel/Retreat of <i>Our Lady of Mount Carmel</i> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Casa de Retiros de Nossa Senhora do Carmo</i></span>),
a segment of the Berlin Wall
(marking the consecration of Russia to the Sacred Heart of Christ),
monuments to Fathers Formigão and Fischer, a High Cross (by artist
Robert Schad), and individual monuments to Pope Paul VI, Pope Pius XII,
Pope John Paul II and D. José Alves Correia da Silva (who had important
roles in the history of site) and the Pastoral Centre of Paul VI
(Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Centro Pastoral de Paulo VI</i></span>).<br />
<br />
<br />
Across
from the main sanctuary is the much larger Basilica of the Holy Trinity
constructed after 1953, owing to the limited scale of the Sanctuary for
large-scale pilgrimages and religious services.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ChildrensofFatima.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1417" data-file-width="886" height="360" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/ChildrensofFatima.jpg/225px-ChildrensofFatima.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/ChildrensofFatima.jpg/338px-ChildrensofFatima.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/ChildrensofFatima.jpg/450px-ChildrensofFatima.jpg 2x" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lúcia Santos, <span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Francisco Jacinta Marto</span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">, 1917.</span></td></tr>
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In
1916, on three separate occasions, Lucia Santos and her two cousins,
Jacinta and Francisco Marto, began witnessing apparitions of an angel in
the region of Ourém. These visitations persisted until the 13 May 1917
when, while tending their family's sheep in Cova da Iria,
they witnessed the apparition of what they later assumed was the Virgin
Mary, and began doing penance and self-sacrifice to atone for sinners.
Many flocked to Fátima and Aljustrel to witness these apparitions along
with the children, but not before the children were jailed for being
politically disruptive.These visitations culminated in the public
Miracle of the Sun event, even as the apparition of Mary divulged three
secrets
to the children. Although the last apparition occurred on 13 October
1917, the region of Fátima continued to be a destination of pilgrims.<br />
<br />
Victims
of the 1918 flu pandemic epidemic, both cousins (Francisco and Jacinta
Marto) died on 4 April 1919 and 20 February 1920 (in Aljustrel and
Lisbon), respectively. Along with the Three Secrets of Fátima, their
stories (and that of Lucia), would be linked to religious construction
that followed in Fátima. A small chapel, the <i>Capelinha das Aparições</i> (<i>Chapel of the Apparitions</i>) was begun on 28 April 1919 by local people: its construction was neither hindered or encouraged by church authorities.<br />
On 13 May 1920, pilgrims defied government troops to install a statue
of the Virgin Mary in the chapel, while the first officially celebrated
mass occurred on 13 October 1921. A hostel for the sick was also begun
in the same year, but the original chapel was destroyed on 6 March 1922.<br />
The first investigations (canonical process) by the Roman Catholic
Church in regards to the events at Fátima began on 3 May 1922.
Meanwhile, small Chapel of the Appariations was rebuilt and functioning
by 1923. It would take the next four years to see a change in attitude
from the Roman Catholic church; on 26 July 1927, the Bishop of Leiria,
presided over the first religious service at Cova da Iria, that included
the blessing of the 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) stations of the cross on the
mountain road to the site from Reguengo do Fetal.<br />
<br />
On 13 May 1928, the first foundation stone was laid in the
construction of the basilica and colonnade of Fátima, a process that
continued until 1954. The construction of the colonnade, by architect
António Lino began in 1949 and extended to 1954. Meanwhile, on 13
October 1930, the Roman Catholic Church permitted the existence of the
first cult of <i>Nossa Senhora de Fátima</i> (<i>Our Lady of Fátima</i>).
Even before the completion of the complex, the mortal remains of
Jacinta Marto was moved from her modest grave in Vila Nova de Ourém
(where she had been buried following her death) to Fátima (12 September
1935), and later (on 1 May 1951) to the completed basilica sanctuary.
Her brother's remains, were moved from the cemetery in Fátima to the
basilica on 13 March 1952. An organ was also mounted that same year in
the completed church, by the firm Fratelli Rufatti of Pádua.<br />
Before
this period, on 13 May 1942, a large pilgrimage had already to
marked the 25th anniversary of the apparitions. Two years later (on 13
May 1946), Cardinal Massella, Pontifical Legate, crowned the image of
Our Lady of Fátima in the Chapel of the Apparitions, marking a complete
reversal in the official posture of the Vatican See towards the events
at Fátima. On 7 October 1953 the Church of the Sanctuary of Fátima was
consecrated, and within a year, Pope Pius XII conceded the church the
title of Basilica in his short <i>Luce Superna</i> document (November 1954).<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tright">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_(19025731359).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1045" data-file-width="1586" height="148" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg/225px-Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg/338px-Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg/450px-Calv%C3%A1ro_Hungaro_Fatima_0631_%2819025731359%29.jpg 2x" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Calvary in Fátima, Portugal<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">.</span></td></tr>
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On 13 May 1956, cardinal Angelo Roncalli, patriarch of Venice, and future Pope John XXIII,
presided over an international pilgrimage anniversary. From this point
forward, there would continue to be an active presence and influence of
the patriarchy of the Vatican in the events at the Fátima. On 1 January
1960, the sacred <i>Lausperene</i> rite was initiated.<br />
<br />
The sections of the organ, until this time dispersed throughout the basilica were united in one unit in 1962, in the high choir.<br />
On 13 May 1967, Pope Paul VI visits Fátima to mark the 50th anniversary of the first apparitions.<br />
<br />
On 19 September 1977, the civil parish was elevated to the status of town.<br />
Between 12–13 May 1982, in a pilgrimage to Fátima by Pope John Paul II, the first cornerstone of the <i>Capela do Sagrado Lausperene</i>
was laid: the construction would continue until 1987. Its completion
and consecretaion on 1 January 1987 was attributed to donations and
gifts from the Austrian association <i>Cruzada de Reparação pelo Rosário para a Paz no Mundo</i> (<i>Rosary Repair Crusade for World Peace</i>). Pope John Paul II would return once more on 12–13 May 1991 to preside over the international pilgrimage anniversary.<br />
<br />
On 4 June 1997, the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic elevated the town of Fátima to the status of city.<br />
<br />
Following several years of building, on 24 August 2006, the first
attempts to classify the sanctuary as a national patrimony were begun,
in terms of the transitory regime, but was incomplete due to a sunset
clause of 8 September 2001.<br />
<br />
The shrine attracts every
year a large number of Roman Catholic pilgrims, from Portugal and all
around the world. This international stature gave Fátima
the title of "Shrine of the World". Every year pilgrims fill the
country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one
million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of the Fátima
apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica
every year.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Architecture">Architecture</span></h2>
<h2>
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<a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_Fatima.jpg" title="A panoramic view of the Basilica of the Rosary and its colonnade, the statue to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the famous Chapel of the Apparitions of Fátima, Portugal."><img alt="" data-file-height="1105" data-file-width="3571" height="309" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Basilica_Fatima.jpg/1000px-Basilica_Fatima.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Basilica_Fatima.jpg/1500px-Basilica_Fatima.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Basilica_Fatima.jpg/2000px-Basilica_Fatima.jpg 2x" width="1000" /></a></div>
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</h2>
The Sanctuary at Fátima was constructed over time in or near the area
of Cova da Iria, where the three children witnessed the Marian
apparitions of<i>Our Lady of the Rosary</i> (later known as <i>Our Lady of Fátima</i>
by parishioners and pilgrims). The sanctuary includes various
buildings, shrines and monuments to the religious, political and social
consequence of the event dispersed throughout a complex of open
panoramas and vistas dominated by the <i>Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</i> and the <i>Basilica of the Holy Trinity</i>.
Central to the complex is the small Chapel of the Apparitions and its
shelter, where legend suggests many of the events of the apparitions
took place and where the first pilgrims venerated the Marian
apparitions.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary">Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary</span></h3>
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 242px;">
<a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fatima_church.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1064" data-file-width="1446" height="177" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Fatima_church.jpg/240px-Fatima_church.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Fatima_church.jpg/360px-Fatima_church.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Fatima_church.jpg/480px-Fatima_church.jpg 2x" width="240" /></a></div>
The basilica consists of a tall centralized bell-tower and nave,
approximately 65 metres (213 ft) in height, and decorated by a crown of
bronze of 7,000 kilograms (15,000 lb), similar in style to the Clérigos Church,
surmounted by an illuminated cross. Its architect was the Dutchman
Gerardus Samuel van Krieken, who was born in Rotterdam, and educated in
Geneva. He came to Portugal in 1889 to teach at the <i>Escolas Técnicas Industriais</i> (<i>Industrial Technical Schools</i>), where he was appointed to the <i>Escola Industrial Infante D. Henrique</i> (<i>Infante D. Henrique Industrial School</i>),
to be professor of ornamental arts, but later married and settled in
the city of Porto. Although he was the originator of the basilica design
and followed its
original construction, he never saw its consecration, owing to his
death.<br />
<br />
The carillon
consists of 62 bells, created and tempered in Fátima by José Gonçalves
Coutinho, of Braga. The largest bell weighs approximately 3,000
kilograms (6,600 lb) and the clapper about 90 kilograms (200 lb). The
clock is the work of Bento Rodrigues, also of Braga. The angels on the
main facade are the author of Albano França. The statue of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the niche of the spire, is 4.73 metres
(15.5 ft) tall and weighs 14 tons.<br />
<br />
At the entrance to the basilica, over the main portico, is a mosaic
representing the Holy Trinity crowning Mary. It was executed by
officials of the Vatican and blessed by Cardinal Eugénio Paccelli,
future Pope Pious XII, so-called <i>Pope of Fátima</i>. A large statue of <i>Our Lady of Fatima</i>,
which stands in a niche above the main entrance of the basilica, was
sculpted by American priest Thomas McGlynn. Father McGlynn spent
considerable time with Sister Lúcia
as she described to him in detail how Mary looked during her
appearances to the children. The statue is not what Father McGlynn had
in mind when he approached Sister Lúcia, but is more accurately
described as a collaboration between visionary and sculptor, producing
perhaps the most accurate representation of Our Lady of Fátima: the
statue was presented as a gift from the Catholic people of the United
States to the Sanctuary of Fátima in 1958.<br />
<br />
Many of the events of the Marian apparitions at Fátima are depicted
in the stained glass windows in the basilica, while fifteen altars
within the church are dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.
At the four corners of the basilica are statues of the four great
apostles of the Rosary and to their devotion to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint Dominic, Saint John Eudes and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary.<br />
<br />
A five-section organ (grande organ, positive, recitative, solo and
echo) actioned by a console of five keyboards and pedals is installed in
the choir. It has 152 registers and approximately 12,000 lead, tin and
wood tubes, with the largest 11 metres (36 ft) in height and the
smallest 9 millimetres (0.35 in). Initially, the organ was divided into its five parts and dispersed
within the basilica, but it was re-formed in 1962 and installed in its
present location.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Chapel_of_the_Sacred_Lausperene">Chapel of the Sacred <i>Lausperene</i></span></h3>
The Chapel of the Sacred <i>Lausperene</i> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Capela do Sagrado Lausperene</i></span>),
is situated at the end of the left colonnade of the basilica. The
stained-glass windows at its entrance represent manna in the desert and
the Last Supper.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Chapel_of_the_Apparitions">Chapel of the Apparitions</span></h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fatima_0751_(19182694573).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1045" data-file-width="1419" height="166" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg/225px-Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg/338px-Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg/450px-Fatima_0751_%2819182694573%29.jpg 2x" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chapel of the Apparitions</td></tr>
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The <i>Chapel of Apparitions</i> (Portuguese: <span lang="pt" xml:lang="pt"><i>Capelinha das Aparições</i></span>)
is at the very centre of the sanctuary: it is located at the exact
location of the Marian apparitions, marked by a marble pillar and
enclosed case, with the image of the Virgin Mary.<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_places_and_monuments">Other places and monuments</span></h3>
Pope John Paul II
inaugurated the Paul VI Pastoral Center May 13, 1982, as a center for
study and reflection on the message of Fátima. It can seat over two
thousand people and has accommodation for four hundred pilgrims.<br />
<br />
The treasury of the sanctuary holds the <i>Irish Monstrance</i>
considered to be one of the most significant works of religious art
from Ireland. The monstrance was gifted to the basilica in 1949.<br />
<br />
<br />
Near
the entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary, south of the rectory, is a
segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that the
Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the
Consecration of Russia based on the Our Lady of Fátima messages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<dl><h2>
Sources</h2>
</dl>
<ul>
<li><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFAAVV2004">AAVV, ed. (2004), <i>Caminhos do Espírito, Percursos da Arte, Região de Turismo Leiria / Fátima;</i> [<i>Paths of the Spirit, Paths of Art, Leiria Tourist Region</i>] (in Portuguese), Leiria, Portugal, pp. 153–160</cite></li>
<li><cite class="citation"><i>Fátima: 75 anos</i> [<i>Fatima: 75 years</i>] (in Portuguese), Fátima: Comissão Central das Comemorações do 75.º Aniversário das Aparições de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 1992</cite></li>
<li><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFSilva">Silva, Patrick Coelho da, <i>O Santuário de Fátima: arquitetura portuguesa do século XX</i> [<i>The Shrine of Fatima: Portuguese architecture of the twentieth century</i>] (in Portuguese), Porto, Portugal: Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada à Universidade Fernando Pessoa</cite></li>
<li><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFVasconcelos1996">Vasconcelos, João (1996), <i>Romarias - II - um inventário dos Santuários de Portugal</i> [<i>Pilgrimages: An inventory of the Shrines of Portugal</i>] (in Portuguese), <b>II</b>, Lisbon: Olhapim Editores</cite></li>
</ul>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
The Miraculous Medal</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s1600/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s320/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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<blockquote>
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
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Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 12</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
A few days before the Ascension of the Lord while the blessed Mary was engaged in the one of the above–mentioned exercises, the eternal Father and the Holy Ghost appeared in the Cenacle upon a throne of ineffable splendor surrounded by the choirs of angels and saints there present and other heavenly spirits, which had now come with the divine Persons. Then the incarnate Word ascended the throne and seated Himself with the other Two. The ever humble Mother of the Most High, prostrate in a corner of a room, in deepest reverence adored the most blessed Trinity, and in it her own incarnate Son. The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will. She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence. Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne, humbling herself anew. The eternal Father said to Her: “Beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 14, 10). As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons. New admiration was caused in the saints to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity. Being made to understand the sanctity and equity of the works of the Most High, they gave new glory and praise proclaiming Him immense, Just, Holy and Admirable in all his counsels.<br />
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<span lang="en-US">The Father then spoke to the blessed Mary saying: “My Daughter, to Thee do I entrust the Church founded by my Onlybegotten, the new law of grace He established in the world, and the people, which He redeemed: to Thee do I consign them all.” Thereupon also the Holy Ghost spoke to Her: “My Spouse, chosen from all creatures, I communicate to Thee my wisdom and grace together with which shall be deposited in thy heart the mysteries, the works and teachings and all that the incarnate Word has accomplished in the world.” And the Son also said: “My most beloved Mother, I go to my Father and in my stead I shall leave Thee and I charge Thee with the care of my Church; to Thee do I commend its children and my brethren, as the Father has consigned them to Me.” Then the three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, said: “This is the Queen of all created things in heaven and earth; She is the Protectress of the Church, the Mistress of creatures, the Mother of piety, the Intercessor of the faithful, the Advocate of sinners, the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 24, 24); She is mighty in drawing our will to mercy and clemency. In Her shall be deposited the treasures of our grace and her most faithful heart shall the tablet whereon shall be written and engraved our holy law. In her are contained the mysteries of our Omnipotence for the salvation of mankind. She is the perfect work of our hands, through whom the plenitude of our desires shall be communicated and satisfied without hindrance in the currents of our divine perfections. Whoever shall call upon Her from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life. What She asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.”</span> <span lang="en-US">The most blessed Mary, hearing Herself thus exalted, humiliated Herself so much the deeper the more highly She was raised by the right hand of the Most High above all the human and angelic creatures. As if She were the least of all, She adored the Lord and offered Herself, in the most prudent terms and in the most ardent love, to work as a faithful servant in the Church and obey promptly all the biddings of the divine will. From that day on She took upon Herself anew the care of the evangelical Church, as a loving Mother of all children; She renewed all the petitions She had until then made, so that during the whole further course of her life they were most fervent and incessant, as we shall see in the third part, where will appear more clearly what the Church owes to this great Queen and Lady, and what blessings She gained and merited for it.</span></div>
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On that same day, by divine dispensation, while the Lord was at table with the eleven Apostles, other disciples and pious women gathered at the Cenacle to the number of one hundred and twenty; for the divine Master wished them to be present at his Ascension. Moreover, just as He had instructed the Apostles, so He now wanted to instruct these faithful respectively in what each was to know before his leaving them and ascending into heaven. All of them being thus gathered and united in peace and charity within those walls in the hall of the last Supper, the Author of life manifested Himself to them as a kind and loving Father and said to them:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men. I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things. Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; he who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me. All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, so shall also your successors. She shall answer doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now, although you do not understand how.” This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on. The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew: “I am with you to the consummation of the world” (Matth. 28, 20). The Lord added and said: “You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest. Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross.” The Lord then looked upon his most beloved Mother, who was there present and intimated his desire of expressly commanding that whole congregation to worship and reverence Her in a manner suited to the dignity of Mother of God, and of leaving this command under form of a precept for the whole Church. But the most humble Lady besought her Onlybegotten to be pleased not to secure Her more honor than was absolutely necessary for executing all that He had charged Her with; and that the new children of the Church should not be induced to show Her greater honor than they had shown until then. On contrary, She desired to divert all the sacred worship of the Church immediately upon the Lord himself and to make the propagation of the Gospel redound entirely to the exaltation of his holy name. Christ our Savior yielded to this most prudent petition of his Mother, reserving to Himself the duty of spreading the knowledge of Her at a more convenient and opportune time yet in secret He conferred upon Her new extraordinary favors, as shall appear in the rest of this history.</span></div>
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In considering the loving exhortations of their Divine Master, the mysteries which He had revealed them, and the prospect of his leaving them, that whole congregation was moved to their inmost hearts; for He had enkindled in them the divine love by the vivid faith of his Divinity and humanity. Reviving within them the memory of his words and his teachings of eternal life, the delights of his most loving companionship, and sorrowfully realizing, that they were now all at once to be deprived of these blessings, they wept most tenderly and sighed from their inmost souls. They longed to detain Him, although they could not, because they saw it was not befitting; words of parting rose to their lips, but they could not bring themselves to utter them; each one felt sentiments of sorrow arising amid feelings both of joy and yet also of pious regret. How shall we live without such a Master? they thought. Who can ever speak to us such words of life and consolation as He? Who will receive us so lovingly and kindly? Who shall be our Father and protector? We shall be helpless children and orphans in this world. Some of them broke their silence and exclaimed: “O most loving Lord and Father! O joy and life of our souls! Now that we know Thee as our Redeemer, Thou departest and leavest us! Take us along with Thee, O Lord; banish us not from thy sight. Our blessed Hope, what shall we do without thy presence? Whither shall we turn, if thou goest away? Whither shall we direct our steps, if cannot follow Thee, our Father, our Chief, and our Teacher?” To these and other pleadings the Lord answered by bidding them not to leave Jerusalem and to persevere in prayer until He should send the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, as promised by the Father and as already foretold to the Apostles at the last Supper. Thereupon happened, what I shall relate in the next chapter.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most auspicious hour, in which the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, after descending from heaven in order to assume human flesh, was to ascend by his own power and in a most wonderful manner to the right hand of God, the Inheritor of his eternities, one and equal with Him in nature and infinite glory. He was to ascend, also, because He had previously descended to the lowest regions of the earth, as the Apostle says (Ephes. 4, 9), having fulfilled all that had been written and prophesied concerning his coming into the world, his Life, Death and the Redemption of man, and having penetrated, as the Lord of all, to the very centre of the earth. By this Ascension he sealed all the mysteries and hastened the fulfillment of his promise, according to which He was, with the Father, to send the Paraclete upon his Church after He himself should have ascended into heaven (John 16, 7). In order to celebrate this festive and mysterious day, Christ our Lord selected as witnesses the hundred and twenty persons, to whom, as related in the foregoing chapter, He had spoken in the Cenacle. They were the most holy Mary, the eleven Apostles, the seventy–two disciples, Mary Magdalen, Lazarus their brother, the other Marys and the faithful men and women making up the above–mentioned number of one hundred and twenty.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">With this little flock our divine Shepherd Jesus left the Cenacle, and, with his most blessed Mother at his side, He conducted them all through the streets of Jerusalem. The Apostles and all the rest in order, proceeded in the direction of Bethany, which was less than half a league over the brow of mount Olivet. The company of angels and saints from limbo and purgatory followed the Victor with new songs of praise, although Mary alone was privileged to see them. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was already divulged throughout Jerusalem and Palestine. Although the perfidious and malicious princes and priests had spread about the false testimony of his being stolen by disciples, yet many would not accept their testimony nor give it any credit. It was divinely provided, that none of the inhabitants of the city, and none of the unbelievers or doubters, should pay any attention to</span> <span lang="en-US">this holy procession, or hinder it on its way from the Cenacle. All, except the one hundred and twenty just, who were chosen by the Lord to witness his Ascension into heaven, were justly punished by being prevented from noticing this wonderful mystery, and the Chieftain and Head of this procession remained invisible to them.</span></div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Lord having thus secured them this privacy, they all ascended mount Olivet to its highest point. There they formed three choirs, one of the angels, another of the saints, and a third of the Apostles and faithful, which again divided into two bands, while Christ the Savior presided. Then the most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son worshipping Him with admirable humility, She adored Him as the true God and as the Redeemer of the world, asking his last blessing. All the faithful there present imitated Her and did the same. Weeping and sighing, they asked the Lord, whether He was now to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1, 6). The Lord answered, that this was a secret of the eternal Father and not to be made known to them; but, for the present, it was necessary and befitting, that they receive the Holy Ghost and preach, in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in all the world, the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Jesus, having taken leave of this holy and fortunate gathering of the faithful, his countenance beaming forth peace and majesty, joined his hands and, by his own power, began to raise himself from the earth, leaving thereon the impression of his sacred feet. In gentlest motion He was wafted toward the aerial regions, drawing after Him the eyes and the hearts of those first–born children, who amid sighs and tears vented their affection. And as, at the moving of the first Cause of all motion, it is proper that also the nether spheres should be set in motion, so the Savior Jesus drew after Him also the celestial choirs of the angels, the holy Patriarchs and the rest of the glorified saints, some of them with body and soul, others only as to their soul. All of them in heavenly order were raised up together from the earth, accompanying and following their King, their Chief and Head. The new and mysterious sacrament, which the right hand of the Most High wrought on this occasion for his most holy Mother, was that He raised Her up with Him in order to put Her in possession of the glory, which He had assigned to Her as his true Mother and which She had by her merits prepared and earned for Herself. Of this favor the great Queen was capable even before it happened; for her divine Son had offered it to Her during the forty days which He spent in her company after his Resurrection. In order that this sacrament might be kept secret from all other living creatures at that time, and in order that the heavenly Mistress might be present in the gathering of the Apostles and the faithful in their prayerful waiting upon the coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1, 14), the divine power enabled the blessed Mother miraculously to be in two places at once; remaining with the children of the Church for their comfort during their stay in the Cenacle and at the time ascending with the Redeemer of the world to His heavenly throne, where She remained for three days. There She enjoyed the perfect use of all her powers and faculties, whereas She was more restricted in the use of them during that time in the Cenacle.</div>
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Amidst this jubilee and other rejoicings exceeding all our conceptions that new divinely arranged procession approached the empyrean heavens. Between the two choirs of angels and saints, Christ and his most blessed Mother made their entry. All in their order gave supreme honor to Each respectively and to Both together, breaking forth in hymns of praise in honor of the Authors of grace and of life. Then the eternal Father placed upon the throne of his Divinity at His right hand, the incarnate Word, and in such glory and majesty, that He filled with new admiration and reverential fear all the inhabitants of heaven. In clear and intuitive vision they recognized the infinite glory and perfection of the Divinity inseparably and substantially united in one personality to the most holy humanity, beautified and exalted by the pre–eminence and glory due to this union, such as eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor ever has entered into the thoughts of creatures (Is. 54, 4).</div>
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On this occasion the humility and wisdom of our most prudent Queen reached their highest point; for, overwhelmed by such divine and admirable favors, She hovered at the footstool of the royal throne, annihilated in the consciousness of being a mere earthly creature. Prostrate She adored the Father and broke out in new canticles of praise for the glory communicated to his Son and for elevating in Him the deified humanity to such greatness and splendor. Again the angels and saints were filled with admiration and joy to see the most prudent humility of their Queen, whose living example of virtue, as exhibited on that occasion, they emulated among themselves in copying. Then the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying: “My Daughter, ascend higher!” Her divine Son also called Her, saying: “My Mother rise up and take possession of the place, which I owe Thee for having followed and imitated Me. The Holy Ghost said: “My Spouse and Beloved, come to my eternal embraces!” Immediately was proclaimed to all the blessed the decree of the most holy Trinity, by which the most blessed Mother, for having furnished her own life–blood toward the Incarnation and for having nourished, served, imitated and followed Him with all the perfection possible to a creature, was exalted and placed at the right hand of her Son for all eternity. None other of the human creatures should ever hold that place or position, nor rival Her in the unfailing glory connected with it; but it was to be reserved to the Queen and to be her possession by right after her earthly life, as of one who pre–eminently excelled all the rest of the saints.</div>
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<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In fulfillment of this decree, the most blessed Mary was raised to the throne of the holy Trinity at the right hand of her Son. At the same time She, with all the saints, was informed, that She was given possession of this throne not only for all the ages of eternity, but that it was left to her choice to remain there even now and without returning to the earth. For it was the conditional will of the divine Persons, that as far as they were concerned, She should now remain in that state. In order that She might make her own choice, She was shown anew the state of the Church upon earth, the orphaned and necessitous condition of the faithful, whom She was left free to assist. This admirable proceeding of the divine Providence was to afford the Mother of mercy an occasion of going beyond, so to say, even her own Self in doing good and in obliging the human race with an act of love similar to that of her Son in assuming a passible state and in suspending the glory due to his body during and for our Redemption. The most blessed Mother imitated Him also in this respect, so that She might be in all things like the incarnate Word. The great Lady therefore, having clearly before her eyes all the sacrifices included in this proposition, left the throne and, prostrating Herself at the feet of the Three Persons, said: “Eternal and almighty God, my Lord, to accept at once this reward, which thy condescending kindness offers me, would be to secure my rest; but to return to the world and continue to labor in mortal life for the good of the children of Adam and the faithful of thy holy Church, would be to the glory and according to the pleasure of thy Majesty and would benefit my sojourning and banished children on earth. I accept this labor and renounce for the present the peace and joy of thy presence. Well do I know, what I possess and receive, but I will sacrifice it to further the love Thou hast for men. Accept, Lord and Master of all my being, this sacrifice and let thy divine strength govern in the undertaking confided to me. Let faith in Thee be spread, let thy holy name be exalted, let thy holy Church be enlarged, for Thou hast acquired it by the blood of thy Onlybegotten and mine; I offer myself anew</span> <span lang="en-US">to labor for thy glory and for the conquest of the souls, as far as I am able.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Such was the sacrifice made by the most loving Mother and Queen, one greater than ever was conceived by creature, and it was so pleasing to the Lord, that He immediately rewarded it by operating in Her those purifications and enlightenments, which I have at other times mentioned as necessary to the intuitive vision of the Divinity; for so far She had on this occasion seen only by abstractive vision. Thus elevated She partook of the beatific vision and was filled with splendor and celestial gifts, altogether beyond the power of man describe or conceive in mortal life.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In order to finish this chapter, and with it this second part, I return to the congregation of the faithful, whom we left so sorrowful on mount Olivet. The most holy Mary did not forget them in the midst of her glory;</span> <span lang="en-US">as they stood weeping and lost in grief and, as it were, absorbed in looking into the aerial regions, into which their Redeemer and Master had disappeared, She turned her eyes upon them from the cloud on which She had ascended, in order to send them her assistance. Moved by their sorrow, She besought Jesus lovingly to console these little children, whom He had left as orphans upon the earth. Moved by the prayers of his Mother, the Redeemer of the human race sent down two angels in white and resplendent garments, who appeared to all the disciples and the faithful and spoke to them: “Ye men of Galilee, do not look up to heaven in so great astonishment, for this Lord Jesus, who departed from you and has ascended into heaven, shall again return with the same glory and majesty in which you have just seen him” (Acts 1, 11). By such words and others which they added they consoled the Apostles and disciples and all the rest, so that they might not grow faint, but in their retirement hope for the coming and the consolation of the Holy Ghost promised by their divine Master.</span></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962850"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
<br />
The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">My daughter, thou wilt appropriately close this second part of my life by remembering the lesson concerning the most efficacious sweetness of the divine love and the immense liberality of God with those souls, that do not hinder its flowing. It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than grieve them. But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most high such consolations, delights and</span> <span lang="en-US">rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings. The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments. Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and</span> <span lang="en-US">softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet interactions with the highest Good. Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
I counted for little all that I endured, when I saw the reward which the divine Goodness had prepared for me; and therefore He ordained, in his admirable Providence that I should return to the militant Church of my own free will and choice. This I knew would redound to my greater glory and to the exaltation of his holy name, while it would provide assistance to his Church and to his children in an admirable and holy manner (I Tim. 1, 17). It seemed to me a sacred duty, that I deprive myself of the eternal felicity of which I was in possession and, returning from heaven to earth, gain new fruits of labor and love for the Almighty; this I owed to the divine Goodness, which had raised me up from the dust. Learn therefore, my beloved, from my example, and excite thyself to imitate me most eagerly during these times, in which the holy Church so disconsolate and overwhelmed by tribulations and in which there are none of her children to console her. In this cause I desire that thou labor strenuously, ready to suffer in prayer and supplication, and crying from the bottom of thy heart to the Omnipotent. And if it were necessary thou shouldst be willing to give thy life. I assure thee, my daughter, thy solicitude shall be very pleasing in the eyes of my divine Son and in mine.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Let it all be for the glory and honor of the Most high, the King of the ages, the Immortal and Invisible (I Tim. 1, 17), and for that of his Mother, the most blessed Mary, through all the eternities!</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"<br />
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
<br />
<br />
CHAPTER TWO - <span class="text3">GOD COMES TO MEET MAN</span>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="50"></a><b>50</b>
By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his
works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot
possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.<sup>1</sup>
Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given
himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of
loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of
all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ARTICLE 2 - THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="74"></a><b>74</b> God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth":<sup>29</sup> that is, of Christ Jesus.<sup>30</sup> Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">God graciously arranged that the things
he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in
their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all
generations.<sup>31</sup></span></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<b>I. THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="75"></a><b>75</b>
"Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is
summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been
promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own
person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they
were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be
the source of all saving truth and moral discipline."<sup>32</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="76"></a><b>In the apostolic preaching. . .</b>
<br />
<b>76</b> In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
<br />
- <i>orally </i>"by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of
their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they
established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips
of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had
learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";<sup>33</sup>
<br />
- <i>in writing</i> "by those apostles and other men associated with the
apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed
the message of salvation to writing".<sup>34</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="77"></a><b>. . . continued in apostolic succession</b>
<br />
<b>77</b> "In order
that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church
the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own
position of teaching authority."<sup>35</sup> Indeed, "the apostolic
preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books,
was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of
time."<sup>36</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="78"></a><b>78</b>
This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called
Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely
connected to it. Through Tradition, "the Church, in her doctrine, life
and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she
herself is, all that she believes."<sup>37</sup> "The sayings of the
holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this
Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and
life of the Church, in her belief and her prayer."<sup>38</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="79"></a><b>79</b> The Father's self-communication made through
his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church:
"God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of
his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of
the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world -
leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in
them in all its richness."<sup>39</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b>II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="80"></a><b>One common source. . .</b>
<br />
<b>80</b> "Sacred
Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and
communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the
same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one
thing, and move towards the same goal."<sup>40</sup> Each of them makes
present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised
to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".<sup>41</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="81"></a><b>. . . two distinct modes of transmission</b>
<br />
<b>81</b> "<i>Sacred Scripture</i> is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."<sup>42</sup>
<br />
"And [Holy] <i>Tradition </i>transmits in its entirety the Word of God
which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy
Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that,
enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve,
expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."<sup>43</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="82"></a><b>82</b> As a result the Church, to whom the
transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not
derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures
alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with
equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."<sup>44</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="83"></a><b>Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions</b>
<br />
<b>83</b> <span class="text1">The
Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what
they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned
from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet
have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates
the process of living Tradition. </span><br />
<br />
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological,
disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local
churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different
places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In
the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or
even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="84"></a><b>The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church</b>
<br />
<b>84</b> The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the <i>depositum fidei</i>),<sup>45</sup>
contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the
Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united
to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles,
to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in
maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed
on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the
faithful."<sup>46</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="85"></a><b>The Magisterium of the Church</b>
<br />
<b>85</b> "The task of
giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its
written form or in the form of Tradition, has been
entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its
authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."<sup>47</sup>
This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the
bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="86"></a><b>86</b>
"Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its
servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine
command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this
devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All
that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from
this single deposit of faith."<sup>48</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="87"></a><b>87</b> Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",<sup>49</sup> the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="88"></a><b>The dogmas of the faith</b>
<br />
<b>88</b> The Church's
Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest
extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form
obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith,
truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a
definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="89"></a><b>89</b>
There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the
dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it
and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect
and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.<sup>50</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="90"></a><b>90</b>
The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be
found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.<sup>51</sup>
"In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths,
since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian
faith."<sup>52</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="91"></a><b>The supernatural sense of faith</b>
<br />
<b>91</b> All the
faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have
received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them<sup>53</sup> and guides them into all truth.<sup>54</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="92"></a><b>92</b>
"The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief.
This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (<i>sensus fidei</i>)
on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of
the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and
morals."<sup>55</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="93"></a><b>93</b>
"By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit
of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (<i>Magisterium</i>),. . .
receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The
People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with
right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."<sup>56</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="94"></a><b>Growth in understanding the faith</b>
<br />
<b>94</b> Thanks to
the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the
realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the
life of the Church:
<br />
- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";<sup>57</sup> it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".<sup>58</sup>
<br />
- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",<sup>59</sup> the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."<sup>60</sup>
<br />
- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right
of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".<sup>61</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="95"></a><b>95</b> "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely
wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the
Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of
them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own
way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute
effectively to the salvation of souls."<sup>62</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b>IN BRIEF</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="96"></a><b>96</b> What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they
in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="97"></a><b>97</b> "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make
up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a
mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her
riches.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="98"></a><b>98</b> "The Church, in her doctrine, life and
worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she
herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="99"></a><b>99</b> Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith,
the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more
deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="100"></a><b>100</b> The task of interpreting the Word of God
authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the
Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text1">
29 <i>1 Tim</i> 2:4.<br />
30 cf. <i>Jn</i> 14:6.<br />
31 <i>DV</i> 7; cf. <i>2 Cor</i> 1:20; 3:16-4:6.<br />
32 <i>DV</i> 7; cf. <i>Mt</i> 28:19-20; <i>Mk</i> 16:15.<br />
33 <i>DV</i> 7.<br />
34 <i>DV</i> 7.<br />
35 <i>DV</i> 7 § 2; St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 3,3,1:PG 7/1,848; Harvey,2,9.<br />
36 <i>DV</i> 8 § 1.<br />
37 <i>DV</i> 8 § 1.<br />
38 <i>DV</i> 8 § 3.<br />
39 <i>DV</i> 8 § 3; cf. <i>Col</i> 3:16.<br />
40 <i>DV</i> 9.<br />
41 <i>Mt</i> 28:20.<br />
42 <i>DV</i> 9.<br />
43 <i>DV</i> 9.<br />
44 <i>DV</i> 9.<br />
45 <i>DV</i> 10 § 1; cf. <i>1 Tim</i> 6:20; <i>2 Tim</i> 1:12-14 (Vulg.).<br />
46 <i>DV</i> 10 § 1; cf. <i>Acts</i> 2:42 (Greek); Pius XII, apostolic constitution, <i>Munificentissimus Deus</i>, 1 November 1950:AAS 42 (1950), 756, taken along with the words of St. Cyprian, <i>Epist</i>. 66, 8:CSEL 3/2,733: "The Church is the people united to its Priests, the flock adhering to its Shepherd."<br />
47 <i>DV</i> 10 § 2.<br />
48 <i>DV</i> 10 para 2.<br />
49 <i>Lk</i> 10:16; cf. <i>LG</i> 20.<br />
50 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 8:31-32.<br />
51 Cf. Vatican Council I:DS 3016:<i>nexus mysteriorum</i>; <i>LG</i> 25.<br />
52 <i>UR</i> II.<br />
53 Cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 2:20,27.<br />
54 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 16:13.<br />
55 <i>LG</i> 12; cf. St. Augustine, <i>De praed. sanct.</i> 14,27:PL 44,980.<br />
56 <i>LG</i> 12; cf. <i>Jude</i> 3.<br />
57 <i>DV</i> 8 § 2; cf. <i>Lk</i> 2:19,51.<br />
58 <i>GS</i> 62 § 7; cf. <i>GS</i> 44 § 2; <i>DV</i> 23; 24; <i>UR</i> 4.<br />
59 <i>DV</i> 8 § 2.<br />
60 <i>DV</i> 8 § 2.<br />
61 St. Gregory the Great, <i>Hom. in Ez.</i> 1,7,8:PL 76,843D.<br />
62 <i>DV</i> 10 § 3.
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-61746172698868795822018-05-06T13:36:00.000-05:002018-05-06T13:36:18.203-05:00Sunday May 6, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Vocation; Reading 1 - Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4; Reading 2, First John 4:7-10; Gospel, John 15:9-17; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Rose Venerini : Snippet I - Religious Teachers Venerini; Snippet II - Roman Catholic Teaching Orders; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 12 The Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One, Section One, Chapter Two - God Comes to Meet Man , Article One - The Revelation of God; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday May 6, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Vocation;</i><i> </i><i>Reading 1 - <i>Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48</i>; Responsorial Psalm - <i>Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4</i>; </i><i><i>Reading 2, <i>First John 4:7-10;</i></i> Gospel, <i>John 15:9-17</i>; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Rose Venerini <b>: </b>Snippet I - Religious Teachers Venerini; Snippet II - Roman Catholic Teaching Orders; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 12 The Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One, Section One, Chapter Two - God Comes to Meet Man , Article One - The Revelation of God; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Sixth Sunday in Easter </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>May 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children,<br />
All that my Son, who is the light of love, has done and does, He has done out of love. Also you, my children, when you live in love and love your neighbors, you are doing the will of my Son. Apostles of my love, make yourselves little; open your pure hearts to my Son so that He can work through you. With the help of faith, be filled with love. But, my children, do not forget that the Eucharist is the heart of fa<span class="text_exposed_show">ith. This is my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood. This is a miracle of love: my Son who always comes anew, alive, to bring life back to souls. My children, by living in love you are doing the will of my Son and He lives in you. My children, my motherly desire is for you to always love Him more, because He is calling you with His love. He is giving you love so that you may spread it to all those around you. As a mother, through His love, I am with you to speak the words of love and hope to you—to speak to you the eternal words that are victorious over time and death—so as to call you to be my apostles of love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen of Peace</span><b> </b><br />
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<b>April 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show">~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i></i><br />
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February 26, 2018<br />
Jesus<br />
<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Regina Coeli</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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Regina Coeli: To remain in Christ’s love, we must love one another</h2>
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At the Regina Coeli on Sunday, Pope Francis reflected on the words of Jesus: “Abide in My love”</div>
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A challenging program<br />
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“Dwelling in the current of the love of God, taking up a stable residence there, is the condition for ensuring that our love does not lose its ardour or audacity,” the Pope said. Like Jesus, and in Him, we must welcome the Father’s love, without separating ourselves from it through selfishness and sin. “This is a challenging program,” the Pope said, but not an impossible one.<br />
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In order to do so, Pope Francis continued, we must first recognize that the love of Christ is “not a superficial feeling,” but rather, “a fundamental attitude of the heart,” which is shown by observing Jesus’ commandments. “This love,” he said, “must be realized in everyday life,” in our attitudes and actions, or else it will prove illusory. <br />
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How to love one another </h2>
The commandments of Jesus are summed up in the command to “love one another” as Jesus has loved us. The Pope said that “the other” we are called to love is “the one I encounter along the way,” those who challenge us, those who “await our readiness to listen, to take a part of the journey together.” We must be open, he said, to “every one of our brothers and sisters, whoever they might be, and in whatever situation they might find themselves.”<br />
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This love, he continued, must be a part of our everyday lives. We are called to care for the elderly “as a precious treasure”; to provide “every assistance possible to those who are sick,” even when they are approaching the end of their lives; to always welcome the unborn. This, Pope Francis said, is why “life must always be defended and loved, from conception to its natural end.”<br />
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Forming the Heart of Jesus within us<br />
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But we cannot love one another as Christ loved us unless we have His own Heart within us. “The Eucharist, in which we are called to participate each Sunday, is intended to form within us the Heart of Christ,” the Pope said, “so that our whole life might be guided by His generous attitude.”</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 05/6/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - vocation </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold">tem</span>-per-<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span> ns]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">Word Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1400-50;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">late</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">vocacio(u)n</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">vocātiōn-</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">(stem</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">vocātiō</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">call,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">summons,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">vocāt(us</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">past</span> <span class="oneClick-link">participle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">vocāre</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">call</span> <span class="oneClick-link">(see</span> -ate<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span>) + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">-iōn</span></span><br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"> <span class="dbox-pg">noun</span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1.</span> a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number">4.</span> a function or station in life to which one is called by God: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48</i></h2>
<sup>25</sup> and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, fell at his feet and did him reverence.<br />
<sup>26</sup> But Peter helped him up. 'Stand up,' he said, ' after all, I am only a man!'<br />
<sup>34</sup> Then Peter addressed them, 'I now really understand', he said, 'that God has no favourites,<br />
<sup>35</sup> but that anybody of any nationality who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.<br />
<sup>44</sup> While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came down on all the listeners.<br />
<sup>45</sup> Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were all astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be poured out on gentiles too,<br />
<sup>46</sup> since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter himself then said,<br />
<sup>47</sup> 'Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?'<br />
<sup>48</sup> He then gave orders for them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterwards they begged him to stay on for some days.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> [Psalm] Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.<br />
<sup>2</sup> Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,<br />
<sup>3</sup> mindful of his faithful love and his constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the saving power of our God.<br />
<sup>4</sup> Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>First John 4:7-10</i></h2>
<sup>7</sup> My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.<br />
<sup>8</sup> Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love.<br />
<sup>9</sup> This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him.<br />
<sup>10</sup> Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span>John 15: 9-17</h2>
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Jesus’ commandment</h4>
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<b>1. Opening prayer</b><br />
Father, You are the source of life and You always surprise us with Your gifts. Grant us the grace of responding to the call of Your Son Jesus who has called us friends, so that in following Him, our Master and Shepherd, we may learn to observe His commandments, the new and definitive Law that is Himself, the way leading to You and of remaining in You. Through Christ Your Son, our Lord. Amen.<br />
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<b>2. The Gospel: John 15:9-17</b><br />
Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."<br />
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The context of our passage already determines the tone: this is Jesus’ long discourse to His disciples during the Last Supper and after the washing of the feet of the disciples, which, according to John, characterizes Jesus’ ministry of love even to the end (Jn 13:1-15). If we look at these compact chapters, we can see a dynamism which goes from a gesture as such, the washing of the feet, a gesture in keeping with Jesus’ works as signs of His identity and which appeal to the faith of those looking on and listening, to the long discourse addressed to His disciples. It is an indication of the required attitude and the reality to look for, even including the prayer of Jesus to the Father (Jn 17), a prayer that goes beyond the circle of His disciples for the benefit of all those who believe in Him in all times. There is an ascending movement of the narrative that coincides with the raising of Jesus on the cross, an upward movement perceived by John as the glorification of Jesus and one that ultimately describes Easter as the passing of the Word from humanity back to the Father.<br />
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In Jesus’ discourse, expressions follow one another closely, which is neither oppressive in its rhythm nor tiring. Each expression is complete, simple, incisive, and places the Jesus of John in a continuity of favorite themes and terms.<br />
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Just before this passage, Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine (Jn 15:1). It is an image describing two relationships: the Father, who is the vine dresser, and the disciples, who are the branches. This image is revealing. Besides being an exhortation to the disciples, it is a given fact: the Father looks after His precious plants, and looks after the relationship established between Jesus and His disciples, so that the disciples now live in a communion that defines them. The exhortation is expressed in the very image itself, and is made explicit and centered in the word “remain.” The disciples are called to remain in Jesus just like the branches remain in the vine so as to have life and bear fruit. The theme of bearing fruit is also that of asking and receiving, which recurs in our passage, putting before us an example of John’s special style of hinting and echoing. The tone of verse 9 changes because there is no longer an image but a direct reference to a relationship: “I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me”. Jesus places Himself in a descending order that goes from God to humanity. The verb “to love” has already occurred in chapter 14 in connection with the observance of the commandments. In our passage it occurs again in a new synthesis where the “commandments” give way to “the commandment” of Jesus: “My command to you is to love one another” (Jn 15:17). This reciprocal relationship is repeated immediately after in an incisive command: “remain in my love.” Jesus goes from the verb “to love”, to the substantive “love”, to show that the action flowing from the Father through the Son to humanity has created a new order of things, a possibility which was unthinkable until then. In verse 10, the observance of Jesus’ commandments is for the disciples, a way of responding to His love in an analogical and real continuity of the way the Son, who has observed the commandments of the Father, has done. This perspective is quite different from that of the legalism that had monopolized the terms “law” and “commandments.” Everything is referred to Jesus in a truer perspective: a response of love to the love received. The proclamation of the possibility of remaining in the presence of God. The words in verse 11 become a further way out of the legalistic mentality: the aim is joy, a joy of relationship, the joy of Christ in His disciples, and their joy present in its fullness.<br />
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In verse 12, as we have already said, the discourse becomes more urgent. Jesus says that His commandments are a single one: “that you love one another as I have loved you.” Notice how the line of relationships remains the same, always as a response: the disciples will love one another in the way that Jesus has loved them. What follows, however, re-establishes in absolute terms the primacy of Jesus’ gift: “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (v. 13). This is an action that lifts the terms of involvement to its highest point, the gift of life. Here we have a conspicuous digression in the new name given to the disciples, namely that of “friends” as opposed to that of “servants”. The difference lies in the fact that the servant does not know what his master is planning. The servant is called to do and that is all. Jesus’ discourse follows a thread: it is because He has loved His disciples and is about to give His life for them that He has revealed to them His Father’s plan. He did this by means of His signs and works. He will do this in the greatest of His works, His death on the cross. Again Jesus shows His close relationship with the Father: “I have made known to you everything I have learned from my Father” (v. 15). Yet at the center of this affirmation to His disciples as friends Jesus expresses an order of things: “You are My friends if you do what I command you” (v. 14).<br />
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The final verses of our passage recall the image of the vine with the added statements above: It is Jesus who has chosen His disciples, not the other way around. The initiative is His. However, the image of the vine planted in the soil is presented differently. The disciples are called so that they may go, and it is in this going that they will bear fruit; then the fruit is meant to remain (the same word used as in remaining in Jesus’ love).<br />
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The identity of the disciples is based on the choice made by Jesus and points to a journey to be undertaken, a fruit to be borne. The picture is complete: the call in the past, the present listening, and the future bearing of fruit. Yet there is still someone who must be considered, there is still an attitude to acquire. “To bear fruit” may lead the disciples towards unilateral action. However, the words “so that” connect the bearing of fruit to what follows: to ask and to receive, to experience need and to receive the gift abundantly and freely given (“anything you ask”). That someone whom Jesus reveals is the Father, source of love and of the mission of the Son, the Father to whom we may turn to in the name of the Son to that extent we have remained in His love. The conclusion is given in a solemn and concise form: “My command to you is to love one another.”<br />
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<b>4. Meditation:</b><br />
Jesus’ words just before his glorification tell the Church the meaning of following Him and His demands. They are strong words, mirroring the glory of Him who will freely give His life for the salvation of the world (cf. Jn 10:17-18). They are also precise words: simple, essential, close, connected and typical of a farewell discourse where repetition becomes a pressing and gentle appeal. To be a disciple of Christ is first of all a gift: it is He who has chosen His own. It is He who has revealed to them His mission, and in doing so, has revealed the “background” of the plan of salvation: the will of the Father, the love between Father and Son, which is now communicated to humanity. The disciples now know. This knowledge will demand options so as not to remain in an empty and sterile pretense (cf. 1 Jn 4:8.20). “Remain” in the love of Jesus and observe His “commandments” is above all a revelation, the gift of a supreme possibility that frees people from a servile state even with respect to God and places them in a new, full and reciprocal relationship with Him, typical of friendship. “To remain in His love” is what the Synoptics would call the “kingdom of God,” a new stage in history, at first wounded and now freed.<br />
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In the Hebrew culture, the observance of the commandments was connected with pedantic teaching that often went into the smallest details. This had its value because it witnessed to an effort by pious Jews to remain faithful to God. Their image of God and relationship to Him also reflected their needs and abilities at the time as they interacted with neighboring cultures. However, they ran the risk, common to all human endeavors, of losing sight of God’s initiative and emphasizing the human response. In John’s Gospel, Jesus restores and renews the meaning of the “law” and the “commandments” with the concept of “love” and the invitation to “remain.” When Jesus proclaims and shows the love of the Father in the act of giving His life for the salvation of the world, He renews and personalizes this observance. It is love that reveals its quality, not in the abstract, but in the concrete and visible face of Christ who loves “to the end” and lives in person the greatest love. Several times Jesus describes His relationship with the Father. The fact that here He places himself under the sign of obedience to the Father gives new meaning to obedience. It is not the obedience of a servant but of a Son. The work to be accomplished, that is, “the commandments of My Father,” is not something separate from the person of Jesus, but that which He knows and desires wholeheartedly. The Word that was with the Father is always with Him to accomplish the things that please the Father in a communion that is life-giving. This is precisely what Jesus asks of His disciples: to keep in mind that “as the Father has loved… as I have loved you” must not remain on the level of an example, but on the level of action. The love of the Father is the source of the love expressed by the Son, and the love of the Son is the source of the love that the disciples will give to the world.<br />
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Knowledge and practice are thus closely connected in the “spiritual Gospel,” as John’s Gospel has been called by the Fathers of the Church. When faith is authentic, it will not put up with a dichotomy concerning life.<br />
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In this passage, the disciples appear as the object of the caring cure of their Master. He will not forget them, not even in the imminent trial to come, when He prays for them to the Father and “for those who through their teaching will come to believe in Me” (Jn 17:20). At the end of their listening, their welcoming, and their commitment, there is joy, which is the same as that of their Master. He has chosen them using criteria that only God knows, a choice that recalls the choice of Israel, the smallest of all nations. It is Jesus who has formed, taught and strengthened them. All this acquires a new and more intense meaning in the light of Easter and Pentecost. It is like a paradox, and this is what they are called to: to be steadfast and remain and yet to go. Steadfastness and dynamism whose source is the mystery of God, whereby the Word was with the Father and yet built His tent in our midst (cf. Jn 1:2.14).<br />
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Formed in steadfastness and going to bear lasting fruit is what defines the task of the disciples after the Pasch of the Lord, but in our passage this is connected with the invitation to ask the Father in Jesus’ name. It is, then, from the Father, in Christ and with the power of the Consoler that will come the grace to love, and in loving, to bear witness.<br />
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<b>5. Prayer:</b><br />
There are some points in this passage that may help us renew our style of prayer:<br />
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- Prayer that is truly “Trinitarian,” not just theoretically or in its expression, but also as an inherent dynamic of the prayer itself.<br />
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- The need for prayer and life to be one. Prayer is the mirror, the expression and the measure of our life of faith.<br />
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- The joy that must accompany our attitude of prayer.<br />
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- Appreciating all that is human (awareness of relationships, love of prayer, experience of joy, perception of union with God) and being aware that all is gift.<br />
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Psalm 119:129-136:<br />
Wonderful are Your instructions,<br />
so I observe them.<br />
As Your word unfolds it gives light,<br />
and even the simple understand.<br />
I open wide my mouth,<br />
panting eagerly for Your commandments.<br />
Turn to me, pity me;<br />
those who love Your name deserve it.<br />
Keep my steps firm in your promise<br />
that no evil may triumph over me.<br />
Rescue me from human oppression,<br />
and I will observe Your precepts.<br />
Let Your face shine on Your servant,<br />
teach me Your will.<br />
My eyes stream with tears<br />
because Your Law is disregarded.<br />
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<br />
<b>6. Contemplation:</b><br />
The Word of God calls us to confirm in our heart and in our actions the newness of being disciples of the Son. The four aspects: relationship with God, reading reality, commitment, and attention to the life of the Church are like seeds of contemplation, attitudes and possible choices.<br />
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Relationship with God: growing in an awareness of being in relationship with the Trinity. “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Sg 2:16). We are thought of, wanted, gifted, saved between the Father and the Son in the Spirit; presenting our actions in response to the love of God who first called us.<br />
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Reading reality: recognizing personal reactions to people and institutions, such as the trivializing of the concept of “love” in a materialist interpretation as well as in spiritual escapism. On the other hand, to be aware of the expectations of free and freeing relationships as experiences of an authentic gift often not recognized.<br />
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Commitment to reality: to give one’s life (in all its forms) as a concrete expression and appreciation of love; the importance of new communications of experiences of wisdom in following the fruits of the witness given to the Gospel in the world that God wishes to save.<br />
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The life of the Church as a life of relationship in relationship: to see the Church not only as an image of the Trinity, but “within” the Trinity; to regain the feeling of freedom and joy in the community of believers.<br />
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<b>7. Closing prayer:</b><br />
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for the loving care with which You have taught and still teach Your disciples. We praise You, Lord, conqueror of sin and of death, because You have gambled all that was Yours, even Your infinite relationship with the Father in the Spirit. You have presented this relationship to us who risk not understanding it, trivializing it, forgetting it. You spoke of it to us so that we may understand how great a love has given us life. Grant, Lord, that we may remain in You as the branches remain united to the vine that nourishes them and allows them to bear fruit. Turn your gaze of faith and hope on us that we may learn to go from words and desires to concrete actions in imitation of You who have loved us to the end when You gave Your life to us so that we may have life in You. You who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.<br />
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<b>Reference: </b><i> </i></h2>
<i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<b>Saint of the Day: </b><b>Saint Rose Venerini</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>May 07</b></div>
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<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> pioneer in the education of women, foundress of religious teachers</i></div>
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<b>Attributes</b>: n.a<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkIRHWHNfYLZiiLfZy1pz6KP9BOjCTD4zfNoOn6O3lGY96JqyR0bNg9pj1G_onBafNcl5Aw1rMNfqcy2SJKGnCLhM33Xu0AlH2x-CchC7NhtYAQhM2kA84Qjb9A4lmHj7adnbXj-4pxy4/s1600/20061015venerini.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkIRHWHNfYLZiiLfZy1pz6KP9BOjCTD4zfNoOn6O3lGY96JqyR0bNg9pj1G_onBafNcl5Aw1rMNfqcy2SJKGnCLhM33Xu0AlH2x-CchC7NhtYAQhM2kA84Qjb9A4lmHj7adnbXj-4pxy4/s320/20061015venerini.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Rose Venerini, M.P.V.</td></tr>
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Saint <b>Rose Venerini, M.P.V.</b>, (February 9, 1656 – May 7, 1728) was a pioneer in the education of women and girls in 17th-century Italy and the foundress of the Religious Teachers Venerini (Italian: <span lang="it"><i>Maestre Pie Venerini</i></span>), a Roman Catholic religious institute of women, often simply called the Venerini Sisters. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican_1-0">[1]</sup><br />
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Venerini was born in Viterbo, Italy, in 1656, then a part of the Papal States. Her father, Goffredo, originally from Castelleone di Suasa, Ancona, after having completed his medical studies at Rome, moved to Viterbo where he practiced at the major hospital of the city. He became noted for his work. From his marriage to Marzia Zampichetti, of an ancient family of the city, four children were born: Domenico, Maria Maddalena, Rosa and Orazio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican_1-1">[1]</sup><br />
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According to her first biographer, Father Girolamo Andreucci, S.J., Venerini made a vow to consecrate her life to God at the age of seven. At age twenty, though, Rosa had questions about her own future and chose to accept an offer of marriage; her fiancé, however, died shortly after this.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup><br />
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In the autumn of that year, on the advice of her father, Venerini entered the Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine, with the prospect of fulfilling her childhood vow. With her aunt, Sister Anna Cecilia (who was already a member of the monastery) beside her, she learned to listen to God in silence and in meditation. She remained in the monastery for only a few months, however, because the sudden death of her father forced her to return to care for her mother. Her brother, Domenico, then died, at only 27 years of age. A few months later, worn out by grief, her mother also died.<br />
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In the meantime, Rose's sister Maria Maddalena married. There remained at home only Orazio and Rosa, by now 24 years old. Rosa began to gather girls and women of the area in her own home to recite the rosary. The way in which the girls and women prayed, and above all, their conversations at these gatherings, showed Rosa a sad reality: the average woman of the town was a slave to cultural, moral and spiritual poverty.<br />
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After Venerini's first contacts with the Dominican friars at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Oak Tree, near Viterbo, she chose to follow the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola under the direction of the Jesuits, especially Father Ignatius Martinelli, who became her spiritual director. Under his guidance, she then saw a higher mission for herself, namely, the urgent need to dedicate herself to the instruction and Christian formation of young women, not with sporadic encounters, but with formal education.<br />
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On August 30, 1685, with the approval of the Bishop of Viterbo, Cardinal Urbano Sacchetti, and the collaboration of two friends, Gerolama Coluzzelli and Porzia Bacci, Rosa left her father’s home to begin her first school, according to an innovative plan that had matured in prayer and her search for the will of God. The first objective of this foundress was to give poor girls a complete Christian formation and to prepare them for life in society. Without great pretense, Rose opened the first public school for girls in Italy. The origins were humble but the significance was prophetic: the human development and spiritual uplifting of women was a reality that did not take long to receive the recognition of the religious and civil authorities.<br />
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The initial stages were not easy. The three teachers had to face the resistance of clergy who considered the teaching of the catechism as their private office. But the harshest suspicion came from conformists who were scandalized by the boldness of this woman of the upper middle class of Viterbo, who had taken to heart the education of ignorant girls. Rose faced everything for the love of God and with her characteristic strength, continuing on the path that she had undertaken, by now sure that she was truly following the plan of God. The fruits proved her to be right. The same pastors recognized the moral improvement that the work of education generated among the girls and their mothers.<br />
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The validity of this initiative was acknowledged and its fame went beyond the confines of the diocese. Cardinal Marco Antonio Barbarigo, Bishop of Montefiascone, had the insight to understand the Viterbo project and he invited Venerini to come to his diocese. From 1692 to 1694, she opened ten schools in Montefiascone and the villages surrounding Lake Bolsena. The cardinal provided the material means and Rosa made the families aware of the value of education for their daughters, trained the teachers, and organized the schools<br />
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When she had to return to Viterbo to attend to her first school, Venerini entrusted the Montefiascone schools and the teachers to the direction of a young woman, St. Lucia Filippini, in whom she had seen particular gifts of mind, heart and spirit and whom the cardinal had entrusted with the leadership of the project in his diocese. Filippini organized the teachers of that diocese as a separate religious congregation known as the Religious Teachers Filippini.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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After the openings in Viterbo and Montefiascone, other schools were started throughout the region of Lazio. Venerini was invited to Rome in 1706 to establish a school, but the attempt was a failure, which caused her to wait six long years before regaining the trust of the authorities. On December 8, 1713, with the help of Abbot Degli Atti, a friend of the Venerini family, Rosa was able to open a school in the center of Rome, at the foot of the Campidoglio.<br />
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On October 24, 1716, the Sisters received a visit by Pope Clement XI, accompanied by eight cardinals, who wanted to observe the lessons. At the end of the morning he addressed these words to Rose: “Signora Rosa, you are doing that which we cannot do. We thank you very much, because with these schools you will sanctify Rome ”.<br />
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From that moment on, governors and cardinals asked for schools for their areas. The duties of the foundress became intense, consisting of travels and hard work, interwoven with joys and sacrifices for the formation of new communities. Wherever a new school sprang up, in a short time a moral improvement could be noted in the youth.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Death_and_legacy">Death and legacy</span> </h2>
Rose Venerini died a saintly death in the community at the Basilica of San Marco in Rome on the evening of May 7, 1728. By then, she had opened more than 40 schools. Her remains were entombed in the nearby Jesuit Church of the Gesù, so loved by her. In 1952, on the occasion of her beatification, they were transferred to the chapel of the General Motherhouse in Rome.<br />
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The Sisters went to the United States in 1909, primarily to help the Italian immigrants to that country, establishing the first day care centers in many cities of the Northeastern United States. They served in Switzerland from 1971 to 1985 and the congregation has since extended its apostolic activity to other lands: India, Brazil, Cameroon, Romania, Albania, Chile, Venezuela and Nigeria.<br />
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Venerini was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2006.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-vatican-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican News Service</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Patron Saints Index "Rose Venerini"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Filippini Sisters "History"</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> </span></span><b>Religious Teachers Venerini</b></h2>
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Saint Rose Venerini, the institute's founder</div>
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The <b>Religious Teachers Venerini</b> (abbreviated as M.P.V., Italian: <span lang="it"><i>Maestre Pie Venerini</i></span>), are a religious institute in the Catholic Church founded in Italy by Saint Rose Venerini in 1685. They were the pioneers of free public education for girls in Italy. They are commonly called the Venerini Sisters.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup><br />
<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"> </sup>The foundress of the institute, Rose Venerini, was born in Viterbo, Italy, in 1656, the daughter of a leading physician of the city. She felt a strong desire to serve God from her childhood. She entered briefly a Dominican monastery, but had to leave to care for her mother, after the unexpected death of her father.<br />
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Once home, Venerini searched for how she could still fulfill her commitment to God. She invited women and girls of the town to gather in her home to pray the rosary together. Conversations with them showed her the depth of their ignorance of both their Catholic faith and of general knowledge. Under the guidance of a Jesuit spiritual director, she gradually came to see answering the crying need for education as her calling, rather than the cloistered life.<br />
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On August 30, 1685, with the approval of the Bishop of Viterbo, Cardinal Urbano Sacchetti, and the collaboration of two friends, Gerolama Coluzzelli and Porzia Bacci, Venerini left her father’s home to begin her first school. The primary objective of the school was to give poor girls a complete Christian formation and to prepare them for life in society. Without great pretense, Rose opened the first public school for girls in Italy. The origins were humble but the impact was deep, and it did not take long to receive the recognition of the religious and civil authorities.<br />
<br />
The initial steps were not easy. The three teachers had to face the resistance of clergy who considered the teaching of the catechism as their exclusive prerogative. But the harshest suspicion came from those who were scandalized by the boldness of this woman of the upper middle class of Viterbo, who had taken to heart the education of ignorant girls. Rose faced everything for the love of God and with her characteristic strength, continuing on the path that she had undertaken, by now sure that she was truly following the plan of God. The results proved her to be right. The same pastors later recognized the moral improvement which education had generated among the girls and their mothers.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Expansion">Expansion</span></h3>
After her initial successes, in 1692 Venerini was invited by the Bishop of Montefiascone, Cardinal Marco Antonio Barbarigo, to establish schools in that diocese under her vision. After two years, the schools there were entrusted to St. Lucy Filippini, who soon established an independent religious institute of teachers, who came to be known as the Religious Teachers Filippini.<br />
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Venerini then returned to Viterbo to supervise the original school. From there, other schools were started throughout the region of Lazio. The Sisters were invited to duplicate their work in Rome in 1706, but the first experience there was a major failure, one which marked her deeply and caused her to wait six long years before regaining the trust of the authorities. On December 8, 1713, with the help of an abbot who was a good friend of the Venerini family, Venerini was able to open one of her schools in the center of Rome at the foot of the Campidoglio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup><br />
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On October 24, 1716, they received a visit from Pope Clement XI, accompanied by eight Cardinals, who wanted to observe their lessons. Amazed and pleased, at the end of the morning he addressed these words to the foundress: “Signora Rosa, you are doing that which we cannot do. We thank you very much because with these schools you will sanctify Rome”. From that time on, governors and cardinals sought for the Sisters to establish schools in their areas.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worldwide_service">Worldwide service</span></h3>
In 1909, the Sisters expanded their work to the United States, their first foreign site, going at the invitation of a pastor in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to help with the influx of Italian immigrants. They arrived there on November 28, 1909, and opened the first day care program in the state. From there, they were invited to serve in other other parishes in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and in the Diocese of Albany in New York.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
The Sisters served in Switzerland from 1971 to 1985. They have also opened schools in India, Brazil, Cameroon, Romania, Albania, Chile, Venezuela and, most recently, Nigeria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Vocation_of_the_Venerini_Sisters">The Vocation of the Venerini Sisters</span></h2>
<blockquote>
"The Venerini Sisters believe that as women of prayer, we are called to share the Gospel message of love, peace, and justice through the charism of Saint Rose Venerini. This ideal is shared by community members and by persons who, through the Associate Membership, are deeply concerned with the values and goals of Christian living. Inspired by the charism of Saint Rose Venerini, an associate lives the Gospel message through service to the People of God. United in Spirit and prayer with the Sisters, an associate aims to deepen a personal relationship with God. Sharing the vision of the Venerini Sisters, an associate broadens the mission of the vowed members. This association is for interested persons, 18 years of age and older, who wish to give expression to their relationship with the religious community of the Venerini Sisters. The primary bond is one of mutual support through prayer and shared ministries. The Associates make yearly promises and live in their own homes."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Venerini Academy "About us"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican News Service "Rosa Venerini"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Venerini Sisters "A Centennial of Service"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican News Service</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">venerinisisters.com. Associates"</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Roman Catholic Teaching Orders</span></b></span></span></span></span></h2>
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A <b>teaching order</b> is a Catholic religious institute whose particular charism is education. Many orders and societies sponsor educational programs and institutions, and teaching orders participate in other charitable and spiritual activities; a teaching order is distinguished in that education is a <i>primary</i> mission.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Description">Description</span></h2>
Teaching orders may operate their own institutions, from primary school through the university level, provide staff to diocesan or other Catholic schools, or otherwise contribute to educational ministries.<br />
Such teaching orders include the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Apostolic Carmel Sisters (Congregation of the Apostolic Carmel)</li>
<li>Basilian Fathers (Congregation of St. Basil)</li>
<li>Brigidine Sisters</li>
<li>Brotherhood of Hope - evangelization at secular universities</li>
<li>Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes - education of youth</li>
<li>Carmelites of Mary Immaculate - seminaries and training of priests; education of youth</li>
<li>Christian Brothers (Irish) (Congregation of Christian Brothers) - education of the materially poor</li>
<li>Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux</li>
<li>Dominicans (Order of Preachers)</li>
<li>Gabrielite Brothers (Brothers of Christian Instruction of St Gabriel) - education of youth</li>
<li>Grey Ursulines (Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus)</li>
<li>Society of the Holy Child Jesus - education of youth in a nurturing environment</li>
<li>Congregation of Holy Cross - education of youth, especially in matters of faith</li>
<li>Holy Ghost Fathers, or Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit)</li>
<li>Lasallian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools) - education of the poor</li>
<li>Religious Teachers Filippini (Pontifical Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini) - education of youth and of adults, especially women</li>
<li>Jesuits (Society of Jesus)</li>
<li>Josephites, or Brown Joeys (Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart) - education of the poor and in rural areas</li>
<li>Loreto Sisters (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary)</li>
<li>Loretto Community (Sisters of Loretto</li>
<li>Marianites of Holy Cross - evangelization through education</li>
<li>Marist Brothers (Little Brothers of Mary) - education of youth, especially the "most neglected"</li>
<li>Piarists (Order of Poor Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools) - education of youth</li>
<li>Presentation Brothers (Congregation of Presentation Brothers) - <cite class="citation web">"Presentation Brothers: Teaching". Archived from the original on November 5, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-11-13</span></span>.</cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Presentation+Brothers%3A+Teaching&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.presentationbrothers.com%2Fourwork%2Fteaching.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATeaching+order"></span></li>
<li>Presentation Sisters (Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - education in parochial schools</li>
<li>Sacred Heart Brothers - education of youth</li>
<li>Salesians of Don Bosco - education and evangelization of youtt</li>
<li>School Sisters of Notre Dame</li>
<li>Sisters of Charity of New York - education in a "caring environment"</li>
<li>Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth</li>
<li>Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill</li>
<li>Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary</li>
<li>Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary</li>
<li>Sisters of Holy Cross - education of the underserved</li>
<li>Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur</li>
<li>Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary</li>
<li>Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres</li>
<li>Sulpicians (Society of Saint-Sulpice) - education of clergy</li>
<li>Viatorians (Clerics of Saint Viator)</li>
<li>Xaverian Brothers (Congregation of St. Francis Xavier) - education of youth</li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="260" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Maria_Droste_zu_Vischering.jpg" width="200" /> <br />
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s1600/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s320/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
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Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
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<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
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<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
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<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
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</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 12</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST</span></h2>
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A few days before the Ascension of the Lord while the blessed Mary was engaged in the one of the above–mentioned exercises, the eternal Father and the Holy Ghost appeared in the Cenacle upon a throne of ineffable splendor surrounded by the choirs of angels and saints there present and other heavenly spirits, which had now come with the divine Persons. Then the incarnate Word ascended the throne and seated Himself with the other Two. The ever humble Mother of the Most High, prostrate in a corner of a room, in deepest reverence adored the most blessed Trinity, and in it her own incarnate Son. The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will. She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence. Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne, humbling herself anew. The eternal Father said to Her: “Beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 14, 10). As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons. New admiration was caused in the saints to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity. Being made to understand the sanctity and equity of the works of the Most High, they gave new glory and praise proclaiming Him immense, Just, Holy and Admirable in all his counsels.<br />
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<span lang="en-US">The Father then spoke to the blessed Mary saying: “My Daughter, to Thee do I entrust the Church founded by my Onlybegotten, the new law of grace He established in the world, and the people, which He redeemed: to Thee do I consign them all.” Thereupon also the Holy Ghost spoke to Her: “My Spouse, chosen from all creatures, I communicate to Thee my wisdom and grace together with which shall be deposited in thy heart the mysteries, the works and teachings and all that the incarnate Word has accomplished in the world.” And the Son also said: “My most beloved Mother, I go to my Father and in my stead I shall leave Thee and I charge Thee with the care of my Church; to Thee do I commend its children and my brethren, as the Father has consigned them to Me.” Then the three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, said: “This is the Queen of all created things in heaven and earth; She is the Protectress of the Church, the Mistress of creatures, the Mother of piety, the Intercessor of the faithful, the Advocate of sinners, the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 24, 24); She is mighty in drawing our will to mercy and clemency. In Her shall be deposited the treasures of our grace and her most faithful heart shall the tablet whereon shall be written and engraved our holy law. In her are contained the mysteries of our Omnipotence for the salvation of mankind. She is the perfect work of our hands, through whom the plenitude of our desires shall be communicated and satisfied without hindrance in the currents of our divine perfections. Whoever shall call upon Her from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life. What She asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.”</span> <span lang="en-US">The most blessed Mary, hearing Herself thus exalted, humiliated Herself so much the deeper the more highly She was raised by the right hand of the Most High above all the human and angelic creatures. As if She were the least of all, She adored the Lord and offered Herself, in the most prudent terms and in the most ardent love, to work as a faithful servant in the Church and obey promptly all the biddings of the divine will. From that day on She took upon Herself anew the care of the evangelical Church, as a loving Mother of all children; She renewed all the petitions She had until then made, so that during the whole further course of her life they were most fervent and incessant, as we shall see in the third part, where will appear more clearly what the Church owes to this great Queen and Lady, and what blessings She gained and merited for it.</span></div>
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On that same day, by divine dispensation, while the Lord was at table with the eleven Apostles, other disciples and pious women gathered at the Cenacle to the number of one hundred and twenty; for the divine Master wished them to be present at his Ascension. Moreover, just as He had instructed the Apostles, so He now wanted to instruct these faithful respectively in what each was to know before his leaving them and ascending into heaven. All of them being thus gathered and united in peace and charity within those walls in the hall of the last Supper, the Author of life manifested Himself to them as a kind and loving Father and said to them:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men. I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things. Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; he who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me. All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, so shall also your successors. She shall answer doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now, although you do not understand how.” This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on. The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew: “I am with you to the consummation of the world” (Matth. 28, 20). The Lord added and said: “You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest. Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross.” The Lord then looked upon his most beloved Mother, who was there present and intimated his desire of expressly commanding that whole congregation to worship and reverence Her in a manner suited to the dignity of Mother of God, and of leaving this command under form of a precept for the whole Church. But the most humble Lady besought her Onlybegotten to be pleased not to secure Her more honor than was absolutely necessary for executing all that He had charged Her with; and that the new children of the Church should not be induced to show Her greater honor than they had shown until then. On contrary, She desired to divert all the sacred worship of the Church immediately upon the Lord himself and to make the propagation of the Gospel redound entirely to the exaltation of his holy name. Christ our Savior yielded to this most prudent petition of his Mother, reserving to Himself the duty of spreading the knowledge of Her at a more convenient and opportune time yet in secret He conferred upon Her new extraordinary favors, as shall appear in the rest of this history.</span></div>
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In considering the loving exhortations of their Divine Master, the mysteries which He had revealed them, and the prospect of his leaving them, that whole congregation was moved to their inmost hearts; for He had enkindled in them the divine love by the vivid faith of his Divinity and humanity. Reviving within them the memory of his words and his teachings of eternal life, the delights of his most loving companionship, and sorrowfully realizing, that they were now all at once to be deprived of these blessings, they wept most tenderly and sighed from their inmost souls. They longed to detain Him, although they could not, because they saw it was not befitting; words of parting rose to their lips, but they could not bring themselves to utter them; each one felt sentiments of sorrow arising amid feelings both of joy and yet also of pious regret. How shall we live without such a Master? they thought. Who can ever speak to us such words of life and consolation as He? Who will receive us so lovingly and kindly? Who shall be our Father and protector? We shall be helpless children and orphans in this world. Some of them broke their silence and exclaimed: “O most loving Lord and Father! O joy and life of our souls! Now that we know Thee as our Redeemer, Thou departest and leavest us! Take us along with Thee, O Lord; banish us not from thy sight. Our blessed Hope, what shall we do without thy presence? Whither shall we turn, if thou goest away? Whither shall we direct our steps, if cannot follow Thee, our Father, our Chief, and our Teacher?” To these and other pleadings the Lord answered by bidding them not to leave Jerusalem and to persevere in prayer until He should send the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, as promised by the Father and as already foretold to the Apostles at the last Supper. Thereupon happened, what I shall relate in the next chapter.</div>
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The most auspicious hour, in which the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, after descending from heaven in order to assume human flesh, was to ascend by his own power and in a most wonderful manner to the right hand of God, the Inheritor of his eternities, one and equal with Him in nature and infinite glory. He was to ascend, also, because He had previously descended to the lowest regions of the earth, as the Apostle says (Ephes. 4, 9), having fulfilled all that had been written and prophesied concerning his coming into the world, his Life, Death and the Redemption of man, and having penetrated, as the Lord of all, to the very centre of the earth. By this Ascension he sealed all the mysteries and hastened the fulfillment of his promise, according to which He was, with the Father, to send the Paraclete upon his Church after He himself should have ascended into heaven (John 16, 7). In order to celebrate this festive and mysterious day, Christ our Lord selected as witnesses the hundred and twenty persons, to whom, as related in the foregoing chapter, He had spoken in the Cenacle. They were the most holy Mary, the eleven Apostles, the seventy–two disciples, Mary Magdalen, Lazarus their brother, the other Marys and the faithful men and women making up the above–mentioned number of one hundred and twenty.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">With this little flock our divine Shepherd Jesus left the Cenacle, and, with his most blessed Mother at his side, He conducted them all through the streets of Jerusalem. The Apostles and all the rest in order, proceeded in the direction of Bethany, which was less than half a league over the brow of mount Olivet. The company of angels and saints from limbo and purgatory followed the Victor with new songs of praise, although Mary alone was privileged to see them. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was already divulged throughout Jerusalem and Palestine. Although the perfidious and malicious princes and priests had spread about the false testimony of his being stolen by disciples, yet many would not accept their testimony nor give it any credit. It was divinely provided, that none of the inhabitants of the city, and none of the unbelievers or doubters, should pay any attention to</span> <span lang="en-US">this holy procession, or hinder it on its way from the Cenacle. All, except the one hundred and twenty just, who were chosen by the Lord to witness his Ascension into heaven, were justly punished by being prevented from noticing this wonderful mystery, and the Chieftain and Head of this procession remained invisible to them.</span></div>
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The Lord having thus secured them this privacy, they all ascended mount Olivet to its highest point. There they formed three choirs, one of the angels, another of the saints, and a third of the Apostles and faithful, which again divided into two bands, while Christ the Savior presided. Then the most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son worshipping Him with admirable humility, She adored Him as the true God and as the Redeemer of the world, asking his last blessing. All the faithful there present imitated Her and did the same. Weeping and sighing, they asked the Lord, whether He was now to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1, 6). The Lord answered, that this was a secret of the eternal Father and not to be made known to them; but, for the present, it was necessary and befitting, that they receive the Holy Ghost and preach, in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in all the world, the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.</div>
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Jesus, having taken leave of this holy and fortunate gathering of the faithful, his countenance beaming forth peace and majesty, joined his hands and, by his own power, began to raise himself from the earth, leaving thereon the impression of his sacred feet. In gentlest motion He was wafted toward the aerial regions, drawing after Him the eyes and the hearts of those first–born children, who amid sighs and tears vented their affection. And as, at the moving of the first Cause of all motion, it is proper that also the nether spheres should be set in motion, so the Savior Jesus drew after Him also the celestial choirs of the angels, the holy Patriarchs and the rest of the glorified saints, some of them with body and soul, others only as to their soul. All of them in heavenly order were raised up together from the earth, accompanying and following their King, their Chief and Head. The new and mysterious sacrament, which the right hand of the Most High wrought on this occasion for his most holy Mother, was that He raised Her up with Him in order to put Her in possession of the glory, which He had assigned to Her as his true Mother and which She had by her merits prepared and earned for Herself. Of this favor the great Queen was capable even before it happened; for her divine Son had offered it to Her during the forty days which He spent in her company after his Resurrection. In order that this sacrament might be kept secret from all other living creatures at that time, and in order that the heavenly Mistress might be present in the gathering of the Apostles and the faithful in their prayerful waiting upon the coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1, 14), the divine power enabled the blessed Mother miraculously to be in two places at once; remaining with the children of the Church for their comfort during their stay in the Cenacle and at the time ascending with the Redeemer of the world to His heavenly throne, where She remained for three days. There She enjoyed the perfect use of all her powers and faculties, whereas She was more restricted in the use of them during that time in the Cenacle.</div>
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Amidst this jubilee and other rejoicings exceeding all our conceptions that new divinely arranged procession approached the empyrean heavens. Between the two choirs of angels and saints, Christ and his most blessed Mother made their entry. All in their order gave supreme honor to Each respectively and to Both together, breaking forth in hymns of praise in honor of the Authors of grace and of life. Then the eternal Father placed upon the throne of his Divinity at His right hand, the incarnate Word, and in such glory and majesty, that He filled with new admiration and reverential fear all the inhabitants of heaven. In clear and intuitive vision they recognized the infinite glory and perfection of the Divinity inseparably and substantially united in one personality to the most holy humanity, beautified and exalted by the pre–eminence and glory due to this union, such as eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor ever has entered into the thoughts of creatures (Is. 54, 4).</div>
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On this occasion the humility and wisdom of our most prudent Queen reached their highest point; for, overwhelmed by such divine and admirable favors, She hovered at the footstool of the royal throne, annihilated in the consciousness of being a mere earthly creature. Prostrate She adored the Father and broke out in new canticles of praise for the glory communicated to his Son and for elevating in Him the deified humanity to such greatness and splendor. Again the angels and saints were filled with admiration and joy to see the most prudent humility of their Queen, whose living example of virtue, as exhibited on that occasion, they emulated among themselves in copying. Then the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying: “My Daughter, ascend higher!” Her divine Son also called Her, saying: “My Mother rise up and take possession of the place, which I owe Thee for having followed and imitated Me. The Holy Ghost said: “My Spouse and Beloved, come to my eternal embraces!” Immediately was proclaimed to all the blessed the decree of the most holy Trinity, by which the most blessed Mother, for having furnished her own life–blood toward the Incarnation and for having nourished, served, imitated and followed Him with all the perfection possible to a creature, was exalted and placed at the right hand of her Son for all eternity. None other of the human creatures should ever hold that place or position, nor rival Her in the unfailing glory connected with it; but it was to be reserved to the Queen and to be her possession by right after her earthly life, as of one who pre–eminently excelled all the rest of the saints.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In fulfillment of this decree, the most blessed Mary was raised to the throne of the holy Trinity at the right hand of her Son. At the same time She, with all the saints, was informed, that She was given possession of this throne not only for all the ages of eternity, but that it was left to her choice to remain there even now and without returning to the earth. For it was the conditional will of the divine Persons, that as far as they were concerned, She should now remain in that state. In order that She might make her own choice, She was shown anew the state of the Church upon earth, the orphaned and necessitous condition of the faithful, whom She was left free to assist. This admirable proceeding of the divine Providence was to afford the Mother of mercy an occasion of going beyond, so to say, even her own Self in doing good and in obliging the human race with an act of love similar to that of her Son in assuming a passible state and in suspending the glory due to his body during and for our Redemption. The most blessed Mother imitated Him also in this respect, so that She might be in all things like the incarnate Word. The great Lady therefore, having clearly before her eyes all the sacrifices included in this proposition, left the throne and, prostrating Herself at the feet of the Three Persons, said: “Eternal and almighty God, my Lord, to accept at once this reward, which thy condescending kindness offers me, would be to secure my rest; but to return to the world and continue to labor in mortal life for the good of the children of Adam and the faithful of thy holy Church, would be to the glory and according to the pleasure of thy Majesty and would benefit my sojourning and banished children on earth. I accept this labor and renounce for the present the peace and joy of thy presence. Well do I know, what I possess and receive, but I will sacrifice it to further the love Thou hast for men. Accept, Lord and Master of all my being, this sacrifice and let thy divine strength govern in the undertaking confided to me. Let faith in Thee be spread, let thy holy name be exalted, let thy holy Church be enlarged, for Thou hast acquired it by the blood of thy Onlybegotten and mine; I offer myself anew</span> <span lang="en-US">to labor for thy glory and for the conquest of the souls, as far as I am able.”</span></div>
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Such was the sacrifice made by the most loving Mother and Queen, one greater than ever was conceived by creature, and it was so pleasing to the Lord, that He immediately rewarded it by operating in Her those purifications and enlightenments, which I have at other times mentioned as necessary to the intuitive vision of the Divinity; for so far She had on this occasion seen only by abstractive vision. Thus elevated She partook of the beatific vision and was filled with splendor and celestial gifts, altogether beyond the power of man describe or conceive in mortal life.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In order to finish this chapter, and with it this second part, I return to the congregation of the faithful, whom we left so sorrowful on mount Olivet. The most holy Mary did not forget them in the midst of her glory;</span> <span lang="en-US">as they stood weeping and lost in grief and, as it were, absorbed in looking into the aerial regions, into which their Redeemer and Master had disappeared, She turned her eyes upon them from the cloud on which She had ascended, in order to send them her assistance. Moved by their sorrow, She besought Jesus lovingly to console these little children, whom He had left as orphans upon the earth. Moved by the prayers of his Mother, the Redeemer of the human race sent down two angels in white and resplendent garments, who appeared to all the disciples and the faithful and spoke to them: “Ye men of Galilee, do not look up to heaven in so great astonishment, for this Lord Jesus, who departed from you and has ascended into heaven, shall again return with the same glory and majesty in which you have just seen him” (Acts 1, 11). By such words and others which they added they consoled the Apostles and disciples and all the rest, so that they might not grow faint, but in their retirement hope for the coming and the consolation of the Holy Ghost promised by their divine Master.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962850"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, thou wilt appropriately close this second part of my life by remembering the lesson concerning the most efficacious sweetness of the divine love and the immense liberality of God with those souls, that do not hinder its flowing. It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than grieve them. But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most high such consolations, delights and</span> <span lang="en-US">rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings. The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments. Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and</span> <span lang="en-US">softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet interactions with the highest Good. Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.</span></div>
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I counted for little all that I endured, when I saw the reward which the divine Goodness had prepared for me; and therefore He ordained, in his admirable Providence that I should return to the militant Church of my own free will and choice. This I knew would redound to my greater glory and to the exaltation of his holy name, while it would provide assistance to his Church and to his children in an admirable and holy manner (I Tim. 1, 17). It seemed to me a sacred duty, that I deprive myself of the eternal felicity of which I was in possession and, returning from heaven to earth, gain new fruits of labor and love for the Almighty; this I owed to the divine Goodness, which had raised me up from the dust. Learn therefore, my beloved, from my example, and excite thyself to imitate me most eagerly during these times, in which the holy Church so disconsolate and overwhelmed by tribulations and in which there are none of her children to console her. In this cause I desire that thou labor strenuously, ready to suffer in prayer and supplication, and crying from the bottom of thy heart to the Omnipotent. And if it were necessary thou shouldst be willing to give thy life. I assure thee, my daughter, thy solicitude shall be very pleasing in the eyes of my divine Son and in mine.</div>
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Let it all be for the glory and honor of the Most high, the King of the ages, the Immortal and Invisible (I Tim. 1, 17), and for that of his Mother, the most blessed Mary, through all the eternities!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<b>"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"</b></h4>
26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
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CHAPTER TWO<span class="text3"></span><br />
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<span class="text"><span class="text3"> GOD COMES TO MEET MAN</span> </span></h4>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="50"></a><b>50</b> By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.<sup>1</sup> Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.<br />
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<span class="text"> <b>ARTICLE 1</b></span></h3>
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<b>THE REVELATION OF GOD</b></h4>
<span class="text"> <b>I. GOD REVEALS HIS "PLAN OF LOVING GOODNESS"</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="51"></a><b>51</b> "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."<sup>2</sup><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="52"></a><b>52</b> God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.<sup>3</sup> By revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="53"></a><b>53</b> The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other"<sup>4</sup> and shed light on each another. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">St. Irenaeus of Lyons repeatedly speaks of this divine pedagogy using the image of God and man becoming accustomed to one another: The Word of God dwelt in man and became the Son of man in order to accustom man to perceive God and to accustom God to dwell in man, according to the Father's pleasure.<sup>5</sup></span></span><br />
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<span class="text"> <b>II. THE STAGES OF REVELATION</b> </span></h4>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="54"></a><b>In the beginning God makes himself known</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b>54</b> "God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation - he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning."<sup>6</sup> He invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace and justice.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="55"></a><b>55</b> This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing."<sup>7</sup> <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not abandon him to the power of death. . . Again and again you offered a covenant to man.<sup>8</sup></span><br />
</dd><dd></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="56"></a><b>The Covenant with Noah</b> <br />
<b>56</b> After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations".<sup>9</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="57"></a><b>57</b> This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity<sup>10</sup> united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel.<sup>11</sup> But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of paganism.<sup>12</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="58"></a><b>58</b> The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel.<sup>13</sup> The Bible venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchisedek - a figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job".<sup>14</sup> Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that can be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad".<sup>15</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="59"></a><b>God chooses Abraham</b> <br />
<b>59</b> In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred and his father's house,<sup>16</sup> and makes him Abraham, that is, "the father of a multitude of nations". "In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."<sup>17</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="60"></a><b>60</b> The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.<sup>18</sup> They would be the root on to which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe.<sup>19</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="61"></a><b>61</b> The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="62"></a><b>God forms his people Israel</b> <br />
<b>62</b> After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior.<sup>20</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="63"></a><b>63</b> Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear the word of God",<sup>21</sup> the people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="64"></a><b>64</b> Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.<sup>22</sup> The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.<sup>23</sup> Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.<sup>24</sup><br />
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<span class="text"> <b>III. CHRIST JESUS -- "MEDIATOR AND FULLNESS OF ALL REVELATION"</b><sup>25</sup> </span></h4>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="65"></a><b>God has said everything in his Word</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b>65</b> "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."<sup>26</sup> Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on <i>Hebrews </i>1:1-2: <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.</span><sup>27</sup></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="66"></a><b>There will be no further Revelation</b> <br />
<b>66</b> "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."<sup>28</sup> Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="67"></a><b>67</b> <span class="text1">Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the <i>sensus fidelium</i> knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. </span><br />
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Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations".<br />
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<b>IN BRIEF</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="68"></a><b>68</b> By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="69"></a><b>69</b> God has revealed himself to man by gradually communicating his own mystery in deeds and in words.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="70"></a><b>70</b> Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and, after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. <i>Gen </i>3:15) and offered them his covenant.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="71"></a><b>71</b> God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with all living beings (cf. <i>Gen </i>9:16). It will remain in force as long as the world lasts.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="72"></a><b>72</b> God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and revealed his law to them through Moses. Through the prophets, he prepared them to accept the salvation destined for all humanity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="73"></a><b>73</b> God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant for ever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.<br />
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<span class="text1"> 1 Cf. <i>Dei Filius</i>:DS 3015.<br />
2 <i>DV</i> 2; cf. <i>Eph</i> 1:9; 2:18; 2 Pt 1:4.<br />
3 <i>1 Tim</i> 6:16, cf. <i>Eph</i> 1:4-5.<br />
4 <i>DV</i> 2.<br />
5 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 3,20,2:PG 7/1,944; cf. 3,17,1; 4,12,4; 4,21,3.<br />
6 <i>DV</i> 3; cf. <i>Jn</i> 1:3; <i>Rom</i> 1:19-20.<br />
7 <i>DV</i> 3; cf. <i>Gen</i> 3:15; <i>Rom</i> 2:6-7.<br />
8 <i>Roman Missal</i>, Eucharistic Prayer IV, 118.<br />
9 <i>Gen</i> 10:5; cf. 9:9-10, 16; 10:20-31.<br />
10 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 17:26-27.<br />
11 Cf. <i>Wis</i> 10:5; <i>Gen</i> 11:4-6.<br />
12 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 1:18-25.<br />
13 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 9:16; <i>Lk</i> 21:24; <i>DV</i> 3.<br />
14 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 14:18; <i>Heb</i> 7:3; <i>Ezek</i> 14:14.<br />
15 <i>Jn</i> 11:52.<br />
16 <i>Gen</i> 12:1.<br />
17 <i>Gen</i> 17:5; 12:3 (LXX); cf. <i>Gal</i> 3:8.<br />
18 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 11:28; <i>Jn</i> 11:52; 10:16.<br />
19 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 11:17-18,24.<br />
20 Cf. <i>DV</i> 3.<br />
21 <i>Deut</i> 28: 10; <i>Roman Missal</i>, Good Friday, General Intercession VI; see also <i>Ex</i> 19:6.<br />
22 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 2:2-4; <i>Jer</i> 31:31-34; <i>Heb</i> 10:16.<br />
23 Cf. <i>Ezek</i> 36; <i>Isa</i> 49:5-6; 53:11.<br />
24 Cf. <i>Ezek</i> 2:3; <i>Lk</i> 1:38.<br />
25 <i>DV</i> 2.<br />
26 <i>Heb</i> 1:1-2.<br />
27 St. John of the Cross, <i>The Ascent of Mount Carmel</i> 2,22,3-5 in <i>The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross</i>, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC:Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979),179-180:<i>LH</i>, OR Advent, week 2, Mon.<br />
28 <i>DV</i> 4; cf. <i>1 Tim</i> 6:14; <i>Titus</i> 2:13. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-16981768701084604112018-04-29T10:36:00.000-05:002018-04-29T11:02:20.424-05:00Sunday April 29, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: Devotion; Reading 1 - Acts 9:26-31; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms; 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32; Reading 2 - First John 3:18-24; Gospel - John 15:1-8; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena: Snippet I - Humility; Snippet II -Pride; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 11 and 12 The Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One, Section One, Chapter One - Mans Capacity For God ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday April 29, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Devotion;</i><i> </i><i>Reading 1 - Acts 9:26-31; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms; 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32; Reading 2 - First John 3:18-24;<br />
Gospel - John 15:1-8; Pope Francis Regina Coeli; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena<b>: </b>Snippet I - Humility; Snippet II -Pride; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 11 and 12 The Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Part One, Section One, Chapter One - Mans Capacity For God ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 5th Sunday in Easter </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>April 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show">~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realised through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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March 10, 2018</div>
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Jesus</div>
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<br />
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February 26, 2018<br />
Jesus<br />
<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognise love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Books of the Month</h2>
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<a href="http://www.directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/English_Volume-1.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="Direction For Our Times -Volume One - Thoughts On Spirituality" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnWx1knzjm69gl6uXNsVNiLPdjq3flfEWHzf7O6oVy9VuQllBkZEUHAJ5AocT6-e7FzHFnMJPgYaWsU1YMGLLuVe72e64EeUwQtSsyTor7Bx_tpZHfY1MlL5IbiJXz1vIYYs48Li61m2K/s1600/Vol1_FrntCvr-218x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<a href="http://directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HS-Away-Church-Body.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="http://directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HS-Away-Church-Body.pdf" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuajCz6Dqcu1pJONHqxi4T960M8E5SZamptOrdy86AqETaEJ3Bs1apUuKcz_HPlfe9Tc4tUTbHWdm5nsO8pC8vpykT1zV0qKo5S0LB4F6KfkRA-xBFOldfqqrWG634XCrcS-xBmCFnduR/s1600/AwayfrmChurch_frntCvr-204x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HS-Away-Church-Body.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13;"> Direction For Our Times - Free Library PDF</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church </span></div>
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<h2>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
<i><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> </div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s1600/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaL4tx4nd-Eeoj8PjPmDBmU6xVjI6uCyc5BHpoK2cwS0esZ2eHSzzDfeX5jmKgUeTaxSDvqt7Xt-dk70RMXZHXFonLOfV7gaZLDpqIpUmQuDrsP4X-IiA8YNV4HCTYaXpNqflSxNZkKbr3/s320/482127_512279958836026_1700772862_n.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Regina Coeli</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
<i>Cari fratelli e sorelle, buongiorno!</i><br />
<br />
La Parola di Dio, anche in questa quinta Domenica di Pasqua, continua a indicarci la strada e le condizioni per essere <i>comunità del Signore Risorto</i>.
Domenica scorsa era messo in risalto il rapporto tra il credente e Gesù
Buon Pastore. Oggi il Vangelo ci propone il momento in cui Gesù si
presenta come la <i>vera vite</i> e ci invita a <i>rimanere uniti a Lui</i> per portare molto frutto (cfr <i>Gv</i>
15,1-8). La vite è una pianta che forma un tutt’uno con i tralci; e i
tralci sono fecondi unicamente in quanto uniti alla vite. Questa
relazione è il segreto della vita cristiana e l’evangelista Giovanni la
esprime col verbo “rimanere”, che nel brano odierno è ripetuto sette
volte. “Rimanere in me”, dice il Signore; rimanere nel Signore.<br />
<br />
Si tratta di <i>rimanere</i> con il Signore per trovare il coraggio di <i>uscire</i>
da noi stessi, dalle nostre comodità, dai nostri spazi ristretti e
protetti, per inoltrarci nel mare aperto delle necessità degli altri e
dare ampio respiro alla nostra testimonianza cristiana nel mondo. Questo
coraggio di uscire da sé e inoltrarci nelle necessità degli altri nasce
dalla fede nel Signore Risorto e dalla certezza che il suo Spirito
accompagna la nostra storia. Uno dei frutti più maturi che scaturisce
dalla comunione con Cristo è, infatti, l’impegno di carità verso il
prossimo, amando i fratelli con abnegazione di sé, fino alle ultime
conseguenze, come Gesù ci ha amato. Il dinamismo della carità del
credente non è frutto di strategie, non nasce da sollecitazioni esterne,
da istanze sociali o ideologiche, ma nasce dall’incontro con Gesù e dal
rimanere in Gesù. Egli per noi è la vite dalla quale assorbiamo la
linfa, cioè la “vita” per portare nella società un modo diverso di
vivere e di spendersi, che mette al primo posto gli ultimi.<br />
<br />
Quando si è intimi con il Signore, come sono intimi e uniti tra loro
la vite e i tralci, si è capaci di portare frutti di vita nuova, di
misericordia, di giustizia e di pace, derivanti dalla Risurrezione del
Signore. È quanto hanno fatto i Santi, coloro che hanno vissuto in
pienezza la vita cristiana e la testimonianza della carità, perché sono
stati veri tralci della vite del Signore. Ma per essere santi «non è
necessario essere vescovi, sacerdoti o religiosi. […] Tutti noi, tutti,
siamo chiamati ad essere santi vivendo con amore e offrendo ciascuno la
propria testimonianza nelle occupazioni di ogni giorno, lì dove si
trova» (Esort. ap. <i>Gaudete et exsultate</i>, 14).
Tutti noi siamo chiamati ad essere santi; dobbiamo essere santi con
questa ricchezza che noi riceviamo dal Signore risorto. Ogni attività –
il lavoro e il riposo, la vita familiare e sociale, l’esercizio delle
responsabilità politiche, culturali ed economiche – ogni attività, sia
piccola sia grande, se vissuta in unione con Gesù e con atteggiamento di
amore e di servizio, è occasione per vivere in pienezza il Battesimo e
la santità evangelica.<br />
<br />
Ci sia di aiuto Maria, Regina dei Santi e modello di perfetta comunione con il suo Figlio divino. Ci insegni Lei a <i>rimanere in Gesù</i>,
come tralci alla vite, e a non separarci mai dal suo amore. Nulla,
infatti, possiamo senza di Lui, perché la nostra vita è Cristo vivo,
presente nella Chiesa e nel mondo.<br />
<br />
<hr color="#C0C0C0" size="1" width="75%" />
<br />
<b>Dopo il Regina Coeli:</b><br />
Cari fratelli e sorelle,<br />
Ieri, a Cracovia, è stata proclamata Beata Anna Chrzanowska, fedele
laica, che dedicò la sua vita a curare gli ammalati nei quali vedeva il
volto di Gesù sofferente. Rendiamo grazie a Dio per la testimonianza di
questa apostola degli infermi e sforziamoci di imitarne l’esempio.<br />
<br />
Accompagno con la preghiera l’esito positivo del Summit Inter-coreano
di venerdì scorso e il coraggioso impegno assunto dai Leader delle due
Parti a realizzare un percorso di dialogo sincero per una Penisola
Coreana libera dalle armi nucleari. Prego il Signore perché le speranze
di un futuro di pace e più fraterna amicizia non siano deluse, e perché
la collaborazione possa proseguire portando frutti di bene per l’amato
popolo coreano e per il mondo intero.<br />
<br />
Nella scorsa settimana la comunità cristiana della Nigeria è stata
nuovamente colpita con l’uccisione di un gruppo di fedeli, fra i quali
due sacerdoti: affidiamo al Dio della misericordia questi fratelli
affinché aiuti quelle comunità così provate a ritrovare la concordia e
la pace.<br />
<br />
Saluto con affetto i pellegrini oggi presenti, davvero tanti per
nominare ogni gruppo! Ma almeno saluto quelli provenienti da Braga
(Portogallo), dall’India e dal Pakistan; i fedeli di Pavia, Crema e
Vignale; i numerosi ragazzi che hanno ricevuto o riceveranno la Cresima;
e gli adolescenti di Cuneo, Remedello, Arcore, Valle Olona, Modica e
[...].<br />
<br />
Un pensiero particolare per le Confraternite di Assisi, accompagnate
dal Vescovo; per i giovani animatori dei Padri Giuseppini del Murialdo; e
per i partecipanti al <i>Convegno nazionale del catecumenato</i>, promosso dalla Conferenza Episcopale Italiana.<br />
<br />
Cari fratelli e sorelle, dopodomani, 1° maggio, nel pomeriggio inizierò il Mese Mariano con un pellegrinaggio al Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore.
Reciteremo il Rosario, pregando in particolare per la pace in Siria e
nel mondo intero. Invito ad unirsi spiritualmente e a prolungare per
tutto il mese di maggio la preghiera del Rosario per la pace.<br />
<br />
A tutti auguro una buona domenica. E per favore, non dimenticate di pregare per me. Buon pranzo e arrivederci!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Reference:</b></h3>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 04/29/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - devotion </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">dee-voh-shun]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman"> </span></h4>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">Word Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman">1150-1200;</span> <span class="dbox-roman">Middle English</span> <span class="dbox-italic">devocioun</span> (< <span class="dbox-roman">Anglo-French</span>) < <span class="dbox-roman">Late Latin</span> <span class="dbox-italic">dēvōtiōn-</span> (stem of <span class="dbox-italic">dēvōtiō</span>), equivalent to <span class="dbox-roman">Latin</span> <span class="dbox-italic">dēvōt(us</span>) (see devote) + <span class="dbox-italic">-iōn-</span><br />
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<div class="def-content">
<span class="oneClick-link"> noun</span></div>
<div class="def-content">
<span class="oneClick-link">1. profound</span> <span class="oneClick-link">dedication;</span> <span class="oneClick-link">consecration.</span> </div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">2.</span></span><span class="oneClick-link"> earnest</span> <span class="oneClick-link">attachment</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link">cause,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">person,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">etc.</span> <span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">3.</span></span><span class="oneClick-link"> an</span> <span class="oneClick-link">assignment</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">appropriation</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">any</span> <span class="oneClick-link">purpose,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">cause,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">etc.:</span> <span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span><span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">the</span> <span class="oneClick-link">devotion</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">one's</span> <span class="oneClick-link">wealth</span> <span class="oneClick-link">and</span> <span class="oneClick-link">time</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">scientific</span> <span class="oneClick-link">advancement.</span></span><span class="def-number"></span><br />
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">4.</span> </span>
<span class="oneClick-link">Often,</span> <span class="dbox-bold"><span class="oneClick-link">devotions</span></span>. <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">Ecclesiastical. </span></span><br />
<span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">religious observance or worship; a form of prayer or worship for special use. </span></span></div>
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<span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link"> </span></span><span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link"></span> </span><br />
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<h4>
Catholic Encyclopedia Definition:</h4>
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<div class="def-set">
Devotion, in the language of ascetical writers, denotes a certain ardour of affection in the things of God,
and even without any qualifying prefix it generally implies that this
ardour is of a sensible character. On the other hand, by the term
"devotions" in the plural, or "popular devotions", we commonly
understand those external practices of piety
by which the devotion of the faithful finds life and expression. The
efficacy of these practices in eliciting feelings of devotion is derived
from four principal sources, either <br />
<ol>
<li> by the strong appeal which they make to man's emotional instincts, or </li>
<li> by the simplicity of form which puts them within the reach of all, or </li>
<li> by the stimulus of association with many others in the same good work, or </li>
<li> by their derivation from the example of pious persons who are venerated for their holiness. </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Acts 9:26-31</i></h2>
26 When he got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple.<br />
27 Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord had appeared to him and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached fearlessly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.<br />
28 Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord.<br />
29 But after he had spoken to the Hellenists and argued with them, they became determined to kill him.<br />
30 When the brothers got to know of this, they took him to Caesarea and sent him off from there to Tarsus.<br />
31 The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up and living in the fear of the Lord; encouraged by the Holy Spirit, they continued to grow.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32</h2>
26 The poor will eat and be filled, those who seek Yahweh will praise him, 'May your heart live for ever.'<br />
27 The whole wide world will remember and return to Yahweh, all the families of nations bow down before him.<br />
28 For to Yahweh, ruler of the nations, belongs kingly power!<br />
29 All who prosper on earth will bow before him, all who go down to the dust will do reverence before him. And those who are dead,<br />
30 their descendants will serve him, will proclaim his name to generations<br />
31 still to come; and these will tell of his saving justice to a people yet unborn: he has fulfilled it.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>First John 3:18-24</h2>
18 Children, our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine.<br />
19 This will be the proof that we belong to the truth, and it will convince us in his presence,<br />
20 even if our own feelings condemn us, that God is greater than our feelings and knows all things.<br />
21 My dear friends, if our own feelings do not condemn us, we can be fearless before God,<br />
22 and whatever we ask we shall receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is acceptable to him.<br />
23 His commandment is this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we should love one another as he commanded us.<br />
24 Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God, and God in him. And this is the proof that he remains in us: the Spirit that he has given us.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span>John 15: 1-8</h2>
The image of the true vine, that is, Jesus<br />
The pressing invitation to remain in Him<br />
in order to bear the fruit of love<br />
<br />
<b>1. Opening prayer</b><br />
Lord, You are! And this is sufficient for us, to live by, to go on hoping every day, to walk in this world, not to choose the wrong road of being closed and lonely. Yes, You are forever and from all time; you are constant, O Jesus! Your being is our constant gift; it is an ever ripe fruit that feeds and strengthens us in You, in Your presence. Lord, open our heart, open our being to your being; open us to life with the mysterious power of your Word. Help us to listen, to eat and savour this food for our souls, which is indispensable for us! Send us the good fruit of your Spirit so that He may bring about in us that which we read and meditate about you.<br />
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<br />
<b>2. Reading</b><br />
a) To place the passage in its context:<br />
These few verses are part of the great discourse of Jesus to his disciples during that intimate moment of the last supper and they begin with verse 31, chapter 13, and proceeding up to the end of chapter 17. This passage has a very tight, deep and inseparable unity, unequalled in the Gospels and sums up the whole of Jesus' revelation in his divine life and in the mystery of the Trinity. It is the text that says that which no other text in the Scriptures is capable of saying concerning Christian life, its power, its tasks, its joys and pains, its hopes and its struggle in this world in the Church. Just a few verses, but full of love, that love to the very end that Jesus chose to live for his disciples, for us, even to this day and forever. In the strength of this love, the supreme and definitive gesture of infinite tenderness, which includes all other gestures of love, the Lord bequeaths to his disciples a new presence. A new way of being. By means of the parable of the vine and its branches and the proclamation of the wonderful verb remain, repeated several times, Jesus initiates his new story with each one of us called indwelling. He is no longer with us, because he is going back to the Father, yet he remains within us.<br />
<br />
b) To assist us in the reading of the passage:<br />
vv. 1-3: Jesus reveals himself as the true vine, which brings forth good fruit, excellent wine for his Father, who is the vinedresser and who reveals to us, his disciples, the braches, that we must remain united to the vine so as not to die and so as to bear fruit. The pruning, which the Father accomplishes on the branches by means of the Word, is a purification, a joy, a chant.<br />
<br />
vv. 4-6: Jesus passes on to his disciples the secret of being able to continue to live in an intimate relationship with him; that is by remaining. As He lives in them and remains in them and is no longer external to them or with them, so also they must remain in Him, inside Him. This is the only way to be completely consoled, to be able to hold on to this life and bear good fruit, that is, love.<br />
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v. 7: Once more, Jesus bequeaths the gift of prayer in the heart of his disciples, that most precious and unique pearl, and he tells us that by remaining in Him, we can learn true prayer, the prayer that seeks insistently the gift of the Holy Spirit and knows that it will be granted.<br />
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v. 8: Once more, Jesus calls us to Himself, asks us to follow him, to be always his disciples. The remaining brings forth mission, the gift of life for the Father and for the neighbour; if we really remain in Jesus, then we shall also really remain in the midst of our brothers and sisters, as gift and as service. This is the glory of the Father.<br />
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<br />
c) The text:<br />
1-3: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word that I have spoken to you.<br />
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4-6: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.<br />
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7: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.<br />
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8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.<br />
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<br />
<b>3. A moment of silent prayer:</b><br />
<br />
As a branch, I now remain united to the vine, my Lord, and I abandon myself to Him, I allow myself to be overtaken by the sap of his silent and deep voice, which is like living water. Thus I remain in silence and stay close.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4. A few questions:</b><br />
<br />
to help me remain, to discover the beauty of the vine, Jesus; to lead me to the Father, to allow Him to take over and labour in me, certain of His good labour as loving vinedresser; and to urge me to enter into the life blood of the Spirit to meet him as the only necessary thing that I must seek untiringly.<br />
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a) "I am": it is beautiful that the passage begins with these words, which are like a song of joy, of the victory of the Lord, that He loves to sing all the time in the life of each one of us. "I am": He repeats this infinitely, every morning, every evening, at night, while we sleep, even though we are not aware of this. In fact, He really is at our disposal; He is turned towards the Father, towards us, for us. I meditate these words and not only listen to them but allow them to penetrate me, my mind, my innermost memory, my heart, all my feelings and I ruminate on and absorb his Being into my being. In this Word, I now understand that I am not, unless I am in Him and that I cannot become anything unless I remain in Jesus' being. I try to enter into the depths of my being, overcoming fear, crossing the darkness that I find there and I gather those parts of my being, of myself, that are most lifeless. I take them delicately and bring them to Jesus and I hand them over to his "I am".<br />
<br />
b) The vine recalls to mind wine, that precious and good fruit, and also recalls to mind the covenant that nothing and no one will ever be able to break. Am I willing to remain in that embrace, in that continuous yes of my life thus woven into his? Together with the Psalmist, shall I too raise the chalice of the covenant, calling on the name of the Lord and saying to him, yes, I too love you?<br />
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c) Jesus calls his Father the vinedresser, a very beautiful term that carries all the force of the love dedicated to working the land. It expresses a bending over the earth, a drawing close of body and being, a prolonged contact, a vital exchange. This is precisely the Father's attitude towards us! However, St. Paul says: "The farmer who has done the hard work should have the first share of the harvest" (2 Tim 2: 6) and St. James reminds us "See how patient a farmer is as he waits for his land to produce precious crops" (Jas 5: 7). Will I, the land, disappoint the patience of the Father who cultivates me every day, turns me over, gets rid of the stones, nourishes me with good fertiliser and builds a hedge all round me to protect me? To whom do I give the fruits of my existence, of my heart, of my mind, of my soul? For whom do I exist, for whom do I decide and choose to live every day, every morning, when I wake up?<br />
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d) I follow the text carefully and underline two verbs, which occur frequently: "to bear fruit" and "to remain". I understand that these two realities are a symbol of life itself and are woven together, each depending on the other. Only by remaining is it possible to bear fruit and, really, the only true fruit that we as disciples can bear in this world is precisely to remain. Where do I remain every day, all day? With whom do I remain? Jesus always makes the connection of this verb with that wonderful and enormous particle: "in me". Do I console myself with these two words "in me", that is am I inside, do I live in the depth, do I dig in search of the Lord as one digs for a well (cfr. Gn 26: 18) or for treasure (Pr 2: 4), or else am I outside, always lost among the ways of this world, as far as possible from intimacy, from a relationship from contact with the Lord?<br />
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e) Twice Jesus reminds us of the reality of his Word and reveals to us that it is his Word that makes us pure and it is his Word that leads us to true prayer. The Word is proclaimed and given as a permanent presence within us. It also has the ability to remain, to make its dwelling place in our heart. However, I must ask myself, what ears do I have to listen to this proclamation of salvation and goodness, which the Lord addresses to me through his Words? Do I allow room to listen in depth to that which the Scripture speaks to me all the time, in the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms and the apostolic Writings? Do I allow the Word of the Lord to find me and overtake me in prayer, or do I prefer to trust in other words, lighter, more human and more like my words? Am I afraid of the voice of the Lord who speaks to me urgently and all the time?<br />
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<b>5. A key to the reading:</b><br />
<br />
As a branch, I seek to be ever more one with my Vine, that is, the Lord Jesus. Here and now, I drink of his Word the good sap, seeking to penetrate ever deeper so as to absorb the hidden nourishment that transmits to me real life. I pay attention to the words, the verbs, the expressions Jesus uses and which recall other passages of divine Scripture and, thus, I let myself be purified.<br />
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The meeting with Jesus, the "I am":<br />
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This passage is one of the texts where this strong expression appears, an expression that the Lord addresses to us in order to reveal himself. It is wonderful to walk through the Scriptures in search of other texts similar to this one, where the Lord speaks of himself to us directly, of his deepest essence. When the Lord says and repeats infinitely in a thousand ways, with a thousand nuances "I am". He does not do so in order to annihilate or humiliate us, but only to stress forcefully his overflowing love for us, which desires to make us partake of and live that same life that belongs to Him. When He says "I am", He is also saying "You are" to each one of us, to each son and daughter who is born into this world. It is a fruitful and uninterrupted transmission of being, of essence and I do not wish to let this be in vain. I wish to welcome it and welcome it inside me. So, I follow the luminous trace of the "I am" and I try to stop at each step. "I am your shield" (Gen 15: 1), "I am the God of Abraham your father" (Gen 24: 26), "I am the Lord who led you and still leads you out of the land of Egypt" (cfr. Es 6: 6) and from the hands of every Pharaoh who will threaten your life, "I am He who heals you" (Es 15: 26). I allow myself to be enlightened by the force of these words, which fulfil the miracle they speak of; they fulfil this miracle to this day, and for me, in this lectio. Then I go on reading in the book of Leviticus where at least 50 times this affirmation of salvation is found: "I am the Lord", and I believe these words and hold on to them with my whole being, my whole heart and say: "Yes, indeed the Lord is my Lord, He and no other!" I note that the Scriptures probe ever deeper. As the journey continues, gradually, the Scriptures penetrate me and lead me to an ever more intense relationship with the Lord. In fact, the book of Numbers says: "I am the Lord and I live among the people of Israel" (Num 35: 34). "I am" is in the present, He who does not draw apart, does not turn his back to leave; it is He who cares for us from close by, from the inside, as only He can do; I read Isaiah and I receive life: 41: 10; 43: 3; 45: 6 etc.<br />
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The holy Gospel is an explosion of being, of presence, of salvation; I run through it letting John lead me: 6: 48; 8: 12; 10: 9. 11; 11: 15; 14: 6; 18: 37. Jesus is the bread, the light, the gate, the shepherd, the resurrection, the way, the truth, the life, the king; and all for me, for us, and so I want to welcome him, know him and love him, and I want to learn, through these words, to say to him: "Lord you are!" It is this "You" that gives meaning to my I that makes of my life a relationship, a communion. I know for certain that only here can I find full joy and live forever.<br />
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The vineyard, the true vine and its good fruit:<br />
<br />
God's vineyard is Israel, a beloved vineyard, a chosen vineyard, a vineyard planted on a fertile hill, in a place where the earth has been cleared afresh, hoed, freed of stones, a protected vineyard, worked, loved, large and one that God himself has planted (cfr. Is 5: 1ff; Ger 2: 21). So loved is this vineyard that the beloved has never ceased to sing the canticle of love for her; strong notes yet sweet at the same time, notes that bear true life, that go across the ancient covenant and come to the new covenant in even clearer notes. At first it was the Father who sang, now it is Jesus, but in both it is the Spirit who is heard, as the Song of Songs says: "The voice of the dove is still heard… and the vineyards spread fragrance" (Sgs 2: 12ff). It is the Lord Jesus who draws us, who takes us from the old to the new, from love to love, towards an ever stronger communion, even to identification: "I am the vine, but you too are in me". Hence it is clear: the vineyard is Israel, is Jesus, is us. Always the same, always new, always chosen and beloved, loved, cared for, protected, visited: visited by rain and visited by the Word, sent by the prophets day by day, visited by the sending of the Son, Love, who expects love, that is, the fruit. "He waited for the grapes to ripen, but every grape was sour" (Is 5: 2); in love, disappointment is always round the corner. I stop here at this reality, I look inside me, I try to discover the places where I am closed, dry, dead; why has the rain not come? I repeat this word that echoes often through the pages of the Bible: "The Lord waits…" (see Is 30: 18; Lk 13: 6-9). He wants the fruits of conversion (cfr. Mt 3: 8), as he tells us through John, the fruits of the word that hides the listening, the welcoming and the self-control, as the synoptics say (cfr. Mt 13: 23; Mk 4: 20 e Lk 8: 15), the fruits of the Spirit, as Paul explains (cfr. Gal 5: 22). He wants us "to bear fruit in every good work" (Col 1: 10), but above all, it seems to me, the Lord waits and desires "the fruit of the womb" (cfr. Lk 1: 42), that is Jesus, in whom we are truly blessed. In fact, Jesus is the seed that, dying, bears much fruit within us, in our life (Jn 12: 24) and defeats every solitude, every closure, opening us wide to our brothers and sisters. This is the real fruit of conversion, planted in the earth of our bosom; this is to become his disciples and, finally, this is the true glory of the Father.<br />
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Pruning, a joyful purification:<br />
<br />
In this passage of the Gospel, the Lord shows me another way of following Him, together with Him. It is the way of purification, of renewal, of resurrection and new life. It is hidden in the term "pruning", but I can better discover it, throw light on it thanks to the Word itself, which is the only master, the only sure guide. The Greek text uses the term "purify" to point to this action of the vinedresser in his vineyard. Certainly, it is true that he prunes, cuts with a knife sharpened by his Word (Heb 4: 12) and, sometimes, wounds us, but it is even truer that it is his love that penetrates ever deeper in us and thus purifies, washes, refines. Yes, the Lord sits as washer to purify, to make splendid and luminous the gold in his hand (cfr. Mal 3: 3). Jesus brings a new purification, the one promised for so long by the Scriptures and waited for the Messianic times. It is no longer the purification that took place by means of cult, by means of the observance of the law or sacrifices, only a temporary purification, incomplete and figurative. Jesus brings about an intimate, total purification, one of the heart and conscience, the one sung by Ezekiel: "I shall purify you of all your idols, I shall give you a new heart…When I shall have purified you from all you iniquities, I shall bring you back to your cities and your ruins will be rebuilt…" (Ez 36: 25ff. 33). I also read Eph 5: 26 e Tt 2: 14, beautiful and rich texts, which help me better enter into the light of grace of this work of salvation, of this spiritual pruning that the Father works in me.<br />
<br />
There is a verse in the Song of Songs that can help my understanding more, it says, "This is the time for singing" (Sgs 2: 12), however, it uses a verb that means also "pruning, cutting" as well as "singing". Thus pruning is the time for singing, for joy. It is my heart that sings before and in the Word, it is my soul that rejoices for my faith, because I know that through this long but magnificent pilgrimage in the Scriptures, I too will take part in Jesus' life, I too will be united with Him, the pure, the holy, the immaculate Word and that thus united to Him I shall be washed, purified with the infinite purity of His life. Not for me alone, not in order to be alone, but to bear much fruit, to grow leaves and branches that do not wither, to be a branch together with many other braches in the vine of Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>6. A moment of silent prayer:</b><br />
<br />
Psalm 1<br />
<br />
A meditation on the joy of one who lives by the Word and, thanks to the Word, bears fruit.<br />
Res. Your Word is my joy, Lord!<br />
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,<br />
nor stands in the way of sinners,<br />
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;<br />
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,<br />
and on his law he meditates day and night. Res.<br />
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,<br />
that yields its fruit in its season,<br />
and its leaf does not wither.<br />
In all that he does, he prospers.<br />
The wicked are not so,<br />
but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Res.<br />
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,<br />
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;<br />
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,<br />
but the way of the wicked will perish. Res.<br />
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<b>7. Closing prayer</b><br />
<br />
Lord, I still see the light of your Word. The healing force of your voice still rings in the depth of my being! Thank you, O my Vine, my sap. Thank you, O my dwelling where I can and wish to remain. Thank you, O my strength to do, to carry out every task; thank you my Master! You have called me to be a fruitful branch, to be fruit of your love for humankind, to be the wine that makes the heart rejoice. Lord, help me to realise this blessed and true Word of yours. Only thus can I live truly and live truly as you are and remain. Lord, let me not err so that I wish to remain a branch in your vine without the other branches, my brothers and sisters. It would be indeed the sourest and most displeasing fruit.<br />
<br />
Lord, I do not know how to pray. Teach me Yourself and let my most beautiful prayer be my life, transformed into a bunch of grapes for the hunger and the thirst, for the joy and company of those who come to the vine, that is, You. Thank you for being the wine of Love!<br />
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<tr class=""><th scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Saint of the Day: Saint Catherine of Siena</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>April 29</b><br />
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<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> </i>against fire, bodily ills, diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA,
Europe, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for
their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness, nurses</div>
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<b>Attributes</b>:
Dominican tertiaries' habit, lily, book, crucifix, heart, crown of
thorns, stigmata, ring, dove, rose, skull, miniature church, miniature
ship bearing Papal coat of arms<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxvCrVfeNcZgJegNXzxkxkL9p-jPqfEJPJ7k54eKEY6GAisRy-FUNLCu_CHZpKmaIXmcHtKSrBSHO8UejdqX-v46xK1IQaJ000WhM6a34IQvBKVcb47S_pR0VoeTCPAV18x0BzA9SZCwR/s1600/220px-Catherine_of_Siena.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxvCrVfeNcZgJegNXzxkxkL9p-jPqfEJPJ7k54eKEY6GAisRy-FUNLCu_CHZpKmaIXmcHtKSrBSHO8UejdqX-v46xK1IQaJ000WhM6a34IQvBKVcb47S_pR0VoeTCPAV18x0BzA9SZCwR/s320/220px-Catherine_of_Siena.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Catherine of Siena</td></tr>
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<b> Saint Catherine of Siena</b>, T.O.S.D, (25 March 1347 in Siena –
29 April 1380 in Rome) was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a
Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the
papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and
to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a
Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is one of the two patron saints of
Italy, together with St. Francis of Assisi.<br />
<br />
Caterina Benincasa was born in Siena, Italy, to Giacomo di Benincasa,
a cloth dyer who ran his enterprise with the help of his sons, and Lapa
Piagenti, possibly the daughter of a local poet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"> </sup>The house where Catherine grew up is still in existence. Born in 1347, she arrived when the black death
struck the area; Siena was badly ravaged. Lapa was about forty years
old when she prematurely gave birth to twin daughters, Catherine and
Giovanna. Lapa had already 22 children, but half of them had died.
Giovanna was handed over to a wet-nurse, and presently died, whereas
Catherine was nursed by her mother, and developed into a healthy child.
She was two years old when Lapa had her 25th child, another daughter
named Giovanna.
Catherine had her first vision of Christ when she was age five or six,
saying that Jesus smiled at her, blessed her, and left her in ecstasy.
At age seven she vowed chastity.<br />
<br />
Her older sister Bonaventura died in childbirth. Within a year, the
younger sister named Giovanna also died. While tormented with sorrow,
sixteen-year-old Catherine was now faced with her parents' wish that she
marry Bonaventura's widower. Absolutely opposed to this, she started a
massive fast, something she had learnt from Bonaventura, whose husband
had not been considerate in the least. Bonaventura had changed his
attitude by refusing to eat until he showed better manners. This had
taught Catherine the power of fasting in close relationships. She
claimed to feel "jubilant" when cutting off her long hair.<br />
<br />
Catherine
would later advise her confessor and biographer, the Blessed Raymond of
Capua, O.P., (who went on to become Master General
of the Order) to do during times of trouble what she did now as a
teenager: "Build a cell inside your mind, from which you can never
flee." In this inner cell she made her father into a representation of
Christ, her mother Lapa into the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her brothers
into the apostles.
Serving them humbly became an opportunity for spiritual growth. The
greater the suffering, the larger her triumph was. Eventually her father
gave up and permitted her to live as she pleased.<br />
<br />
A vision of St. Dominic gave strength to Catherine, though, but her
wish to join his Order was no comfort to Lapa, who took her daughter
with her to the baths in Bagno Vignoni to improve her health. Soon she
fell seriously ill with violent rash, fever and pain, which conveniently
made her mother accept her wish to join the "Mantellate", the local
association of Dominican tertiaries.
Lapa went to the Sisters of the Order and persuaded them to take in her
daughter. Within days, Catherine seemed entirely restored, rose from
bed and donned the black and white habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic.
As a tertiary, she lived outside the convent, at home with her family
like before. The Mantellate taught Catherine how to read, and she lived
in almost total silence and solitude in the family home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Siena._Available_Means_2001_3-1"> </sup>Her custom of giving away food and clothing without asking anyone's
permission cost her family significantly but she demanded nothing for
herself. By staying in their midst, she could live out her rejection of
them more strongly. She did not want their food, referring to the table
laid for her in Heaven with her real family.<br />
<br />
Catherine
had received the habit of a Dominican tertiary from the friars of the
Order, however, only after vigorous protests from the Tertiaries
themselves, who up to that point had been only widows.<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="334" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/San_Domenico74.jpg/220px-San_Domenico74.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"St Catherine's mystic communion"<br />
by Francesco Brizzi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
In about 1366, Catherine experienced what she described in her letters as a "Mystical Marriage" with Jesus,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"> </sup>later a popular subject in art as the <i>Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine</i>. Other miracles recounted in Raymond of Capua's biography include her reception of the stigmata and her receiving communion from Christ himself. Raymond also records that she was told by Christ to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life of the world.
Catherine dedicated much of her life to helping the ill and the poor,
where she took care of them in hospitals or homes.<br />
<br />
Her early pious
activities in Siena attracted a group of followers, both women and men,
while they also brought her to the attention of the Dominican Order,
which called her to Florence in 1374 to interrogate her for possible
heresy. After this visit, in which she was deemed sufficiently orthodox,
she began traveling with her followers throughout northern and central
Italy advocating reform of the clergy and the launch of a new crusade
and advising people that repentance and renewal could be done through
"the total love for God."<br />
<br />
Physical travel was not the only way in which Catherine made her
views known. In the early 1370s, she began dictating letters to various
scribes.
These letters were intended to reach men and women of her circle,
increasingly widening her audience to include figures in authority as
she begged for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy
and for the return of the Papacy from Avignon to Rome. She carried on a
long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, asking him to reform the
clergy and the administration of the Papal States.<br />
<br />
In
June 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to
make peace with the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She also tried
to convince Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome.
She impressed the Pope so much that he returned his administration to
Rome in January 1377. Following Gregory's death and during the Western
Schism of 1378 she was an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who summoned her to
Rome, and stayed at Pope Urban VI's
court and tried to convince nobles and cardinals of his legitimacy. She
lived in Rome until her death in 1380. The problems of the Western
Schism would trouble her until the end of her life.<br />
<br />
Catherine's letters are considered one of the great works of early
Tuscan literature. More than 300 have survived. In her letters to the
Pope, she often referred to him affectionately simply as <i>Papa</i>
("Pope"), instead of the formal form of address as "Holiness". Other
correspondents include her various confessors, among them Raymond of
Capua, the kings of France and Hungary, the infamous mercenary John
Hawkwood,
the Queen of Naples, members of the Visconti family of Milan, and
numerous religious figures. Approximately one third of her letters are
to women.<br />
<br />
Her other major work is <i>The Dialogue of Divine Providence,</i>
a
dialogue between a soul who "rises up" to God and God himself, as
recorded between 1377 and 1378 by members of her circle. Often assumed
to be illiterate, Catherine is acknowledged by Raymond in his biography
as capable of reading both Latin and Italian. Another hagiographer,
Tommaso Caffarini, claimed that she could write in her own hand, though
the majority of her written work was dictated.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Death">Death</span></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="293" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/San_Domenico_Siena_Apr_2008_%2813%29.JPG/220px-San_Domenico_Siena_Apr_2008_%2813%29.JPG" width="220" />
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<div class="thumbcaption">
The Chapel of Saint Catherine with parts of her relics in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena</div>
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St Catherine died in Rome, on 29 April 1380, at the age of thirty-three, having suffered a stroke eight days earlier.
Jesus is also commonly thought to have died at the same age, and
Catherine's heroine Mary Magdalene is said to have fasted for
thirty-three years.<br />
<br />
Over the years Catherine had eaten less and less, claiming that she
found no nourishment in earthly food. Instead she received the Holy
Communion virtually on a daily basis. This extreme fasting appeared
unhealthy in the eyes of the clergy and her own sisterhood, and her
confessor, Blessed Raymond, ordered her to eat properly. But Catherine
claimed that she was unable to, describing her inability to eat as an <i>infermità</i>
(illness). She would disgorge what she swallowed, and suffered severe
stomach pains, which she bore with patience as another penance.<br />
<br />
She
was buried in the cemetery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva which lies near
the Pantheon. After miracles were reported to take place at her grave,
Raymond moved her inside the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where she lies to this day. Her head however, was parted from her body and inserted in a gilt bust from bronze.
This bust was later taken to Siena, and carried through that city in a
procession to the Dominican church. Behind the bust walked Lapa,
Catherine's mother, who lived until she was 89 years old. By then she
had seen the end of the wealth and the happiness of her family, and
followed most of her children and several of her grandchildren to the
grave. She helped Raymond of Capua write his biography of her daughter,
and said, "I think God has laid my soul athwart in my body, so that it
can't get out."<br />
<br />
The
people of Siena wished to have St. Catherine's body. A story is
told of a miracle whereby they were partially successful: Knowing that
they could not smuggle her whole body out of Rome, they decided to take
only her head which they placed in a bag. When stopped by the Roman
guards, they prayed to St Catherine to help them, confident that she
would rather have her body (or at least part thereof) in Siena. When
they opened the bag to show the guards, it appeared no longer to hold
her head but to be full of rose petals. Once they got back to Siena they
reopened the bag and her head was visible once more. Due to this story,
St Catherine is often seen holding a rose. The incorruptible head and
thumb were entombed in the Basilica of San Domenico, where they remain.<br />
<br />
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="146" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Caterina_sopra_Minerva.jpg/220px-Caterina_sopra_Minerva.jpg" width="220" />
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Sarcophagus of Saint Catherine beneath the High Altar of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome</div>
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</div>
Pope
Pius II canonized St Catherine in the year 1461. Her feast day, at the
time, was not included in the Roman Calendar.
When it was added in 1597, it was put on the day of her death, April
29, as now, but because of a conflict with the feast of Saint Peter of
Verona, which was also on April 29, it was moved in 1628 to the new date
of April 30.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15"> </sup>In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints,
it was decided to leave the celebration of the feast of St Peter of
Verona to local calendars, because he was not as well known worldwide,
and Saint Catherine's feast was restored to its traditional date of
April 29.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16"> </sup>Some continued to use one or other of the calendars in force in the 1628–1969 period.<br />
<br />
On
May 5, 1940 Pope Pius XII named her a joint Patron Saint of Italy along
with Saint Francis of Assisi. Pope Paul VI gave her the title of Doctor
of the Church in 1970 along with Saint Teresa of Ávila making them the
first women to receive this honour. In 1999, Pope John Paul II made her
one of Europe's patron saints. She is also the patroness of the
historically Catholic American woman's fraternity, Theta Phi Alpha.<br />
<br />
Catherine is alleged to have suffered from <i>anorexia mirabilis</i>, due to her extreme fasting and disgorging of the meals she ate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17"> </sup>
Nonetheless she remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual
writings, and political boldness to "speak truth to power"— it being
exceptional for a woman, in her time period, to have had such influence
in politics and on world history.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span class="citation book">Catherine of Siena (1988). In Suzanne Noffke. <i>The Letters of St. Catherine of Siena</i> <b>4</b>. Binghamton: Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton. ISBN 0-86698-036-9.</span> [Republished as <i>The letters of Catherine of Siena</i>, 4 vols, trans Suzanne Noffke, (Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2000-2008)</li>
<li><span class="citation book">Catherine of Siena (1980). In Suzanne Noffke. <i>The Dialogue</i>. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN 0-8091-2233-2.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Raymond of Capua (1980). In Conleth Kearns. <i>The Life of Catherine of Siena</i>. Wilmington: Glazier. ISBN 0-89453-151-4.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">Hollister, Warren; Judith Bennett (2001). <i>Medieval Europe: A Short History</i> (9 ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. p. 343. ISBN 0-07-234657-4.</span></li>
<li><span class="citation book">McDermott,, Thomas, O.P. (2008). <i>Catherine of Siena: spiritual development in her life and teaching</i>. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN 0-8091-4547-2.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> One of Seven Virtues - Humility</span></span></h2>
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The word <i>humility</i> signifies lowliness or submissiveness and it is derived from the Latin <i>humilitas</i> or, as St. Thomas says, from <i>humus</i>, i.e. the earth which is beneath us. As applied to persons
and things it means that which is abject, ignoble, or of poor
condition, as we ordinarily say, not worth much. Thus we say that a man
is of humble birth or that a house is a humble dwelling. As restricted
to persons,
humility is understood also in the sense of afflictions or miseries,
which may be inflicted by external agents, as when a man humiliates
another by causing him pain or suffering. It is in this sense that
others may bring about humiliations and subject us to them. Humility in a
higher and ethical
sense is that by which a man has a modest estimate of his own worth,
and submits himself to others. According to this meaning no man can
humiliate another, but only himself, and this he can do properly only
when aided by Divine grace. We are treating here of humility in this sense, that is, of the virtue of humility. </div>
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The virtue of humility may be defined: "A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God's sake." St. Bernard
defines it: "A virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is,
abases himself." These definitions coincide with that given by St. Thomas: "The virtue
of humility", he says, "Consists in keeping oneself within one's own
bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's
superior" (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby). </div>
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<br /></div>
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To guard against an erroneous idea of humility, it is necessary
to explain the manner in which we ought to esteem our own gifts in
reference to the gifts of others, if called upon to make a comparison.
Humility does not require us to esteem the gifts and graces which God has granted us, in the supernatural order, less than similar gifts and graces which appear in others. No one should esteem less in himself than in others these gifts of God which are to be valued above all things according to the words of St. Paul: "That we may know the things that are given us from God." (1 Corinthians 2:12).
Neither does humility require us in our own estimation to think less of
the natural gifts we possess than of similar, or of inferior, gifts in
our neighbours; otherwise, as St. Thomas
teaches, it would behove everyone to consider himself a greater sinner
or a greater fool than his neighbour; for the Apostle without any
prejudice to humility was able to say: "We by nature are Jews, and not of the Gentiles sinners" (Galatians 2:15).
A man, however, may generally esteem some good in his neighbour which
he does not himself possess, or acknowledge some defect or evil
in himself which he does not perceive in his neighbour, so that,
whenever anyone subjects himself out of humility to an equal or to an
inferior he does so because he takes that equal or inferior to be his
superior in some respect. Thus we may interpret the humble expressions
of the saints as true and sincere. Besides, their great love of God caused them to see the malice of their own faults and sins in a clearer light than that which is ordinarily given to persons who are not saints. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude,
and temperance, and all other moral virtues are annexed to these either
as integral, potential, or subjective parts. Humility is annexed to the
virtue of temperance as a potential part, because temperance includes
all those virtues that refrain or express the inordinate movements of
our desires or appetites. Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed to pride
and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things
above our strength and ability, and therefore it is included in
temperance just as meekness which represses anger is a part of the same virtue. From what we have here stated it follows that humility is not the first or the greatest of the virtues. The theological virtues have the first place, then the intellectual
virtues, as these immediately direct the reason of man to good. Justice
is placed in the order of the virtues before humility, and so should
obedience be, for it is part of justice. Humility is, however, said to be the foundation of the spiritual edifice, but in a sense inferior to that in which faith is called its foundation. Humility is the first virtue inasmuch as it removes the obstacles to faith — per modum removens prohibens, as St. Thomas says. It removes pride
and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace according to
the words of St. James: "God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace
to the humble" (James 4:6). Faith
is the first and the positive fundamental virtue of all the infused
virtues, because it is by it we can take the first step in the supernatural life and in our access to God: "For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him" Hebrews 11:6). Humility, inasmuch as it seems to keep the mind and heart submissive to reason and to God, has its own function in connection with faith and all the other virtues, and it may therefore be said to be a universal virtue. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is therefore a virtue which is necessary for salvation, and as such is enjoined by Our Divine Saviour,
especially when He said to His disciples: "Learn of me, because I am
meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls" (Matthew 11:29).
He also teaches this virtue by the words, "Blessed are ye when they
shall revile you, and persecute you and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12). From the example of Christ and His Saints we may learn the practice of humility, which St. Thomas
explains (Contra Gent., bk, III, 135): "The spontaneous embracing of
humiliations is a practice of humility not in any and every case but
when it is done for a needful purpose: for humility being a virtue, does
nothing indiscreetly. It is then not humility but folly to embrace any
and every humiliation: but when virtue calls for a thing to be done it
belongs to humility not to shrink from doing it, for instance not to
refuse some mean service where charity calls upon you to help your
neighbours. . . .Sometimes too, even where our own duty
does not require us to embrace humiliations, it is an act of virtue to
take them up in order to encourage others by our example more easily to
bear what is incumbent on them: for a general will sometimes do the
office of a common soldier to encourage the rest. Sometimes again we may
make a virtuous use of humiliations as a medicine. Thus if anyone's
mind is prone to undue self-exaltation, he may with advantage make a
moderate use of humiliations, either self-imposed, or imposed by others,
so as to check the elation of his spirit by putting himself on a level
with the lowest class of the community in the doing of mean offices." </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Angelic Doctor likewise explains the humility of Christ in the following words: "Humility cannot befit God, who has no superior, but is above all. . . .Though the virtue of humility cannot attach to Christ in His divine nature; it may attach to Him in His human nature and His divinity renders His humility all the more praiseworthy, for the dignity of the person adds to the merit of humility; and there can be no greater dignity to a man than his being God. Hence the highest praise attaches to the humility of the Man God, who to wean men's hearts from worldly glory to the love
of divine glory, chose to embrace a death of no ordinary sort, but a
death of the deepest ignominy" (Summa Contra Gent., tr. Rickaby, bk. IV.
ch. lv; cf. bk. III, ch. cxxxvi). St. Benedict in his rule lays down
twelve degrees of humility. St. Anselm, as quoted by St. Thomas, gives seven. These degrees are approved and explained by St. Thomas in his "Summa Theologica" (II-II:161:6). The vices opposed to humility are, </div>
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<li>pride: by reason of defect, and </li>
<li>a
too great obsequiousness or abjection of oneself, which would be an
excess of humility. This might easily be derogatory to a man's office or
holy character; or it might serve only to pamper pride in others, by unworthy flattery, which would occasion their sins of tyranny, arbitrariness, and arrogance. </li>
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The virtue of humility may not be practised in any external way which would occasion such vices or acts in others.
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Reference: </h2>
<span id="apaauthor">Devine, A.</span> <span id="apayear">(1910).</span> <span id="apaarticle">Humility.</span> In <span id="apawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="apapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span> <span id="apadate">Retrieved April 29, 2018 from New Advent: </span> <span id="apaurl">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07543b.htm</span> <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Deadly Sin One of Seven - Pride</span></b></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pride is the excessive love of one's own excellence. It is ordinarily accounted one of the seven capital sins. St. Thomas, however, endorsing the appreciation of St. Gregory, considers it the queen of all vices, and puts vainglory in its place as one of the deadly sins.
In giving it this pre-eminence he takes it in a most formal and
complete signification. He understands it to be that frame of mind in
which a man, through the love of his own worth, aims to withdraw himself from subjection to Almighty God, and sets at naught the commands of superiors. It is a species of contempt of God and of those who bear his commission. Regarded in this way, it is of course mortal sin of a most heinous sort. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Indeed St. Thomas rates it in this sense as one of the blackest of sins. By it the creature refuses to stay within his essential orbit; he turns his back upon God, not through weakness or ignorance, but solely because in his self-exaltation he is minded not to submit. His attitude has something Satanic in it, and is probably not often verified in human beings.
A less atrocious kind of pride is that which imples one to make much of
oneself unduly and without sufficient warrant, without however any
disposition to cast off the dominion of the Creator. This may happen,
according to St. Gregory,
either because a man regards himself as the source of such advantages
as he may discern in himself, or because, whilst admitted that God
has bestowed them, he reputes this to have been in response to his own
merits, or because he attributes to himself gifts which he has not; or,
finally, because even when these are real he unreasonably looks to be
put ahead of others. Supposing the conviction indicated in the first two
instances to be seriously entertained, the sin would be a grievous one and would have the added guilt of heresy. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ordinarily, however, this erroneous
persuasion does not exist; it is the demeanour that is reprehensible.
The last two cases generally speaking are not held to constitute grave
offences. This is not true, however, whenever a man's arrogance is the occasion of great harm to another, as, for instance, his undertaking the duties of a physician without the requisite knowledge. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The same judgment is to be rendered when pride has given rise to such temper of soul that in the pursuit of its object one is ready of anything, even mortal sin. Vainglory, ambition,
and presumption are commonly enumerated as the offspring vices of
pride, because they are well adapted to serve its inordinate aims. Of
themselves they are venial sins
unless some extraneous consideration puts them in the ranks of grievous
transgressions. It should be noted that presumption does not here stand
for the sin against hope. It means the desire to essay what exceeds one's capacity. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<h2>
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reference: </span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="apaauthor">Delany, J.</span> <span id="apayear">(1911).</span> <span id="apaarticle">Pride.</span> In <span id="apawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="apapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span> <span id="apadate">Retrieved April 29, 2018 from New Advent: </span> <span id="apaurl">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12405a.htm</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s1600/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s320/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 11</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">THE RESURRECTION</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The fullness of wisdom in the soul of our great Queen and Lady amid all her sorrows permitted no defect or remissness in noticing and attending to all the duties of each occasion and at all times. By this heavenly foresight She met her obligations and practiced the highest and most eminent of all the virtues. As I have said, the Queen retired, after the burial of Christ, to the house of the Cenacle. Remaining in the hall of the last Supper in the company of saint John, the Marys, and the other women who had followed Christ from Galilee, She spoke to them and the Apostle, thanking them in profound humility and abundant tears for persevering with Her up to this time throughout the Passion of her beloved Son and promising them in his name the reward of having followed Him with so much constancy and devotion. At the same time She offered Herself as a servant and as a friend to those holy women. All of them with Saint John acknowledged this great favor, kissed her hands and asked for her blessing. They also begged her to take some rest and some bodily refreshment. But the Queen answered: “My rest and my consolation shall be to see my Son and Lord arisen from the dead. Do you, my dearest friends, satisfy our wants according to your necessities, while I retire alone with my Son.” In her retirement during this evening the great Lady contemplated the doings of the most holy soul of her Son after it left the sacred body. For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race.<br />
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By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long–deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works.” Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity. Some of them, obeying the command of their Queen and Mistress, had gathered the relics of the sacred blood shed by her divine Son, the particles of flesh scattered about, the hair torn from his divine face and head, and all else that belonged to the perfection and integrity of his most sacred humanity. On these the Mother of prudence lavished her solicitous care. The angels took charge</span> <span lang="en-US">of these relics, each one filled with joy at being privileged to</span> <span lang="en-US">hold the particles, which he was able to secure. Before any change was made, the body of the Redeemer was shown to the holy Fathers, in the same wounded, lacerated and disfigured state in which it was left by the cruelty of the Jews. Beholding Him thus disfigured in death, the Patriarchs and Prophets and other saints adored Him and again confessed Him as the incarnate Word, who had truly taken upon Himself our infirmities and sorrows (Is. 53, 4) and paid abundantly our debts, satisfying in his innocence and guiltlessness for what we ourselves owed to the justice of the eternal Father. There did our first parents Adam and Eve see the havoc wrought by their disobedience, the priceless remedy it necessitated, the immense goodness and mercy of the Redeemer. As they felt the effects of his copious Redemption in the glory of their souls, they praised anew the Omnipotent and Saints of saints, who had with such marvelous wisdom wrought such a salvation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Then, in the presence of all those saints, through the ministry of those angels, were united to the sacred body all the relics, which they had gathered, restoring it to its natural perfection and integrity. In the same moment the most holy soul reunited with the body, giving it immortal life and glory. Instead of the winding–sheets and the ointments, in which it had been buried, it was clothed with the four gifts of glory, namely: with clearness, impassibility, agility and</span> <span lang="en-US">subtility (John 19, 40). These gifts overflowed from the immense glory of the soul of Christ into the sacred body. Although these gifts were due to it as a natural inheritance and participation from the instant of its conception, because from that very moment his soul was glorified and his whole humanity was united to the Divinity; yet they had been suspended in their effects upon the purest body, in order to permit it to remain passable and capable of meriting for us our own glory. In the Resurrection these gifts were justly called into activity in the proper degree corresponding to the glory of his soul and to his union with the Divinity. As the glory of the most holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal would be obscure. The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far exceeds that of the others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light of one star; and all the beauty of</span> <span lang="en-US">creatures, if it were joined, would appear ugliness in</span> <span lang="en-US">comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to</span> <span lang="en-US">It in all creation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The excellence of these gifts in the Resurrection were far beyond the glory of his Transfiguration or that manifested on other occasions of the kind men mentioned in this history. For on these occasions He received it transitorily and for special purposes, while now He received it in plenitude and forever. Through impassibility his body became invincible to all created power, since no power can ever move or change Him. By subtility the gross and earthly matter was so purified, that it could now penetrate other matter like a pure spirit.</span> <span lang="en-US">Accordingly He penetrated through the rocks of the sepulchre without removing or displacing them, as He had issued forth from the womb of his most blessed Mother. Agility so freed Him from the weight and slowness of matter, that it exceeded the agility of the immaterial angels, while He himself could move about more quickly than they, as shown in his apparitions to the Apostles and on other occasions. The sacred wounds, which had disfigured his body, now shone forth from his hands and feet and side so refulgent and brilliant, that they added a most entrancing beauty and charm. In all this glory and heavenly adornment the Savior</span> <span lang="en-US">now arose from the grave; and in the presence of the</span> <span lang="en-US">saints and Patriarchs He promised universal resurrection in their own flesh and body to all men, and that they moreover, as an effect of his own Resurrection, should be similarly glorified. As an earnest and as a pledge of the universal resurrection, the Lord commanded the souls of many saints there present to reunite with their bodies and rise up to immortal life. Immediately this divine command was executed, and their bodies arose, as is mentioned by saint Matthew, in anticipation of this mystery (Matthew 27, 52). Among them were saint Anne, saint Joseph and saint Joachim, and others of the ancient Fathers and Patriarchs, who had distinguished themselves in the faith and hope of the Incarnation, and had desired and prayed for it with greater earnestness to the Lord. As a reward for their zeal, the resurrection and glory of</span> <span lang="en-US">their bodies was now anticipated.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Of all these mysteries the great Queen of heaven was aware and She participated in them from her retreat in the Cenacle. In the same instant in which the most holy soul of Christ entered and gave life to his body the joy of her immaculate soul, which I mentioned in the foregoing chapter as being restrained and, as it were, withheld, overflowed into her immaculate body. And this overflow was so exquisite in its effects, that She was transformed from sorrow to joy, from pain to delight from grief to ineffable jubilation and rest. It happened that just at this time the Evangelist John, as he had</span> <span lang="en-US">done on the previous morning, stepped in to visit and console Her in her bitter solitude, and thus unexpectedly, in the midst of splendor and glory, met Her whom he had before scarcely recognized on account of her overwhelming sorrow. The Apostle now beheld Her with wonder and deepest reverence and concluded that the Lord had risen, since his blessed Mother was thus transfigured with joy.</span></div>
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In this new joy and under the divine influences of her supernatural vision the great Lady began to prepare herself for the visit of the Lord, which was near at hand. While eliciting acts of praise, and in her canticles and prayers, She immediately felt within Her a new kind of jubilation and celestial delight, reaching far beyond the first joy, and corresponding in a wonderful manner to the sorrows and tribulations She had undergone in the Passion; and this new favor was different and much more exalted than the joys overflowing naturally from her soul into her body. Moreover She perceived within Herself another third and still more different effect, implying new divine favors.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The blessed Mary being thus prepared, Christ our Savior, arisen and glorious, in the company of all Saints and Patriarchs, made his appearance. The ever humble Queen prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored her divine Son; and the Lord raised Her and drew Her to Himself. In this contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit. Although it was not the greatest of the favors She attained on this occasion, yet She could not have received it without failing of her faculties, if She had not been previously strengthened by the angels and by the Lord himself. This favor was, that the glorious body of the Son so closely united itself to that of his purest Mother, that He penetrated into it or She into his, as when, for instance, a crystal globe takes up within itself the light of the sun and is saturated with the splendor and beauty of its light. In the same way the body of the most holy Mary entered into that of her divine Son by this heavenly embrace; it was, as it were, the portal of her intimate knowledge concerning the glory of the holy soul and body of her Lord. As a consequence of these favors, constituting higher and higher degrees of ineffable gifts, the spirit of the Virgin Mother rose to the knowledge of the most hidden sacraments. In the midst of them She heard a voice saying to Her: “My beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 18, 10). By the power of these words She was entirely transformed and saw the Divinity clearly and intuitively, wherein She found complete, though only temporary, rest and reward for all her sorrows and labors. Silence alone here is proper, since reason and language are entirely inadequate to</span> <span lang="en-US">comprehend or express what passed in the blessed Mary during this beatific vision, the highest She had until then enjoyed. Let us celebrate this day in wonder and</span> <span lang="en-US">praise, with congratulations and loving and humble thanks for what She then merited for us, and for her exaltation and joy.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">For some hours the heavenly Princess continued to enjoy the essence of God with her divine Son, participating now in his triumph as She had in his torments. Then by similar degrees She again descended from this vision and found Herself in the end reclining on the right arm of the most sacred humanity and regaled in</span> <span lang="en-US">other ways by the right hand of his Divinity (Cant. 2, 6). She held sweetest converse with her Son concerning the mysteries of his Passion and of his glory. In these conferences She was again inebriated with the wine of</span> <span lang="en-US">love and charity, which now She drank unmeasured from the original fount. All that a mere creature can receive was conferred upon the blessed Mary on this occasion; for, according to our way of conceiving such things, the divine equity wished to compensate the injury (thus I must call it, because I cannot find a more proper word), which a Creature so pure and immaculate had undergone in suffering the sorrows and torments of the Passion. For, as I have mentioned many times before, She suffered the same pains as her Son, and now in this mystery She was inundated with a proportionate joy and delight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962848"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">Each of these gifts are correspondingly augmented in him who in the state of grace performs the least meritorious work, even if it be no more than removing a straw or giving a cup of water for the love of God (Matth. 10, 42). For each of the most insignificant works the creature gains an increase of these gifts; an increase of clearness exceeding many times the sunlight and added to its state of blessedness an increase of impassibility, by which man recedes from human and earthly corruption farther than what all created efforts and strength could ever effect in resistance separating itself from such infirmity or changefulness; an increase of subtility, by which he advances beyond all that could offer it resistance and gains new power of penetration; an increase of agility, surpassing all the activity of birds, of winds, and all other active creatures, such as fire and the elements tending to their centre. From this increase of the gifts of the body merited by good works, thou wilt understand the augmentation of the gifts of the soul; for those of the body are derived from those of the soul and correspond with them. In the beatific vision each merit secures greater clearness and insight into the divine attributes and perfections than that acquired by all the doctors and enlightened members of the Church. Likewise the gift of apprehension, or possession of the divine Object, is augmented; for the security of the possession of the highest and infinite Good makes the tranquility and rest of its enjoyment more estimable than if the soul possessed all that is precious and rich, desirable and worthy of attainment in all creation, even if possessed all at one time. Fruition, the third gift of the soul, on account of the love with which man performs the smallest acts, so exalts the degrees of functional love, that the greatest love of men here on earth can never be compared thereto; nor can the delight resulting therefrom ever be</span> <span lang="en-US">compared with all the delights of this mortal life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 12</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST</span></h2>
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A few days before the Ascension of the Lord while the blessed Mary was engaged in the one of the above–mentioned exercises, the eternal Father and the Holy Ghost appeared in the Cenacle upon a throne of ineffable splendor surrounded by the choirs of angels and saints there present and other heavenly spirits, which had now come with the divine Persons. Then the incarnate Word ascended the throne and seated Himself with the other Two. The ever humble Mother of the Most High, prostrate in a corner of a room, in deepest reverence adored the most blessed Trinity, and in it her own incarnate Son. The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will. She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence. Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne, humbling herself anew. The eternal Father said to Her: “Beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 14, 10). As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons. New admiration was caused in the saints to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity. Being made to understand the sanctity and equity of the works of the Most High, they gave new glory and praise proclaiming Him immense, Just, Holy and Admirable in all his counsels.<br />
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<span lang="en-US">The Father then spoke to the blessed Mary saying: “My Daughter, to Thee do I entrust the Church founded by my Onlybegotten, the new law of grace He established in the world, and the people, which He redeemed: to Thee do I consign them all.” Thereupon also the Holy Ghost spoke to Her: “My Spouse, chosen from all creatures, I communicate to Thee my wisdom and grace together with which shall be deposited in thy heart the mysteries, the works and teachings and all that the incarnate Word has accomplished in the world.” And the Son also said: “My most beloved Mother, I go to my Father and in my stead I shall leave Thee and I charge Thee with the care of my Church; to Thee do I commend its children and my brethren, as the Father has consigned them to Me.” Then the three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, said: “This is the Queen of all created things in heaven and earth; She is the Protectress of the Church, the Mistress of creatures, the Mother of piety, the Intercessor of the faithful, the Advocate of sinners, the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 24, 24); She is mighty in drawing our will to mercy and clemency. In Her shall be deposited the treasures of our grace and her most faithful heart shall the tablet whereon shall be written and engraved our holy law. In her are contained the mysteries of our Omnipotence for the salvation of mankind. She is the perfect work of our hands, through whom the plenitude of our desires shall be communicated and satisfied without hindrance in the currents of our divine perfections. Whoever shall call upon Her from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life. What She asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.”</span> <span lang="en-US">The most blessed Mary, hearing Herself thus exalted, humiliated Herself so much the deeper the more highly She was raised by the right hand of the Most High above all the human and angelic creatures. As if She were the least of all, She adored the Lord and offered Herself, in the most prudent terms and in the most ardent love, to work as a faithful servant in the Church and obey promptly all the biddings of the divine will. From that day on She took upon Herself anew the care of the evangelical Church, as a loving Mother of all children; She renewed all the petitions She had until then made, so that during the whole further course of her life they were most fervent and incessant, as we shall see in the third part, where will appear more clearly what the Church owes to this great Queen and Lady, and what blessings She gained and merited for it.</span></div>
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On that same day, by divine dispensation, while the Lord was at table with the eleven Apostles, other disciples and pious women gathered at the Cenacle to the number of one hundred and twenty; for the divine Master wished them to be present at his Ascension. Moreover, just as He had instructed the Apostles, so He now wanted to instruct these faithful respectively in what each was to know before his leaving them and ascending into heaven. All of them being thus gathered and united in peace and charity within those walls in the hall of the last Supper, the Author of life manifested Himself to them as a kind and loving Father and said to them:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men. I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things. Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; he who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me. All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, so shall also your successors. She shall answer doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now, although you do not understand how.” This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on. The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew: “I am with you to the consummation of the world” (Matth. 28, 20). The Lord added and said: “You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest. Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross.” The Lord then looked upon his most beloved Mother, who was there present and intimated his desire of expressly commanding that whole congregation to worship and reverence Her in a manner suited to the dignity of Mother of God, and of leaving this command under form of a precept for the whole Church. But the most humble Lady besought her Onlybegotten to be pleased not to secure Her more honor than was absolutely necessary for executing all that He had charged Her with; and that the new children of the Church should not be induced to show Her greater honor than they had shown until then. On contrary, She desired to divert all the sacred worship of the Church immediately upon the Lord himself and to make the propagation of the Gospel redound entirely to the exaltation of his holy name. Christ our Savior yielded to this most prudent petition of his Mother, reserving to Himself the duty of spreading the knowledge of Her at a more convenient and opportune time yet in secret He conferred upon Her new extraordinary favors, as shall appear in the rest of this history.</span></div>
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In considering the loving exhortations of their Divine Master, the mysteries which He had revealed them, and the prospect of his leaving them, that whole congregation was moved to their inmost hearts; for He had enkindled in them the divine love by the vivid faith of his Divinity and humanity. Reviving within them the memory of his words and his teachings of eternal life, the delights of his most loving companionship, and sorrowfully realizing, that they were now all at once to be deprived of these blessings, they wept most tenderly and sighed from their inmost souls. They longed to detain Him, although they could not, because they saw it was not befitting; words of parting rose to their lips, but they could not bring themselves to utter them; each one felt sentiments of sorrow arising amid feelings both of joy and yet also of pious regret. How shall we live without such a Master? they thought. Who can ever speak to us such words of life and consolation as He? Who will receive us so lovingly and kindly? Who shall be our Father and protector? We shall be helpless children and orphans in this world. Some of them broke their silence and exclaimed: “O most loving Lord and Father! O joy and life of our souls! Now that we know Thee as our Redeemer, Thou departest and leavest us! Take us along with Thee, O Lord; banish us not from thy sight. Our blessed Hope, what shall we do without thy presence? Whither shall we turn, if thou goest away? Whither shall we direct our steps, if cannot follow Thee, our Father, our Chief, and our Teacher?” To these and other pleadings the Lord answered by bidding them not to leave Jerusalem and to persevere in prayer until He should send the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, as promised by the Father and as already foretold to the Apostles at the last Supper. Thereupon happened, what I shall relate in the next chapter.</div>
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The most auspicious hour, in which the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, after descending from heaven in order to assume human flesh, was to ascend by his own power and in a most wonderful manner to the right hand of God, the Inheritor of his eternities, one and equal with Him in nature and infinite glory. He was to ascend, also, because He had previously descended to the lowest regions of the earth, as the Apostle says (Ephes. 4, 9), having fulfilled all that had been written and prophesied concerning his coming into the world, his Life, Death and the Redemption of man, and having penetrated, as the Lord of all, to the very centre of the earth. By this Ascension he sealed all the mysteries and hastened the fulfillment of his promise, according to which He was, with the Father, to send the Paraclete upon his Church after He himself should have ascended into heaven (John 16, 7). In order to celebrate this festive and mysterious day, Christ our Lord selected as witnesses the hundred and twenty persons, to whom, as related in the foregoing chapter, He had spoken in the Cenacle. They were the most holy Mary, the eleven Apostles, the seventy–two disciples, Mary Magdalen, Lazarus their brother, the other Marys and the faithful men and women making up the above–mentioned number of one hundred and twenty.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">With this little flock our divine Shepherd Jesus left the Cenacle, and, with his most blessed Mother at his side, He conducted them all through the streets of Jerusalem. The Apostles and all the rest in order, proceeded in the direction of Bethany, which was less than half a league over the brow of mount Olivet. The company of angels and saints from limbo and purgatory followed the Victor with new songs of praise, although Mary alone was privileged to see them. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was already divulged throughout Jerusalem and Palestine. Although the perfidious and malicious princes and priests had spread about the false testimony of his being stolen by disciples, yet many would not accept their testimony nor give it any credit. It was divinely provided, that none of the inhabitants of the city, and none of the unbelievers or doubters, should pay any attention to</span> <span lang="en-US">this holy procession, or hinder it on its way from the Cenacle. All, except the one hundred and twenty just, who were chosen by the Lord to witness his Ascension into heaven, were justly punished by being prevented from noticing this wonderful mystery, and the Chieftain and Head of this procession remained invisible to them.</span></div>
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The Lord having thus secured them this privacy, they all ascended mount Olivet to its highest point. There they formed three choirs, one of the angels, another of the saints, and a third of the Apostles and faithful, which again divided into two bands, while Christ the Savior presided. Then the most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son worshipping Him with admirable humility, She adored Him as the true God and as the Redeemer of the world, asking his last blessing. All the faithful there present imitated Her and did the same. Weeping and sighing, they asked the Lord, whether He was now to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1, 6). The Lord answered, that this was a secret of the eternal Father and not to be made known to them; but, for the present, it was necessary and befitting, that they receive the Holy Ghost and preach, in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in all the world, the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.</div>
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Jesus, having taken leave of this holy and fortunate gathering of the faithful, his countenance beaming forth peace and majesty, joined his hands and, by his own power, began to raise himself from the earth, leaving thereon the impression of his sacred feet. In gentlest motion He was wafted toward the aerial regions, drawing after Him the eyes and the hearts of those first–born children, who amid sighs and tears vented their affection. And as, at the moving of the first Cause of all motion, it is proper that also the nether spheres should be set in motion, so the Savior Jesus drew after Him also the celestial choirs of the angels, the holy Patriarchs and the rest of the glorified saints, some of them with body and soul, others only as to their soul. All of them in heavenly order were raised up together from the earth, accompanying and following their King, their Chief and Head. The new and mysterious sacrament, which the right hand of the Most High wrought on this occasion for his most holy Mother, was that He raised Her up with Him in order to put Her in possession of the glory, which He had assigned to Her as his true Mother and which She had by her merits prepared and earned for Herself. Of this favor the great Queen was capable even before it happened; for her divine Son had offered it to Her during the forty days which He spent in her company after his Resurrection. In order that this sacrament might be kept secret from all other living creatures at that time, and in order that the heavenly Mistress might be present in the gathering of the Apostles and the faithful in their prayerful waiting upon the coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1, 14), the divine power enabled the blessed Mother miraculously to be in two places at once; remaining with the children of the Church for their comfort during their stay in the Cenacle and at the time ascending with the Redeemer of the world to His heavenly throne, where She remained for three days. There She enjoyed the perfect use of all her powers and faculties, whereas She was more restricted in the use of them during that time in the Cenacle.</div>
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Amidst this jubilee and other rejoicings exceeding all our conceptions that new divinely arranged procession approached the empyrean heavens. Between the two choirs of angels and saints, Christ and his most blessed Mother made their entry. All in their order gave supreme honor to Each respectively and to Both together, breaking forth in hymns of praise in honor of the Authors of grace and of life. Then the eternal Father placed upon the throne of his Divinity at His right hand, the incarnate Word, and in such glory and majesty, that He filled with new admiration and reverential fear all the inhabitants of heaven. In clear and intuitive vision they recognized the infinite glory and perfection of the Divinity inseparably and substantially united in one personality to the most holy humanity, beautified and exalted by the pre–eminence and glory due to this union, such as eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor ever has entered into the thoughts of creatures (Is. 54, 4).</div>
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On this occasion the humility and wisdom of our most prudent Queen reached their highest point; for, overwhelmed by such divine and admirable favors, She hovered at the footstool of the royal throne, annihilated in the consciousness of being a mere earthly creature. Prostrate She adored the Father and broke out in new canticles of praise for the glory communicated to his Son and for elevating in Him the deified humanity to such greatness and splendor. Again the angels and saints were filled with admiration and joy to see the most prudent humility of their Queen, whose living example of virtue, as exhibited on that occasion, they emulated among themselves in copying. Then the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying: “My Daughter, ascend higher!” Her divine Son also called Her, saying: “My Mother rise up and take possession of the place, which I owe Thee for having followed and imitated Me. The Holy Ghost said: “My Spouse and Beloved, come to my eternal embraces!” Immediately was proclaimed to all the blessed the decree of the most holy Trinity, by which the most blessed Mother, for having furnished her own life–blood toward the Incarnation and for having nourished, served, imitated and followed Him with all the perfection possible to a creature, was exalted and placed at the right hand of her Son for all eternity. None other of the human creatures should ever hold that place or position, nor rival Her in the unfailing glory connected with it; but it was to be reserved to the Queen and to be her possession by right after her earthly life, as of one who pre–eminently excelled all the rest of the saints.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In fulfillment of this decree, the most blessed Mary was raised to the throne of the holy Trinity at the right hand of her Son. At the same time She, with all the saints, was informed, that She was given possession of this throne not only for all the ages of eternity, but that it was left to her choice to remain there even now and without returning to the earth. For it was the conditional will of the divine Persons, that as far as they were concerned, She should now remain in that state. In order that She might make her own choice, She was shown anew the state of the Church upon earth, the orphaned and necessitous condition of the faithful, whom She was left free to assist. This admirable proceeding of the divine Providence was to afford the Mother of mercy an occasion of going beyond, so to say, even her own Self in doing good and in obliging the human race with an act of love similar to that of her Son in assuming a passible state and in suspending the glory due to his body during and for our Redemption. The most blessed Mother imitated Him also in this respect, so that She might be in all things like the incarnate Word. The great Lady therefore, having clearly before her eyes all the sacrifices included in this proposition, left the throne and, prostrating Herself at the feet of the Three Persons, said: “Eternal and almighty God, my Lord, to accept at once this reward, which thy condescending kindness offers me, would be to secure my rest; but to return to the world and continue to labor in mortal life for the good of the children of Adam and the faithful of thy holy Church, would be to the glory and according to the pleasure of thy Majesty and would benefit my sojourning and banished children on earth. I accept this labor and renounce for the present the peace and joy of thy presence. Well do I know, what I possess and receive, but I will sacrifice it to further the love Thou hast for men. Accept, Lord and Master of all my being, this sacrifice and let thy divine strength govern in the undertaking confided to me. Let faith in Thee be spread, let thy holy name be exalted, let thy holy Church be enlarged, for Thou hast acquired it by the blood of thy Onlybegotten and mine; I offer myself anew</span> <span lang="en-US">to labor for thy glory and for the conquest of the souls, as far as I am able.”</span></div>
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Such was the sacrifice made by the most loving Mother and Queen, one greater than ever was conceived by creature, and it was so pleasing to the Lord, that He immediately rewarded it by operating in Her those purifications and enlightenments, which I have at other times mentioned as necessary to the intuitive vision of the Divinity; for so far She had on this occasion seen only by abstractive vision. Thus elevated She partook of the beatific vision and was filled with splendor and celestial gifts, altogether beyond the power of man describe or conceive in mortal life.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In order to finish this chapter, and with it this second part, I return to the congregation of the faithful, whom we left so sorrowful on mount Olivet. The most holy Mary did not forget them in the midst of her glory;</span> <span lang="en-US">as they stood weeping and lost in grief and, as it were, absorbed in looking into the aerial regions, into which their Redeemer and Master had disappeared, She turned her eyes upon them from the cloud on which She had ascended, in order to send them her assistance. Moved by their sorrow, She besought Jesus lovingly to console these little children, whom He had left as orphans upon the earth. Moved by the prayers of his Mother, the Redeemer of the human race sent down two angels in white and resplendent garments, who appeared to all the disciples and the faithful and spoke to them: “Ye men of Galilee, do not look up to heaven in so great astonishment, for this Lord Jesus, who departed from you and has ascended into heaven, shall again return with the same glory and majesty in which you have just seen him” (Acts 1, 11). By such words and others which they added they consoled the Apostles and disciples and all the rest, so that they might not grow faint, but in their retirement hope for the coming and the consolation of the Holy Ghost promised by their divine Master.</span></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962850"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, thou wilt appropriately close this second part of my life by remembering the lesson concerning the most efficacious sweetness of the divine love and the immense liberality of God with those souls, that do not hinder its flowing. It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than grieve them. But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most high such consolations, delights and</span> <span lang="en-US">rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings. The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments. Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and</span> <span lang="en-US">softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet interactions with the highest Good. Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.</span></div>
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I counted for little all that I endured, when I saw the reward which the divine Goodness had prepared for me; and therefore He ordained, in his admirable Providence that I should return to the militant Church of my own free will and choice. This I knew would redound to my greater glory and to the exaltation of his holy name, while it would provide assistance to his Church and to his children in an admirable and holy manner (I Tim. 1, 17). It seemed to me a sacred duty, that I deprive myself of the eternal felicity of which I was in possession and, returning from heaven to earth, gain new fruits of labor and love for the Almighty; this I owed to the divine Goodness, which had raised me up from the dust. Learn therefore, my beloved, from my example, and excite thyself to imitate me most eagerly during these times, in which the holy Church so disconsolate and overwhelmed by tribulations and in which there are none of her children to console her. In this cause I desire that thou labor strenuously, ready to suffer in prayer and supplication, and crying from the bottom of thy heart to the Omnipotent. And if it were necessary thou shouldst be willing to give thy life. I assure thee, my daughter, thy solicitude shall be very pleasing in the eyes of my divine Son and in mine.</div>
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Let it all be for the glory and honor of the Most high, the King of the ages, the Immortal and Invisible (I Tim. 1, 17), and for that of his Mother, the most blessed Mary, through all the eternities!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"<br />
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26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).<br />
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CHAPTER ONE -MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD<br />
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I. THE DESIRE FOR GOD<br />
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27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for:<br />
The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.<br />
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28 In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being:<br />
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From one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For "in him we live and move and have our being."<br />
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29 But this "intimate and vital bond of man to God" (GS 19 § 1) can be forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected by man. Such attitudes can have different causes: revolt against evil in the world; religious ignorance or indifference; the cares and riches of this world; the scandal of bad example on the part of believers; currents of thought hostile to religion; finally, that attitude of sinful man which makes him hide from God out of fear and flee his call.<br />
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30 "Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice."5 Although man can forget God or reject him, He never ceases to call every man to seek him, so as to find life and happiness. But this search for God demands of man every effort of intellect, a sound will, "an upright heart", as well as the witness of others who teach him to seek God.<br />
You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your wisdom is without measure. And man, so small a part of your creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though but a small a part of your creation, wants to praise you. You yourself encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.<br />
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II. WAYS OF COMING TO KNOW GOD<br />
31 Created in God's image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. These are also called proofs for the existence of God, not in the sense of proofs in the natural sciences, but rather in the sense of "converging and convincing arguments", which allow us to attain certainty about the truth. These "ways" of approaching God from creation have a twofold point of departure: the physical world, and the human person.<br />
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32 The world: starting from movement, becoming, contingency, and the world's order and beauty, one can come to a knowledge of God as the origin and the end of the universe. As St. Paul says of the Gentiles: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. And St. Augustine issues this challenge: Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky. . . question all these realities. All respond: "See, we are beautiful." Their beauty is a profession [confessio]. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One [Pulcher] who is not subject to change?<br />
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33 The human person: with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence. In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. The soul, the "seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material",9 can have its origin only in God.<br />
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34 The world, and man, attest that they contain within themselves neither their first principle nor their final end, but rather that they participate in Being itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end of all things, a reality "that everyone calls God".<br />
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35 Man's faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the existence of a personal God. But for man to be able to enter into real intimacy with him, God willed both to reveal himself to man and to give him the grace of being able to welcome this revelation in faith. The proofs of God's existence, however, can predispose one to faith and help one to see that faith is not opposed to reason.<br />
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III. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH<br />
36 "Our holy mother, the Church, holds and teaches that God, the first principle and last end of all things, can be known with certainty from the created world by the natural light of human reason." Without this capacity, man would not be able to welcome God's revelation. Man has this capacity because he is created "in the image of God".<br />
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37 In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason alone: Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.<br />
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38 This is why man stands in need of being enlightened by God's revelation, not only about those things that exceed his understanding, but also "about those religious and moral truths which of themselves are not beyond the grasp of human reason, so that even in the present condition of the human race, they can be known by all men with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error".<br />
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IV. HOW CAN WE SPEAK ABOUT GOD?<br />
39 In defending the ability of human reason to know God, the Church is expressing her confidence in the possibility of speaking about him to all men and with all men, and therefore of dialogue with other religions, with philosophy and science, as well as with unbelievers and atheists.<br />
40 Since our knowledge of God is limited, our language about him is equally so. We can name God only by taking creatures as our starting point, and in accordance with our limited human ways of knowing and thinking.<br />
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41 All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of creatures - their truth, their goodness, their beauty all reflect the infinite perfection of God. Consequently we can name God by taking his creatures" perfections as our starting point, "for from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator".<br />
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42 God transcends all creatures. We must therefore continually purify our language of everything in it that is limited, image-bound or imperfect, if we are not to confuse our image of God--"the inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, the ungraspable"--with our human representations. Our human words always fall short of the mystery of God.<br />
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43 Admittedly, in speaking about God like this, our language is using human modes of expression; nevertheless it really does attain to God himself, though unable to express him in his infinite simplicity. Likewise, we must recall that "between Creator and creature no similitude can be expressed without implying an even greater dissimilitude"; and that "concerning God, we cannot grasp what he is, but only what he is not, and how other beings stand in relation to him."<br />
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IN BRIEF<br />
44 Man is by nature and vocation a religious being. Coming from God, going toward God, man lives a fully human life only if he freely lives by his bond with God.<br />
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45 Man is made to live in communion with God in whom he finds happiness: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete (St. Augustine, Conf. 10, 28, 39: PL 32, 795}.<br />
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46 When he listens to the message of creation and to the voice of conscience, man can arrive at certainty about the existence of God, the cause and the end of everything.<br />
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47 The Church teaches that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty from his works, by the natural light of human reason (cf. Vatican Council I, can. 2 § 1: DS 3026),<br />
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48 We really can name God, starting from the manifold perfections of his creatures, which are likenesses of the infinitely perfect God, even if our limited language cannot exhaust the mystery.<br />
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49 Without the Creator, the creature vanishes (GS 36). This is the reason why believers know that the love of Christ urges them to bring the light of the living God to those who do not know him or who reject him.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~ <br />
1 Vatican Council II, GS 19 § 1.<br />
2 Acts 17:26-28.<br />
3 GS 19 § 1.<br />
4 Cf. GS 19-21; Mt 13:22; Gen 3:8-10; Jon 1:3.<br />
5 Ps 105:3.<br />
6 St. Augustine, Conf. 1,1,1:PL 32,659-661.<br />
7 Rom 1:19-20; cf. Acts 14:15,17; 17:27-28; Wis 13:1-9.<br />
8 St. Augustine, Sermo 241, 2:PL 38,1134.<br />
9 GS 18 § 1; cf. 14 § 2.<br />
10 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I,2,3.<br />
11 Vatican Council I, Dei Filius 2:DS 3004; cf. 3026; Vatican Council II, Dei Verbum 6.<br />
12 Cf. Gen 1:27.<br />
13 Pius XII, Humani generis, 561:DS 3875.<br />
14 Pius XII, Humani generis, 561:DS 3876; cf. Dei Filius 2:DS 3005; DV 6; St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I,1,1.<br />
15 Wis 13:5.<br />
16 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Anaphora.<br />
17 Lateran Council IV:DS 806.<br />
18 St. Thomas Aquinas, SCG I,30. <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-38826353953804399592018-04-24T13:29:00.000-05:002018-04-29T10:53:21.179-05:00Sunday April 22,, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: Temperance; Reading 1 -Acts 4:8-12 ; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 118:1-29; Reading 2 - First John 3:1-2: Gospel - John 10:11-18; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Anselm: Virtue; Sin; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 11 and 12 The Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Prologue of Part I ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday April 22, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog +JMJ+: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Temperance</i><i>;</i><i> Reading 1 -Acts 4:8-12 ; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 118:1-29; Reading 2 - First John 3:1-2:</i> <i>Gospel - John 10:11-18; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Lucutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Feast Day of Saint Anselm<b>: </b>Virtue; Sin; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 11 and 12 The Resurrection and Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ; Catholic Catechism - Prologue of Part I ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2018<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 4th Sunday in Easter </b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<b>April 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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"Dear children, Through the great love of the Heavenly Father I am beside you as your mother and you are beside me as my children, as apostles of my love whom I ceaselessly gather around me. My children, you are those who, along with prayer, need to completely surrender to my Son so that you may no longer live but my Son may live in you - so that all those who do not know my Son may see Him in you and come to desire<span class="text_exposed_show"> to know Him. Pray that in you they may see resolute humility and goodness, a readiness to serve others; that in you they may see that you live your vocation in the world with the heart, in communion with my Son; that in you they may see meekness, tenderness and love for my Son as well as for all brothers and sisters. Apostles of my love, you must pray much and cleanse your hearts so that you may be the first to walk on the way of my Son, that you may be the just who are united with the justice of my Son. My children, as apostles of my love, you must be united in the communion which emanates from my Son, so that my children who do not know my Son may recognize the communion of love and may come to desire to walk on the way of life, the way of unity with my Son. Thank you." ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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Direction For Our Times</h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">2018 Locutions From Jesus</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realised through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ</span><br />
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<i>"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." </i>~Jesus Christ<i><br />
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February 26, 2018<br />
Jesus<br />
<i>"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognise love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." </i>~Jesus<i> </i>Christ<i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW</span><br />
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Featured Book of the Month</h2>
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<a href="http://www.directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/English_Volume-1.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="Direction For Our Times -Volume One - Thoughts On Spirituality" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnWx1knzjm69gl6uXNsVNiLPdjq3flfEWHzf7O6oVy9VuQllBkZEUHAJ5AocT6-e7FzHFnMJPgYaWsU1YMGLLuVe72e64EeUwQtSsyTor7Bx_tpZHfY1MlL5IbiJXz1vIYYs48Li61m2K/s1600/Vol1_FrntCvr-218x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/English_Volume-1.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13;"> Direction For Our Times - Free Library PDF</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality</span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Direction For Our Times <a href="https://direction-for-our-times-usa.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Book Store</a></span></b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations"> </span>(<span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants">Print • Audio • Digital Media) </span></b></center>
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**Fair Use/Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span></span></h4>
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
<b>Pope Francis</b> has urged Christians to be “couriers of hope,” “genuine witnesses of Jesus in the world”.<br />
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The Pope’s exhortation to leave the Lord’s table after the Eucharist and to be active in bringing His message of peace and mercy into the world, came during the homily at Holy Mass in the southern Italian town of <b>Molfetta</b> where he travelled to pay tribute to Fr. Tonino Bello who was known as “the pastor of mercy” and the bishop of “the last ones.<br />
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Addressing the crowds gathered for Mass in the port area of the coastal town, Pope Francis commented on the liturgical readings of the day which focus on two central elements for Christian life: Bread and the Word.<br />
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<b>The Bread of Life and of Peace</b><br />
Pointing out that bread is the essential food for living and Jesus in the Gospel offers himself to us as the Bread of Life, the Pope said the Eucharist is not just a beautiful rite, but a communion of love that calls on each Christian to be nourished by the Lord in order to then give him or herself to others. “As Don Tonino Bello recalled, works of charity are not enough, if the charity of works is lacking, if the love in which the works are conceived is lacking, if the starting point which is the Eucharist is lacking, every pastoral commitment is only a merry-go-round” he said.<br />
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<b>Living for others is the trademark of a Christian</b><br />
And remarking on the fact that living for others is the “trademark” of a Christian, the Pope said “One could post a warning outside every church: ‘After Mass one no longer lives for oneself, but for others’. Don Tonino lived like this, he said, amongst his people he was a Bishop-Servant, a Pastor whom, before the Tabernacle, “learned to be eaten by the people”. “He dreamed of a Church that is hungry for Jesus and intolerant to worldliness, a Church that sees the body of Christ in the uncomfortable tabernacles of misery, suffering and loneliness”. And reiterating that the “Eucharist cannot stand sedentariness” Francis invited the faithful to ask themselves whether they ‘like to be served at table by the Lord, or do they get up and serve like the Lord?’ ‘Do they give back in life what they receive at Mass?’ “And as Church we could ask ourselves: after so many Communions, have we become people of communion?” he said.<br />
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<b>The Bread of Life</b>, The Pope continued is also the Bread of Peace, and as Don Tonino maintained, peace comes with conviviality, in “eating bread together with others”, because conflict and war, he said, are rooted in not knowing the other. “We, who share this Bread of unity and peace, are called to love every face, to heal every tear; to be, always and everywhere, builders of peace” he said.<br />
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<b>The Word that saves</b><br />
Turning to the theme of the “Word”, the Pope said there is nothing to be gained by just “discussing the words of Jesus.” The Word of Jesus, he continued, “is to walk in life, not to sit down and talk about what goes and what does not go” Don Tonino, he said, urged his people to move from words to deeds, encouraging and supporting those who did not have the courage to change. Reflecting on the first Reading in which the risen Jesus addresses Saul and asks him to put his life at stake saying “Get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do”, the Pope said the first thing to avoid is to ‘not get up’, to submit oneself to life, to be gripped by fear”. Don Tonino, he said, used to say “Stand up!” Because one must stand before the Risen One: “one must stand up and look up because an apostle of Jesus cannot just get by in life with small satisfactions”. The Lord, the Pope said, asks each of us to go forth, to have the courage to leave our comfort zones and to take risks.<br />
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<b>'Couriers of hope'</b><br />
“A Christian life must be invested for Jesus and spent for others” he said. As Don Tonino used to say, he continued, “Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we are called to be bearers of Easter hope, servants – not employees - of the world”. It is nice to be "couriers of hope", simple and joyful distributors of the Easter alleluia” he said.<br />
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Finally Pope Francis invited those present to be humble, because humility does not mean being shy or resigned, but docile to God, and empty of oneself. And once we are stripped of presumption and pride he said, the Word of God frees us, it allows us to move forward, “humble and courageous at the same time”, it does not make us protagonists or champions of our own skills, but genuine witnesses of Jesus in the world.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 04/22/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - temperance </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;"><span class="dbox-bold">tem</span>-per-<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span> ns]</span></h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Dictionary Definition: </span></h4>
<span class="dbox-roman">Word Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1200-50;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">temperaunce</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Anglo-French</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">temperantia</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">self-control.</span> <span class="oneClick-link">See</span> temper, -anc<br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"> <span class="dbox-pg">noun</span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1.</span> moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.<br />
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Catholic Encyclopedia Definition:</h4>
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Temperance is here considered as one of the four cardinal virtues. It may be defined as the righteous habit which makes a man govern his natural appetite for pleasures of the senses in accordance with the norm prescribed by reason. In one sense temperance may be regarded as a characteristic of all the moral virtues; the moderation it enjoins is central to each of them. It is also according to St. Thomas (II-II:141:2) a special virtue. Thus, it is the virtue which bridles concupiscence or which controls the yearning for pleasures and delights which most powerfully attract the human heart. These fall mainly into three classes: some are associated with the preservation of the human individual; others with the perpetuation of the race, and others still with the well-being and comfort of human life. Under this aspect temperance has for subordinate virtues, abstinence, chastity, and modesty. Abstinence prescribes the restraint to be employed in the partaking of food and drink. Obviously the measure of this self-restraint is not constant and invariable. It is different for different persons as well as for different ends in view. The diet of an anchorite would not do for a farm labourer. Abstinence is opposed to the vices of gluttony and drunkenness. The disorder of these is that food and drink are made use of in such wise as to damage instead of benefit the bodily health. Hence gluttony and drunkenness are said to be intrinsically wrong. That does not mean, however, that they are always grievous sins. Gluttony is seldom such; drunkenness is so when it is complete, that is when it destroys the use of reason for the time being. Chastity as a part of temperance regulates the sensual satisfactions connected with the propagation of the human species. The contrary vice is lust. As these pleasures appeal with the special vehemence to human nature, it is the function of chastity to impose the norm of reason. Thus it will decide that they are altogether to be refrained from in obedience to a higher vocation or at any rate only availed of with reference to the purposes of marriage. Chastity is not fanaticism; much less is it insensibility. It is the carrying out of the mandate of temperance in a particular department where such a steadying power is acutely needed. The virtue of modesty, as ranged under temperance, has as its task the holding in reasonable leash of the less violent human passions. It brings into service humility to set in order a man's interior. By transfusing his estimates with truth, and increasing his self-knowledge it guards him against the radical malice of pride. It is averse to pusillanimity, the product of low views and a mean-spirited will. In the government of the exterior of a man modesty aims to make it conform to the demands of decency and decorousness (<i>honestas</i>). In this way his whole outward tenor of conduct and method of life fall under its sway. Such things as his attire, manner of speech, habitual bearing, style of living, have to be made to square with its injunctions. To be sure they cannot always be settled by hard and fast rules. Convention will often have a good deal to say in the case, but in turn will have its propriety determined by modesty. Other virtues are enumerated by St. Thomas as subordinate to temperance inasmuch as they imply moderation in the management of some passion. It ought to be noted, however, that in its primary and generally understood sense temperance is concerned with what is difficult for a man, not in so far as he is a rational being precisely, but rather in so far as he is an animal. The hardest duties for flesh and blood are self-restraint in the use of food and drink and of the venereal pleasures that go with the propagation of the race. That is why abstinence and chastity may be reckoned the chief and ordinary phases of this virtue. All that has been said receives additional force if we suppose that the self-control commanded by temperance is measured not only by the rule of reason but by the revealed law of God as well. It is called a cardinal virtue because the moderation required for every righteous habit has in the practice of temperance a specially trying arena. The satisfactions upon which it imposes a check are at once supremely natural and necessary in the present order of human existence. It is not, however, the greatest of moral virtues. That rank is held by prudence; then come justice, fortitude, and finally temperance. </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> Acts 4:8-12</i></h2>
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, 'Rulers of the people, and elders!<br />
9 If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple and asking us how he was healed,<br />
10 you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured.<br />
11 This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation;<br />
12 for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.'<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><span style="color: #660000;">Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 21, 29</span></h2>
1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.<br />
8 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on human beings;<br />
9 better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on princes.<br />
21 I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Saviour.<br />
21 I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Saviour.<br />
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;<br />
23 This is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it.<br />
26 Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming! We bless you from the house of Yahweh.<br />
29 Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> -</i> <i>First John 5:1-6</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and whoever loves the father loves the son.<br />
<sup>2</sup> In this way we know that we love God's children, when we love God and keep his commandments.<br />
<sup>3</sup> This is what the love of God is: keeping his commandments. Nor are his commandments burdensome,<br />
<sup>4</sup> because every child of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith.<br />
<sup>5</sup> Who can overcome the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?<br />
<sup>6</sup> He it is who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water alone but with water and blood, and it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is Truth.First John 3:1-2<br />
1 You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children -- which is what we are! The reason why the world does not acknowledge us is that it did not acknowledge him.<br />
2 My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are well aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><b>John 10, 11-18</b></b></span></h2>
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<span class="Section1"><b>Jesus the Good Shepherd<br />
</b></span><b>“So that all may have life and have it to the full!”<br />
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<b><span class="style1">1. Opening prayer</span><span style="color: #009900;"><br />
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</b>Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. </div>
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Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.</div>
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<b>a) A key to the reading: </b></div>
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The Gospel of the fourth Sunday after Easter presents to us the parable of the Good Shepherd. This is why, sometimes, it is called the Sunday of the Good Shepherd. In some parishes the feast of the Parish priest is celebrated on this day, the shepherd of the flock. In today’s Gospel, Jesus presented himself as the Good Shepherd, who has come “so that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10,10). At that time, the shepherd was the image of the leader. Jesus says that many presented themselves as shepherds but in fact they were “thieves and brigands”. The same thing happens today. There are persons who present themselves as leaders, but in reality, instead of rendering service, they only seek their own interests. Some of them have such a meek way of speaking, and make such an intelligent type of propaganda that they succeed in deceiving people. Have you ever had the experience of being deceived? Which are the criteria to evaluate a leadership whether at community level or at the level of the country? How is and how should a good shepherd be? Keeping these questions in mind, let us try to meditate on the text of today’s Gospel. During the reading let us try to be attentive to the images which Jesus uses to present himself to the people as a true and good Shepherd.</div>
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<b>b) A division of the text to help me in reading it: </b></div>
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Jn 10, 11: Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd who <b>gives his life for his sheep<br />
</b>Jn 10, 12-13: Jesus defines the attitude of the mercenary<br />
Jn 10, 14-15: Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd who <b>knows his sheep</b><br />
Jn 10, 16: Jesus defines the goal to be attained: only one flock and one shepherd <br />
Jn 10, 17-18: Jesus and the Father.</div>
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<b>c) The Gospel John 10:11-18:</b></div>
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<b></b>11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; 13 he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. 16 And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd. 17 The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, and as I have power to lay it down, so I have power to take it up again; and this is the command I have received from my Father.</div>
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<b>3. A moment of prayerful silence </b></div>
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so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</div>
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<b>4. Some questions </b></div>
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a) What has struck you most in the text of the Good Shepherd? Why?<br />
b) Which are the images which Jesus applies to himself, how does he apply them and what do they signify?<br />
c) How many times does Jesus use the term <b>life</b> in this text and what does he affirm about life?<br />
d) What does the text say about the sheep that we are? Which are the qualities and the tasks of the sheep? <br />
e) <b>Shepherd (Pastor) - Pastoral. </b>Do our <b>pastoral works </b>continue the mission of Jesus-Shepherd?</div>
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<b>5. For those who desire to deepen more into the text</b></div>
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<b>a) Context:</b></div>
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i) The discourse of Jesus on the Good Shepherd (Jn 10, 1-18) is like a brick inserted into a wall which already exits. With this brick the wall is stronger and more beautiful. Immediately before, in Jn 9, 40-41, the Gospel spoke about the healing of the man born blind (Jn 9, 1-38) and of the discussion of Jesus with the Pharisees on blindness (Jn 9, 39-41). Immediately after in Jn 10, 19-21, John gives the conclusion of Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees on blindness. The Pharisees presented themselves before the people as <i>leaders </i>and believed that they could discern and teach the things of God. In reality, they were blind (Jn 9, 40-41) and they despised the opinion of the people represented by the man born blind who had been cured by Jesus (Jn 9, 34). The discourse on the Good Shepherd has been inserted here for the purpose of offering some criteria to know how to discern who is the <i>leader, </i>the shepherd who deserves to be trusted. The parable fulfils a word which Jesus had just said to the Pharisees: “It is for judgment that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight may become blind.” (Jn 9, 39).</div>
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ii) The discourse of Jesus on the “Good Shepherd” presents three comparisons, linked among themselves by the image of the sheep, which offer criteria to discern who is the true shepherd:</div>
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<b>First comparison </b>(Jn 10, 1-5): “<i>Enter through the gate”. </i>Jesus distinguishes between the shepherd of the sheep and the one who climbs some other way to rob them. That which reveals who is the shepherd is the fact that he enters through the gate. The thief climbs some other way.</div>
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<b>Second comparison: </b>(Jn 10, 6-10): <i>“I am the gate”. </i>To enter through the gate means to act like Jesus, whose greatest concern is the life in abundance of the sheep. What the shepherd reveals is the defence of the life of the sheep.</div>
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<b>Third comparison: </b>(Jn 10, 11-18)): <i>“I am the Good Shepherd”. </i>Jesus is not simply a shepherd. He is the <b>Good </b>Shepherd. That which reveals who is the Good Shepherd is (1) the reciprocal knowledge<b> </b>between the sheep and the shepherd and (2) to give his life for the sheep.</div>
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iii) In what way can the parable of the Good Shepherd take away the blindness and open the eyes of persons? At that time, the image of the shepherd was the symbol of the <i>leader. </i>But not because of the simple fact that someone who took care of the sheep can be defined as shepherd. The mercenaries also count and the Pharisees were also <i>leaders. </i>But were they also shepherds? As we shall see, according to the parable, in order to discern who is shepherd and who is a mercenary, it is necessary to pay attention to two things: (a) To the attitude of the sheep before the shepherd guiding them, to see if they recognize his voice. (b) To the attitude of the shepherd before the sheep to see if his interest is the life of the sheep and if he is capable to give his life for them (Jn 10, 11-18).</div>
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iv) The text of the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday after Easter (Jn 10, 11-18) is the last part of the discourse on the Good Shepherd (Jn 10, 1-18). This is why we wish to comment on the whole text. We observe closely the diverse images which Jesus uses to present himself to us as the true and Good Shepherd.</div>
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<b>b) Commentary on the text:</b></div>
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i) Jn 10, 1-5: First image: <i>the shepherd “enters through the gate”<br />
</i>Jesus begins the discourse with the comparison of the gate: “He who does not enter through the gate, but climbs somewhere else, is a thief, a bandit! Instead, the one who enters through the gate, is the shepherd of the sheep!” To understand this comparison, it is well to remember what follows. At that time, the shepherds took care of the flocks during the day. When night arrived, they took the sheep into a large communitarian place, which was well protected against thieves and wolves. All the shepherds from the same region took their flocks there. There was a guardian who took care of them during the night. On the following day, early in the morning, the shepherd would go, knocked on the gate and the guardian would open. The sheep recognized the voice of their shepherd, got up and got out following him to the pastures. The sheep of the other shepherds heard the voice, but did not move because for them it was an unknown voice. The sheep recognizes the voice of <i>its </i>shepherd. From time to time, there was the danger of bandits. To rob the sheep, the thieves presented themselves to the guardian by the other door, but entered by another side or destroyed the wall, made of stones one on top of the other.</div>
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ii) Jn 10, 6-10: Second image: He explains what it means<i> “to enter through the gate”: </i><br />
<i> </i>Jesus is the gate. The Pharisees who were listening to Jesus, (cf. Jn 9, 40-41), did not understand the comparison. Then, Jesus explained: “I am the gate of the sheepfold. All those who have come before me, are thieves and bandits”. About whom is Jesus speaking using these hard words? Probably, he is referring to the religious <i>leaders </i>who drew people behind them, but who did not respond to the hopes of the people. They deceived the people,<i> </i>leaving them worse than before. They were not interested in the good of the people, but rather in their own interests and in their own portfolio. Jesus explains that the fundamental criterion to discern who is the shepherd and who is the bandit is the concern for the <b>life of the sheep. </b>He asks the people not to follow the one who presents himself as a shepherd, but does not desire the life of the people. It is here that Jesus pronounced that phrase which we sing even now: “I have come so that they may have life, and life to the full!” This is the first criterion.</div>
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iii) Jn 10, 11-16: Third image: <i>he explains what it means “I have come so that they have life, and life to the full” </i>(The text for this fourth Sunday after Easter begins here<i>)</i>.<br />
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* Jn 10, 11: <i>Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.<br />
</i>Jesus changes the comparison. First, he was the <b>gate</b> of the sheep. Now he says that he is the <b><i>shepherd</i> </b>of the sheep. And not just any shepherd, but rather: “I am the <b>Good</b> Shepherd!” The image of the good shepherd comes from the Old Testament. Everybody knew what a shepherd was and how he lived and worked. In saying that he is a Good Shepherd, Jesus presents himself as the one who comes to fulfil the promises of the prophets and the hopes of the people. He insists on two points: (a) the defence of the life of the sheep; the <b>good</b> shepherd gives his life (Jn 10, 11.15.17.18): (b) in the reciprocal understanding between the shepherd and the sheep; the shepherd knows his sheep and they know the shepherd (Jn 10, 4.14.16).</div>
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* Jn 10, 12-13: <i>Jesus defines the attitude of the mercenary who is not a shepherd.<br />
</i><b>“</b>The mercenary who is not a shepherd”. Looking from outside, the differences between the mercenary and the shepherd are not perceived. Both of them are busy with the sheep. Today there are many persons who take care of other persons in hospitals, in the communities, in the old peoples’ homes, in schools, in public services, in the parishes. Some do this out of love, others, <b><i>hardly </i></b>for a salary, in order to survive. These persons are not interested in the other persons. Their attitude is that of a functionary, of a worker earning a salary, of a mercenary. In a moment of danger, they are not interested, because “the sheep are not theirs”, the children are not theirs, the pupils are not theirs, their neighbours are not theirs, the faithful are not theirs, the sick are not theirs, the members of the community are not theirs.<br />
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Now, instead of judging the behaviour of others, let us place ourselves before our own conscience and let us ask ourselves: “In my relationship with others, am I a mercenary or a shepherd?” Look, Jesus does not condemn you because the worker has a right to his salary (Lk 10, 7), but he asks you to take another step forward and to become a shepherd. </div>
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* Jn 10, 14-15: <i>Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep.<br />
</i>Two things characterize the Good Shepherd: a) <i>he knows the sheep and is known by them. </i>in the language of Jesus, <b>"to know" </b>is not a question of knowing the name or the face of the person, but to be in relationship with a person as a friend, and with affection. b) <i>to give the life for the sheep.</i> That means to be ready to sacrifice oneself out of love. The sheep feel and perceive when a person defends and protects them. This is valid for all of us: for the Parish priests and for those who have some responsibility towards other persons. In order to know if a Parish Priest is a <i>good shepherd </i>it is not sufficient to be named Parish Priest and to obey the norms of Canon Law. It is necessary to be recognized as a good shepherd by the sheep. Sometimes this is forgotten in the present day politics of the Church. Jesus says that not only does the shepherd know the sheep, but also the sheep know the shepherd. They have criteria for this. Because if they do not recognize him, even if he is named according to Canon Law, he is not a shepherd according to the Heart of Jesus. Not only the sheep have to obey the one who guides them. Also the one who guides has to be very attentive to the reaction of the sheep to know if he is acting like a shepherd or like a mercenary.</div>
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* Jn 10, 16: <i>Jesus defines the goal to be attained; only one flock, only one shepherd.<br />
</i>Jesus opens the horizon and says that he has other sheep that are not of this fold. They have not as yet heard the voice of Jesus, but when they will hear it, they will become aware that he is the shepherd and they will follow him. Who will do this, and when will this happen? We are the ones, imitating in everything the behaviour of Jesus, the Good Shepherd!<br />
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* Jn 10, 17-18: <i>Jesus and the Father.<br />
</i>In these two last verses Jesus opens himself and makes us understand something which is in the deepest part of his heart: his relationship with the Father. Here the truth of everything he says in another moment is perceived: “I shall no longer call you servants, but I have called you friends because all that I have heard from the Father I have made it known to you” (Jn 15, 15). Jesus is for us an open book.</div>
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<b>c) Extending the information:</b></div>
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<b>The image of the Shepherd in the Old Testament which is realized in Jesus</b></div>
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i) In Palestine, the survival of the people depended on the cattle breeding: goats and sheep. The image of the shepherd who guides his sheep to the pasture was known by everyone, just like today we know the image of the bus driver. It was normal to use the image of the shepherd to indicate the function of the one who governed and guided the people. The prophets criticized the kings because they were shepherds who were not concerned about their flocks and did not guide them to the pastures (Jr 2,8; 10,21; 23, 1-2). This criticism of the bad shepherds increased and reached its summit when the people were deported into exile because of the fault of the king (Ezk 34, 1-10; Zc 11, 4-17).</div>
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ii) In the face of the frustration which they had to suffer because of the way the bad shepherds acted, the desire arose to have God as the shepherd. a desire which is very well expressed in the Psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want (Ps 23, 1-6; Gn 48, 15). The prophets hope that in the future, God himself will come to guide his fold, like a shepherd (Is 40, 11; Ezk 34, 11-16). And they hope that this time the people will know how to recognize the voice of their shepherd: “Today listen to his voice!” (Ps 95, 7). They hope that God will come as a Judge who will pronounce judgment among the sheep of the fold (Ezk 34,17). The desire and the hope arise that one day, God will arouse good shepherds and that the Messiah will be a Good Shepherd for the People of God (Jr 3, 15; 23, 4).</div>
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iii) Jesus fulfils this hope and presents himself as the Good Shepherd, different from the bandits who, before him, had robed the people. He also presents himself as the Judge of the people who, at the end, will issue the sentence as the shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats (Mt 25, 31-46). In Jesus the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled, which says that the good shepherd will be persecuted by the evil shepherds, annoyed by his denunciation: “Strike the shepherd, scatter the sheep!” (Zc 13, 7).</div>
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iv) At the end of the Gospel of John, the image is extended and Jesus at the end is everything at the same time: gate (Jn 10, 7, shepherd (Jn 10, 11) lamb and sheep (Jn 1, 36)!</div>
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<b>A key for the Gospel of John</b></div>
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Everyone perceives the difference that exists between the Gospel of John and the other three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Someone defines it as follows: The other three make a photo, John makes and X-Ray. That is, John helps his readers to discover the most profound dimension which exits in what Jesus says and does. He reveals the hidden things that only the X-Rays of faith succeed to discover and reveal. John teaches to read the other Gospels with the gaze of faith and to discover the most profound significance. Jesus himself had already said that he would have sent the gift of his Spirit in order that we could understand all the fullness of his own word (Jn 14, 24-25; 16, 12-13). The ancient Fathers of the Church said: the Gospel of John is “spiritual” and “symbolical”.</div>
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Some examples: (a) Jesus cures the man born blind (Jn 9, 6-7). For John this miracle has a more profound significance. It reveals that Jesus is the light of the World who makes us understand and contemplate better the things of God in life (Jn 9, 39). (b) Jesus rises Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11, 43-44) not only to help Lazarus and to console his two sisters, Martha and Mary, but also to reveal that he is the Resurrection and the Life (Jn 11, 25-26). (c) Jesus changes 600 liters of water into wine at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2, 1-13). And he does this not only to safeguard the joy of the feast, but also and above all, to reveal that the new Law of the Gospel is like wine compared to the water of the former Law. And he does it with such great abundance (600 liters), precisely to signify that it will not be lacking for anyone, up until today! (d) Jesus multiplies the bread and feeds the hungry (Jn 6, 11) not only to satisfy the hunger of those poor people who were with him in the desert, but also to reveal that he himself is the bread of life which nourishes all throughout life (Jn 6, 34-58). (e) Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman about water (Jn 4, 7.10), but he wanted that she would succeed to discover the water of the gift of God which she already had within her (Jn 4, 14-14). In one word, it is the Spirit of Jesus that gives life (Jn 6, 63). The flesh or only the letter are not enough and can even kill the sense and the life (2 Co 3, 6).<br />
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<span class="style1"><b>6. Prayer:</b> <b>Psalm 23 (22)</b></span></div>
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<b>Yahweh is my shepherd</b><b>! </b></div>
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Yahweh is my shepherd, <br />
I lack nothing.<br />
In grassy meadows he lets me lie. <br />
By tranquil streams he leads me<br />
to restore my spirit. <br />
He guides me in paths of saving justice <br />
as befits his name.</div>
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Even were I to walk in a ravine <br />
as dark as death <br />
I should fear no danger, <br />
for you are at my side. <br />
Your staff and your crook <br />
are there to soothe me.</div>
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You prepare a table <br />
for me under the eyes of my enemies; <br />
you anoint my head with oil; <br />
my cup brims over.</div>
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Kindness and faithful love pursue me <br />
every day of my life. <br />
I make my home in the house <br />
of Yahweh for all time to come.</div>
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<b>7. Final Prayer </b></div>
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Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<b>Saint of the Day: Saint Anselm </b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>:<i> April 21</i><i> </i></div>
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<b>Attributes</b>: <span class="nowrap">Archbishop, Doctor</span> of the Church.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0-oKclk71KheacnA4LLpgCk1bno5lvogV2GZJ3_WHB4XjJOff2d9PCpEsowkss-R9XmeWW0X3TK2aHppyUXUJ-nDKAkNKAgle7_ZQUKYcw9RF7evkt-l83lWHot_5k5hZK-K8uv-M8Mz/s1600/anse02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0-oKclk71KheacnA4LLpgCk1bno5lvogV2GZJ3_WHB4XjJOff2d9PCpEsowkss-R9XmeWW0X3TK2aHppyUXUJ-nDKAkNKAgle7_ZQUKYcw9RF7evkt-l83lWHot_5k5hZK-K8uv-M8Mz/s1600/anse02.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Anselm of Canterbury</b><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[a]</sup> (/<span style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/æ/: 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span><span title="/ɛ/: 'e' in 'dress'">ɛ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="'m' in 'my'">m</span></span>/) (1033/4-1109), also called <span class="nowrap"><b>Anselm of Aosta</b></span> (<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Italian language">Italian</a>: <i><span lang="it">Anselmo d'Aosta</span></i>) after his <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Aosta">birthplace</a> and <span class="nowrap"><b>Anselm of Bec</b></span> (<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="French language">French</a>: <i><span lang="fr">Anselme du Bec</span></i>) after his <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Abbey of Bec">monastery</a>, was a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Benedictines">Benedictine monk</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Abbot">abbot</a>, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Philosopher">philosopher</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Theology">theologian</a> of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Catholic Church">Catholic Church</a>, who held the office of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Archbishop of Canterbury">archbishop</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Diocese of Canterbury">Canterbury</a> from 1093 to 1109. After his death, he was <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Canonization">canonized</a> as a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Christian saint">saint</a>; his <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Calendar of the saints">feast day</a> is 21 April.</div>
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Beginning at <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bec Abbey">Bec</a>, Anselm composed dialogues and treatises with a rational and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Philosophy">philosophical</a> approach, sometimes causing him to be credited as the founder of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Scholasticism">Scholasticism</a>. Despite his lack of recognition in this field in his own time, Anselm is now famed as the originator of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Ontological argument">ontological argument</a> for the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Existence of God">existence of God</a> and of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Satisfaction theory of atonement">satisfaction theory</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Atonement in Christianity">atonement</a>. He was proclaimed a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Doctor of the Church">Doctor of the Church</a> by a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Papal bull">bull</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pope Clement XI">Pope Clement XI</a> in 1720.<br />
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As archbishop, he defended the church's interests in England amid the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Investiture Controversy">Investiture Controversy</a>. For his resistance to the English kings <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="William II of England">William II</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Henry I of England">Henry I</a>, he was exiled twice: once from 1097 to 1100 and then from 1105 to 1107. While in exile, he helped guide the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Greek Orthodox Church">Greek bishops</a> of southern Italy to adopt Roman rites at the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Council of Bari">Council of Bari</a>. He worked for the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Primate bishop">primacy</a> of Canterbury over the bishops of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Archbishop of York">York</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Catholic Church in Wales">Wales</a> but, though at his death he appeared to have been successful, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pope Paschal II">Pope Paschal II</a> later reversed himself and restored York's independence.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Family">Family</span></h3>
Anselm was born in or <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Valle D'Aosta">around</a> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Aosta">Aosta</a> in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Upper Burgundy">Upper Burgundy</a> sometime between April 1033 and April 1034.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–2]_6-0">[5]</sup> The area now forms part of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Republic of Italy">Republic of Italy</a>, but Aosta had been part of the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Carolingian dynasty">Carolingian</a> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of Arles">Kingdom of Arles</a> until the death of the childless <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Rudolph III of Burgundy">Rudolph III</a> in 1032.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19907_7-0">[6]</sup> The <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Conrad II">Emperor</a> and the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Odo II, count of Blois">Count of Blois</a> then went to war over his succession. <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Humbert the White-Handed">Humbert the White-Handed</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Count of Maurienne">count</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="County of Maurienne">Maurienne</a>, so distinguished himself that he was granted a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="County of Aosta">new county</a> carved out of the secular holdings of the less helpful <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Bishop of Aosta">bishop</a> of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Diocese of Aosta">Aosta</a>. Humbert's son <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Otto I, count of Savoy">Otto</a> was subsequently permitted to inherit the extensive <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="March of Susa">march of Susa</a> through his wife <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Adelaide of Susa">Adelaide</a> in preference to her uncle's families, who had supported the effort to establish an independent <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of Italy (HRE)">Kingdom of Italy</a> under <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="William V of Aquitaine">William the Great</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Duchy of Aquitaine">Aquitaine</a>. Otto and Adelaide's unified lands then controlled the most important passes in the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Western Alps">western Alps</a> and formed the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="County of Savoy">county of Savoy</a> whose <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="House of Savoy">dynasty</a> would later rule the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of Sardinia">kingdoms of Sardinia</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of Italy">Italy</a>.<br />
Records during this period are scanty, but both sides of Anselm's immediate family appear to have been dispossessed by these decisions<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–4]_8-0">[7]</sup> in favour of their extended relations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19908_9-0">[8]</sup> His father Gundulph<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-0">[9]</sup> or Gundulf<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERobson1996_11-0">[10]</sup> was a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Lombards">Lombard</a> noble,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73_73]_12-0">[11]</sup> probably one of Adelaide's <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Arduinici">Arduinici</a> uncles or cousins;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1]_13-0">[12]</sup> his mother Ermenberga was almost certainly the granddaughter of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Conrad the Peaceful">Conrad the Peaceful</a>, related both to the Anselmid bishops of Aosta and to the heirs of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Henry II (HRE)">Henry II</a> who had been passed over in favour of Conrad.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1]_13-1">[12]</sup> The marriage was thus probably arranged for political reasons but was incapable of resisting Conrad's decrees after his successful annexation of Burgundy on 1 August 1034.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA2_2]_14-0">[13]</sup> (<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Burchard, bishop of Aosta">Bishop Burchard</a> subsequently revolted against imperial control but was defeated; he was ultimately <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Translation (bishop)">translated</a> to <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Diocese of Lyon">Lyons</a>.) Ermenberga appears to have been the wealthier of the two. Gundulph moved to his wife's town,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19907_7-1">[6]</sup> where she held a palace, likely near the cathedral, along with a villa in the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Valle D'Aosta">valley</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA4_4–7]_15-0">[14]</sup> Anselm's father is sometimes described as having a harsh and violent temper<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-1">[9]</sup> but contemporary accounts merely portray him as having been overgenerous or careless with his wealth;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA7_7–8]_16-0">[15]</sup> Anselm's patient and devoutly religious mother,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-2">[9]</sup> meanwhile, made up for her husband's fault with her own prudent management of the family estates.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA7_7–8]_16-1">[15]</sup> In later life, there are records of three relations who visited Bec: Folceraldus, Haimo, and Rainaldus. The first repeatedly attempted to impose on Anselm's success but was rebuffed owing to his ties to another monastery; the latter two Anselm attempted in vain to persuade to join his community.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19909_17-0">[16]</sup><br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19909_17-0"> </sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern19909_17-0"> </sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span></h3>
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Becca di Nona south of Aosta, the sight of a supposed mystical vision during Anselm's childhood<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA12_12–14]_18-0">[17]</sup></div>
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<b> </b>At the age of fifteen, Anselm desired to enter a monastery but, failing to obtain his father's consent, he was refused by the abbot.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-0">[18]</sup> The illness he then suffered has been considered a psychosomatic effect of his disappointment,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-3">[9]</sup> but upon his recovery he gave up his studies and for a time lived a carefree life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-4">[9]</sup><br />
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Following the death of his mother, probably at the birth of his sister Richera,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilmot-Buxton1915Ch.&nbsp;3_20-0">[19]</sup> Anselm's father repented his earlier lifestyle but professed his new faith with a severity that the boy found likewise unbearable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853365–366_21-0">[20]</sup> Once Gundulph had entered a convent,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366_22-0">[21]</sup> Anselm, at age 23,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth20039_23-0">[22]</sup> left home with a single attendant,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-5">[9]</sup> crossed the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Alps">Alps</a>, and wandered through <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of Burgundy">Burgundy</a> and <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Kingdom of France">France</a> for three years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-1">[18]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[b]</sup> His countryman <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Lanfranc">Lanfranc</a> of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Pavia">Pavia</a> was then <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Prior">prior</a> of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Benedictine Order">Benedictine</a> <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Abbey of Bec">abbey of Bec</a>; attracted by the fame of his fellow countryman, Anselm reached <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Duchy of Normandy">Normandy</a> in 1059.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-6">[9]</sup> After spending some time in <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Avranches">Avranches</a>, he returned the next year. His father having died, he consulted with Lanfranc as to whether to return to his estates and employ their income in providing <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Almsgiving">alms</a> or to renounce them, becoming a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Hermit">hermit</a> or a monk at Bec or <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Cluny">Cluny</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1_25-0">[23]</sup> Professing to fear his own bias, Lanfranc sent him to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Maurilius">Maurilius</a>, the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Archbishop of Rouen">archbishop</a> of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Diocese of Rouen">Rouen</a>, who convinced him to enter the abbey as a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Catholic novitiate">novice</a> at the age of 27.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-2">[18]</sup> Probably in his first year, he wrote his first work on philosophy, a treatment of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Latin">Latin</a> paradoxes called the <i>Grammarian</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-0">[24]</sup> Over the next decade, the <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Rule of Saint Benedict">Rule of Saint Benedict</a> reshaped his thought.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern199032_27-0">[2</sup><br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Abbot_of_Bec"> </span></h3>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Abbot_of_Bec">Abbot of Bec</span></h3>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_years">Early years</span></h4>
Three years later, in 1063, Duke William II summoned Lanfranc to serve as the abbot of his new abbey of St Stephen at Caen<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-7">[9]</sup> and the monks of Bec—with some dissenters at first on account of his youth<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-3">[18]</sup>—elected Anselm as his replacement.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200310_28-0">[26]</sup> A notable opponent was a young monk named Osborne. Anselm overcame his hostility first by praising, indulging, and privileging him in all things despite his hostility and then, when his affection and trust were gained, gradually withdrawing all preference until he upheld the strictest obedience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366–367_29-0">[27]</sup> Along similar lines, he remonstrated a neighboring abbot who complained that his charges were incorrigible despite being beaten "night and day".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853367–368_30-0">[28]</sup> After fifteen years, in 1078, Anselm was unanimously elected as Bec's abbot following the death of its founder,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853368_31-0">[29]</sup> the warrior-monk Herluin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-8">[9]</sup> He was consecrated by the Bishop of Évreux on 22 February 1079.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975282_32-0">[30]</sup><br />
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Under Anselm's direction, Bec became the foremost seat of learning in Europe,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-9">[9]</sup> attracting students from France, Italy, and elsewhere.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200315_33-0">[31]</sup> During this time, he wrote the <i>Monologion</i> and <i>Proslogion</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-10">[9]</sup> He then composed a series of dialogues on the nature of truth, free will,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-11">[9]</sup> and the fall of Satan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-1">[24]</sup> When the nominalist Roscelin attempted to appeal to the authority of Lanfranc and Anselm at his trial for the heresy of tritheism at Soissons in 1092,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]_34-0">[32]</sup> Anselm composed the first draft of <i>De Fide Trinitatis</i> as a rebuttal and as a defence of Trinitarianism and universals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-0">[33]</sup> The fame of the monastery grew not only from his intellectual achievements, however, but also from his good example<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1_25-1">[23]</sup> and his loving, kindly method of discipline<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-12">[9]</sup>—particularly with the younger monks<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-4">[18]</sup>—and from his spirited defence of the abbey's independence from lay and archiepiscopal control, protecting it from the influence of both the new Archbishop of Rouen and the Earl of Leicester.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975281_36-0">[34]</sup><br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="In_England">In England</span></h4>
Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, devoted lords had given the abbey extensive lands across the Channel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-13">[9]</sup> Anselm occasionally visited to oversee the monastery's property, to wait upon his sovereign William I of England (formerly Duke William II of Normandy),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853369_37-0">[35]</sup> and to visit Lanfranc, who had been installed as archbishop of Canterbury in 1070.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200316_38-0">[36]</sup> He was respected by William I<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''200574_39-0">[37]</sup> and the good impression he made while in Canterbury made him the favourite of its cathedral chapter as a future successor to Lanfranc.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-14">[9]</sup> Instead, upon the archbishop's death in 1089, King William II—William Rufus or William the Red—refused the appointment of any successor and appropriated the see's lands and revenues for himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-15">[9]</sup> Fearing the difficulties that would attend being named to the position in opposition to the king, Anselm avoided journeying to England during this time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-16">[9]</sup> The gravely ill Hugh, Earl of Chester, finally lured him over with three pressing messages in 1092,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853370_40-0">[38]</sup> seeking advice on how best to handle the establishment of a new monastery at St Werburgh's.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-5">[18]</sup> Hugh was recovered by the time of Anselm's arrival,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-6">[18]</sup> but he was occupied four<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-17">[9]</sup> or five months by his assistance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-7">[18]</sup> He then travelled to his former pupil Gilbert Crispin, abbot of Westminster, and waited, apparently delayed by the need to assemble the donors of Bec's new lands in order to obtain royal approval of the grants.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189]_41-0">[39]</sup><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 19th-century portrayal of Anselm being dragged to the cathedral by the English bishops</td></tr>
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At Christmas, William II pledged by the Holy Face of Lucca that neither Anselm nor any other would sit at Canterbury while he lived<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853371_42-0">[40]</sup> but in March he fell seriously ill at Alveston. Believing his sinful behavior was responsible,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983298–299_43-0">[41]</sup> he summoned Anselm to hear his confession and administer last rites.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189]_41-1">[39]</sup> He published a proclamation releasing his captives, discharging his debts, and promising to henceforth govern according to the law.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-8">[18]</sup> On 6 March 1093, he further nominated Anselm to fill the vacancy at Canterbury; the clerics gathered at court acclaiming him, forcing the crozier into his hands, and bodily carrying him to a nearby church amid a <i>Te Deum</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189–190]_44-0">[42]</sup> Anselm tried to refuse on the grounds of age and ill-health for months<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200316_38-1">[36]</sup> and the monks of Bec refused to give him permission to leave them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA191_191–192]_45-0">[43]</sup> Negotiations were handled by the recently restored Bishop William of Durham and Robert, count of Meulan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983306_46-0">[44]</sup> On 24 August, Anselm gave King William the conditions under which he would accept the position, which amounted to the agenda of the Gregorian Reform: the king would have to return the church lands which had been seized, accept his spiritual counsel, and forswear the antipope Clement III in favour of Urban II.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974246_47-0">[45]</sup> William Rufus was exceedingly reluctant to accept these conditions: he consented only to the first<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975286_48-0">[46]</sup> and, a few days afterwards, reneged on that, suspending preparations for Anselm's investiture.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2015)">citation needed</span></i>]</sup> Public pressure forced William to return to Anselm and in the end they settled on a partial return of Canterbury's lands as his own concession.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974248_49-0">[47]</sup> Anselm received dispensation from his duties in Normandy,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891_10-18">[9]</sup> did homage to William, and—on 25 September 1093—was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200317_50-0">[48]</sup> The same day, William II finally returned the lands of the see.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975286_48-1">[46]</sup><br />
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From the mid-8th century, it had become customary that metropolitan bishops could not be consecrated without a woolen pallium given or sent by the pope himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoniface747Letter_to_Cuthbert_51-0">[49]</sup> Anselm insisted that he journey to Rome for this purpose but William would not permit it. Amid the Investiture Controversy, Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV had deposed each other twice; bishops loyal to Henry finally elected Guibert, archbishop of Ravenna, as a second pope. In France, Philip I had recognized Gregory and his successors Victor III and Urban II, but Guibert (as "Clement III") held Rome after 1084.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52">[50]</sup> William had not chosen a side and maintained his right to prevent the acknowledgement of either pope by an English subject prior to his choice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907_53-0">[51]</sup> In the end, a ceremony was held to consecrate Anselm as archbishop on 4 December, without the pallium.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975286_48-2">[46]</sup><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue of Anselm on the southwest porch of Canterbury Cathedral, holding a copy of <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Cur Deus Homo</span></i> in its right hand</td></tr>
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It has been argued whether Anselm's reluctance to take the see was sincere or not. Scholars such as Southern<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974240_54-0">[52]</sup> and Kent<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907_53-1">[51]</sup> maintain Anselm's honest preference was to remain at Bec. Anselm had initially considered becoming a hermit<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHughes-Edwards2012[https://books.google.com/books?id=PFSuBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19_19]_55-0">[53]</sup> and, naturally drawn to contemplation, he likely would have cared little for such a political office at the best of times and disliked it all the more amid his own troubled age.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907_53-2">[51]</sup> Against this, Vaughn notes that feigned reluctance to accept important positions was a common practice within the medieval church, as open eagerness risked earning a reputation as an ambitious careerist. She further notes that his approach improved his negotiating position and that he finally acted at the moment that gained him the greatest leverage in advancing the interests of his see and the reform movement within the church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56">[54]</sup><br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Archbishop_of_Canterbury">Archbishop of Canterbury</span></h3>
As archbishop, Anselm maintained his monastic ideals, including stewardship, prudence, and proper instruction, prayer and contemplation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1988218_57-0">[55]</sup> Anselm continued to agitate for reform and the interests of Canterbury.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1978357_58-0">[56]</sup> As such, he repeatedly took advantage of expedient moments to press the English monarchy for concessions and support of the reform agenda.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975293_59-0">[57]</sup> His principled opposition to royal prerogatives over the church, meanwhile, twice led to his exile from England.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891–92_60-0">[58]</sup><br />
The traditional view of historians has been to see Anselm as aligned with the papacy against lay authority and Anselm's term in office as the English theatre of the Investiture Controversy begun by Pope Gregory VII and the emperor Henry IV.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891–92_60-1">[58]</sup> Vaughn has argued against this and seen Anselm as primarily concerned with the dignity of Canterbury rather than the Church at large, thus acting as a third pole in the controversy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198061_61-0">[59]</sup> By the time of a charter of c.<span style="white-space: nowrap;"> 3</span> September 1101, he was styling himself "Archbishop of Canterbury and primate of Great Britain and Ireland and vicar of the High Pontiff Paschal".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975295_62-0">[60]</sup> By the end of his life, he had proven successful, having freed Canterbury from submission to the English king,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198082_63-0">[61]</sup> received papal recognition of the subservience of the wayward York<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198083_64-0">[62]</sup> and the Welsh bishops, and gained strong authority over the Irish bishops.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975298_65-0">[63]</sup> He died before the Canterbury–York dispute was definitively settled, however, and Pope Honorius II finally found in favour of York instead.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDuggan196598–99_66-0">[64]</sup><br />
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Although the work was largely handled by Christ Church's priors Ernulf (1096–1107) and Conrad (1108–1126), Anselm's episcopate also saw the expansion of Canterbury Cathedral from Lanfranc's initial plans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWillis1845[https://books.google.com/books?id=v1kgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA17_17–18]_68-0">[66]</sup> The eastern end was demolished and an expanded choir placed over a large and well-decorated crypt, doubling the cathedral's length.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECook194949_69-0">[67]</sup> The new choir formed a church unto itself with its own transepts and a semicircular ambulatory opening into three chapels.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWillis1845[https://books.google.com/books?id=v1kgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA45_45–47]_70-0">[68]</sup><br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Conflicts_with_William_Rufus">Conflicts with William Rufus</span></h4>
Anselm's vision was of a universal Church with its own internal authority, which clashed with William II's desire for royal control over both church and state.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975293_59-1">[57]</sup> One of Anselm's first conflicts with William came in the month he was consecrated. William II was preparing to wrest Normandy from his elder brother, Robert II, and needed funds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975287_71-0">[69]</sup> Anselm was among those expected to pay him. He offered £500 but William refused, encouraged by his courtiers to insist on 1000 as a kind of annates for Anselm's elevation to archbishop. Anselm not only refused, he further pressed the king to fill England's other vacant positions, permit bishops to meet freely in councils, and to allow Anselm to resume enforcement of canon law, particularly against incestuous marriages,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-9">[18]</sup> until he was ordered to silence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA482_482]_72-0">[70]</sup> When a group of bishops subsequently suggested that William might now settle for the original sum, Anselm replied that he had already given the money to the poor and "that he disdained to purchase his master's favour as he would a horse or ass".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]_34-1">[32]</sup> The king being told this, he replied Anselm's blessing for his invasion would not be needed as "I hated him before, I hate him now, and shall hate him still more hereafter".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA482_482]_72-1">[70]</sup> Withdrawing to Canterbury, Anselm began work on the <i>Cur Deus Homo</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]_34-2">[32]</sup><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Anselm Assuming the Pallium in Canterbury Cathedral" from E. M. Wilmot-Buxton's 1915 <i>Anselm</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWilmot-Buxton1915136_73-0">[71]</sup></td></tr>
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Upon William's return, Anselm insisted that he travel to the court of Urban II to secure the pallium that legitimized his office.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]_34-3">[32]</sup> On 25 February 1095, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of England met in a council at Rockingham to discuss the issue. The next day, William ordered the bishops not to treat Anselm as their primate or as Canterbury's archbishop, as he openly adhered to Urban. The bishops sided with the king, the Bishop of Durham presenting his case<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPowell_&_al.196852_74-0">[72]</sup> and even advising William to depose and exile Anselm.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1987182–185_75-0">[73]</sup> The nobles siding with Anselm, the conference ended in deadlock and the matter was postponed.<br />
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Immediately following this, William secretly sent William Warelwast and Gerard to Italy,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1978357_58-1">[56]</sup> prevailing on Urban to send a legate bearing Canterbury's pallium.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975289_76-0">[74]</sup> Walter, bishop of Albano, was chosen and negotiated in secret with William's representative, the Bishop of Durham.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECantor195892_77-0">[75]</sup> The king agreed to publicly support Urban's cause in exchange for acknowledgement of his rights to accept no legates without invitation and to block clerics from receiving or obeying papal letters without his approval. William's greatest desire was for Anselm to be removed from office. Walter said that "there was good reason to expect a successful issue in accordance with the king's wishes" but, upon William's open acknowledgement of Urban as pope, Walter steadfastly refused to depose the archbishop.<sup><i> </i></sup>William then tried to sell the pallium to others, failed,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDavies1874[https://books.google.com/books?id=eIADAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA73_73]_78-0">[76]</sup> tried to extract a payment from Anselm for the pallium, but was again refused. William then tried to personally bestow the pallium to Anselm, an act connoting the church's subservience to the throne, and was again refused.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA485_485]_79-0">[77]</sup> In the end, the pallium was laid on the altar at Canterbury, whence Anselm took it on 10 June 1095.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA485_485]_79-1">[77]</sup><br />
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The First Crusade was declared at the Council of Clermont in November.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81">[c]</sup> Despite his service for the king which earned him rough treatment from Anselm's biographer Eadmer,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECantor195897_82-0">[79]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1987188_83-0">[80]</sup> upon the grave illness of the Bishop of Durham in December, Anselm journeyed to console and bless him on his deathbed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1987194_84-0">[81]</sup> Over the next two years, William opposed several of Anselm's efforts at reform—including his right to convene a council<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''200574_39-1">[37]</sup>—but no overt dispute is known. However, in 1094, the Welsh had begun to recover their lands from the Marcher Lords and William's 1095 invasion had accomplished little; two larger forays were made in 1097 against Cadwgan in Powys and Gruffudd in Gwynedd. These were also unsuccessful and William was compelled to erect a series of border fortresses.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPotter2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=h_zW8TBBVQkC&pg=PA47_47]_85-0">[82]</sup> He charged Anselm with having given him insufficient knights for the campaign and tried to fine him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975291_86-0">[83]</sup> In the face of William's refusal to fulfill his promise of church reform, Anselm resolved to proceed to Rome—where an army of French crusaders had finally installed Urban—in order to seek the counsel of the pope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975293_59-2">[57]</sup> William again denied him permission. The negotiations ended with Anselm being "given the choice of exile or total submission": if he left, William declared he would seize Canterbury and never again receive Anselm as archbishop; if he were to stay, William would impose his fine and force him to swear never again to appeal to the papacy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975292_87-0">[84]</sup><br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_exile">First exile</span></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romanelli's c.<span style="white-space: nowrap;"> 1640</span> <i>Meeting of </i><i>Countess Matilda and Anselm of Canterbury in the Presence of Pope Urban II</i></td></tr>
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Anselm chose to depart in October 1097.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975293_59-3">[57]</sup> Although Anselm retained his nominal title, William immediately seized the revenues of his bishopric and retained them til death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1978360_88-0">[85]</sup> From Lyons, Anselm wrote to Urban, requesting that he be permitted to resign his office. Urban refused but commissioned him to prepare a defence of the Western doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit against representatives from the Greek Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=cimpTwnAjxwC&pg=PA279_279]_89-0">[86]</sup> Anselm arrived in Rome by April<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=cimpTwnAjxwC&pg=PA279_279]_89-1">[86]</sup> and, according to his biographer Eadmer, lived beside the pope during the Siege of Capua in May.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1963_90-0">[87]</sup> Count Roger's Saracen troops supposedly offered him food and other gifts but the count actively resisted the clerics' attempts to convert them to Catholicism.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1963_90-1">[87]</sup><br />
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At the Council of Bari in October, Anselm delivered his defence of the <i>Filioque</i> and the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist before 185 bishops.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKidd1927[https://books.google.com/books?id=tc5FAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA252_252–3]_91-0">[88]</sup> Although this is sometimes portrayed as a failed ecumenical dialogue, it is more likely that the "Greeks" present were the local bishops of Southern Italy,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFortescue1907[https://books.google.com/books?id=Gu5d7_bByvIC&pg=PA203_203]_92-0">[89]</sup> some of whom had been ruled by Constantinople as recently as 1071.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKidd1927[https://books.google.com/books?id=tc5FAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA252_252–3]_91-1">[88]</sup> The formal acts of the council have been lost and Eadmer's account of Anselm's speech principally consists of descriptions of the bishops' vestments, but Anselm later collected his arguments on the topic as <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Processione Spiritus Sancti</span></i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFortescue1907[https://books.google.com/books?id=Gu5d7_bByvIC&pg=PA203_203]_92-1">[89]</sup> Under pressure from their Norman lords, the Italian Greeks seem to have accepted papal supremacy and Anselm's theology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFortescue1907[https://books.google.com/books?id=Gu5d7_bByvIC&pg=PA203_203]_92-2">[89]</sup> The council also condemned William II. Eadmer credited Anselm with restraining the pope from excommunicating him,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=cimpTwnAjxwC&pg=PA279_279]_89-2">[86]</sup> although others attribute Urban's politic nature.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-0">[90]</sup><br />
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Anselm was present in a seat of honour at the Easter Council at St Peter's in Rome the next year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990280_94-0">[91]</sup> There, amid an outcry to address Anselm's situation, Urban renewed bans on lay investiture and on clerics doing homage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990281_95-0">[92]</sup> Anselm departed the next day, first for Schiavi—where he completed his work <i>Cur Deus Homo</i>—and then for Lyons.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-1">[90]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96">[93]</sup><br />
<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Conflicts_with_Henry_I">Conflicts with Henry I</span></h4>
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William Rufus was killed hunting in the New Forest on 2 August 1100. His brother Henry was present and moved quickly to secure the throne before the return of his elder brother Robert, duke of Normandy, from the First Crusade. Henry invited Anselm to return, pledging in his letter to submit himself to the archbishop's counsel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198063_97-0">[94]</sup> The cleric's support of Robert would have caused great trouble but Anselm returned before establishing any other terms than those offered by Henry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA291_291]_98-0">[95]</sup> Once in England, Anselm was ordered by Henry to do homage for his Canterbury estates<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHollister1983120_99-0">[96]</sup> and to receive his investiture by ring and crozier anew.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198067_100-0">[97]</sup> Despite having done so under William, the bishop now refused to violate canon law. Henry for his part refused to relinquish a right possessed by his predecessors and even sent an embassy to Pope Paschal II to present his case.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-2">[90]</sup> Paschal reaffirmed Urban's bans to that mission and the one that followed it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-3">[90]</sup><br />
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Meanwhile, Anselm publicly supported Henry against the claims and threatened invasion of his brother Robert Curthose. Anselm wooed wavering barons to the king's cause, emphasizing the religious nature of their oaths and duty of loyalty;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHollister2003137–138_101-0">[98]</sup> he supported the deposition of Ranulf Flambard, the disloyal new bishop of Durham;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHollister2003135–136_102-0">[99]</sup> and he threatened Robert with excommunication.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975295_62-1">[60]</sup> The lack of popular support greeting his invasion near Portsmouth compelled Robert to accept the Treaty of Alton instead, renouncing his claims for an annual payment of 3000 marks.<br />
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Anselm held a council at Lambeth Palace which found that Henry's beloved Matilda had not technically become a nun and was thus eligible to wed and become queen.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHollister2003128–129_103-0">[100]</sup> On Michaelmas in 1102, Anselm was finally able to convene a general church council at London, establishing the Gregorian Reform within England. The council prohibited marriage, concubinage, and drunkenness to all those in holy orders,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPartner1973467–475,_468_104-0">[101]</sup> condemned sodomy<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoswell1980215_105-0">[102]</sup> and simony,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975295_62-2">[60]</sup> and regulated clerical dress.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975295_62-3">[60]</sup> Anselm also obtained a resolution against the British slave trade.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECrawley1910_106-0">[103]</sup> Henry supported Anselm's reforms and his authority over the English church, but continued to assert his own authority over Anselm. Upon their return, the three bishops he had dispatched on his second delegation to the pope claimed—in defiance of Paschal's sealed letter to Anselm, his public acts, and the testimony of the two monks who had accompanied them—that the pontiff had been receptive to Henry's counsel and secretly approved of Anselm's submission to the crown.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA489_489–91]_107-0">[104]</sup> In 1103, then, Anselm consented to journey himself to Rome, along with the king's envoy William Warelwast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198071_108-0">[105]</sup> Anselm supposedly travelled in order to argue the king's case for a dispensation<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-0">[106]</sup> but, in response to this third mission, Paschal fully excommunicated the bishops who had accepted investment from Henry, though sparing the king himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-4">[90]</sup><br />
<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Second_exile">Second exile</span></h4>
After this ruling, Anselm received a letter forbidding his return and withdrew to Lyons to await Paschal's response.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-5">[90]</sup> On 26 March 1105, Paschal again excommunicated prelates who had accepted investment from Henry and the advisors responsible, this time including Robert de Beaumont, Henry's chief advisor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198074_110-0">[107]</sup> He further finally threatened Henry with the same;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200319–20_111-0">[108]</sup> in April, Anselm sent messages to the king directly<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA496_496–97]_112-0">[109]</sup> and through his sister Adela expressing his own willingness to excommunicate Henry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-6">[90]</sup> This was probably a negotiation tactic<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198075_113-0">[110]</sup> but it came at a critical period in Henry's reign<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-7">[90]</sup> and it worked: a meeting was arranged and a compromise concluded at Laigle on 22 July 1105. Henry would forsake lay investiture if Anselm obtained Paschal's permission for clerics to do homage for their lands;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1978367_114-0">[111]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198076_115-0">[112]</sup> Henry's bishops'<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-8">[90]</sup> and counselors' excommunications were to be lifted provided they advise him to obey the papacy (Anselm performed this act on his own authority and latter had to answer for it to Paschal);<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1978367_114-1">[111]</sup> the revenues of Canterbury would be returned to the archbishop; and priests would no longer be permitted to marry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198076_115-1">[112]</sup> Anselm insisted on the agreement's ratification by the pope before he would consent to return to England, but wrote to Paschal in favour of the deal, arguing that Henry's forsaking of lay investiture was a greater victory than the matter of homage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198077_116-0">[113]</sup> On 23 March 1106, Paschal wrote Anselm accepting the terms established at Laigle, although both clerics saw this as a temporary compromise and intended to continue pressing for reforms,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA497_497–98]_117-0">[114]</sup> including the ending of homage to lay authorities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975296–297_118-0">[115]</sup><br />
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Even after this, Anselm refused to return to England.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198080_119-0">[116]</sup> Henry travelled to Bec and met with him on 15 August 1106. Henry was forced to make further concessions. He restored to Canterbury all the churches that had been seized by William or during Anselm's exile, promising that nothing more would be taken from them and even providing Anselm with a security payment.<sup><i> </i></sup> Henry had initially taxed married clergy and, when their situation had been outlawed, had made up the lost revenue by controversially extending the tax over all churchmen.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975297_120-0">[117]</sup> He now agreed that any prelate who had paid this would be exempt from taxation for three years.<sup><i> </i></sup> These compromises on Henry's part strengthened the rights of the Church against the king. Anselm returned to England before the new year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-9">[90]</sup><br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Final_years">Final years</span></h4>
In 1107, the Concordat of London formalized the agreements between the king and archbishop,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198082_63-1">[61]</sup> Henry formally renouncing the right of English kings to invest the bishops of the church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-10">[90]</sup> The remaining two years of Anselm's life were spent in the duties of his archbishopric.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-11">[90]</sup> He succeeded in getting Paschal to send the pallium for the archbishop of York to Canterbury, so that future archbishops-elect would have to profess obedience before receiving it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn198083_64-1">[62]</sup> The incumbent archbishop Thomas II had received his own pallium directly and insisted on York's independence. From his deathbed, Anselm anathematized all who failed to recognize Canterbury's primacy over all the English church. This ultimately forced Henry to order Thomas to confess his obedience to Anselm's successor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975298_65-1">[63]</sup> On his deathbed, he announced himself content, except that he had a treatise in mind on the origin of the soul and did not know, once he was gone, if another was likely to compose it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA498_498]_123-0">[120]</sup><br />
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He died on Holy Wednesday, 21 April 1109.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-1">[106]</sup> His remains were translated to Canterbury Cathedral<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWillis1845[https://books.google.com/books?id=v1kgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46_46]_124-0">[121]</sup> and laid at the head of Lanfranc at his initial resting place to the south of the Altar of the Holy Trinity (now St Thomas's Chapel).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SS_127-0">[124]</sup> During the church's reconstruction after the disastrous fire of the 1170s, his remains were relocated,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SS_127-1">[124]</sup> although it is now uncertain where.<br />
On 23 December 1752, Archbishop Herring was contacted by Count Perron, the Sardinian ambassador, on behalf of King Charles Emmanuel, who requested permission to translate Anselm's relics to Italy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA20_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;20]_128-0">[125]</sup> (Charles had been duke of Aosta during his minority.) Herring ordered his dean to look into the matter, saying that while "the parting with the rotten Remains of a Rebel to his King, a Slave to the Popedom, and an Enemy to the married Clergy (all this Anselm was)" would be no great matter, he likewise "should make no Conscience of palming on the Simpletons any other old Bishop with the Name of Anselm".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-130">[127]</sup> The ambassador insisted on witnessing the excavation, however,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-132">[129]</sup> and resistance on the part of the prebendaries seems to have quieted the matter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA21_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;21]_125-1">[122]</sup> They considered the state of the cathedral's crypts would have offended the sensibilities of a Catholic and that it was probable that Anselm had been removed to near the altar of SS Peter and Paul, whose side chapel to the right (i.e., south) of the high altar took Anselm's name following his canonization. At that time, his relics would presumably have been placed in a shrine and its contents "disposed of" during the Reformation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SS_127-2">[124]</sup> The ambassador's own investigation was of the opinion that Anselm's body had been confused with Archbishop Theobald's and likely remained entombed near the altar of the Virgin Mary,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-perron_134-0">[131]</sup> but in the uncertainty nothing further seems to have been done then or when inquiries were renewed in 1841.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-perron2_136-0">[133]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Writings">Writings</span></h2>
Anselm has been called "the most luminous and penetrating intellect between St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-2">[106]</sup> and "the father of scholasticism",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-1">[33]</sup> Scotus Erigena having employed more mysticism in his arguments.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-12">[90]</sup> Anselm's works are considered philosophical as well as theological since they endeavor to render Christian tenets of faith, traditionally taken as a revealed truth, as a rational system.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8zGpbpwRhIC&pg=PA2_2]_137-0">[134]</sup> Anselm also studiously analyzed the language used in his subjects, carefully distinguishing the meaning of the terms employed from the verbal forms, which he found at times wholly inadequate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006Introduction_138-0">[135]</sup> His worldview was broadly Neoplatonic, as it was reconciled with Christianity in the works of St Augustine and Pseudo-Dionysius,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200323–24_139-0">[136]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-141">[d]</sup> with his understanding of Aristotelian logic gathered from the works of Boethius.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA14_14]_142-0">[138]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§2_143-0">[139]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-2">[33]</sup> He or the thinkers in northern France who shortly followed him—including Abelard, William of Conches, and Gilbert of Poitiers—inaugurated "one of the most brilliant periods of Western philosophy", innovating logic, semantics, ethics, metaphysics, and other areas of philosophical theology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMarenbon2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrq2qXlegt4C&pg=PA169_169–170]_144-0">[140]</sup><br />
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Anselm held that faith necessarily precedes reason, but that reason can expand upon faith:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHollister1982302_145-0">[141]</sup> "And I do not seek to understand that I may believe but believe that I might understand. For this too I believe since, unless I first believe, I shall not understand".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-146">[e]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm191182_147-0">[142]</sup> This is possibly drawn from Tractate XXIX of St Augustine's <i>Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John</i>: regarding John 7:14–18, Augustine counseled "Do not seek to understand in order to believe but believe that thou may understand".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESchaff2005_148-0">[143]</sup> Anselm rephrased the idea repeatedly<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-149">[f]</sup> and Thomas Williams(<i>SEP</i> 2007) considered that his aptest motto was the original title of the <i>Proslogion</i>, "faith seeking understanding", which intended "an active love of God seeking a deeper knowledge of God".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007_150-0">[144]</sup> Once the faith is held fast, however, he argued an attempt <i>must</i> be made to demonstrate its truth by means of reason: "To me, it seems to be negligence if, after confirmation in the faith, we do not study to understand that which we believe".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-151">[g]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm191182_147-1">[142]</sup> Merely rational proofs are always, however, to be tested by scripture<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''Cur_Deus_Homo'',_Vol.&nbsp;I,_§2_152-0">[145]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''De_Fide_Trinitatis'',_§2_153-0">[146]</sup> and he employs Biblical passages and "what we believe" (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">quod credimus</span></i>) at times to raise problems or to present erroneous understandings, whose inconsistencies are then resolved by reason.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-0">[147]</sup><br />
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Stylistically, Anselm's treatises take two basic forms, dialogues and sustained meditations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-1">[147]</sup> In both, he strove to state the rational grounds for central aspects of Christian doctrines as a pedagogical exercise for his initial audience of fellow monks and correspondents.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-2">[147]</sup> The subjects of Anselm's works were sometimes dictated by contemporary events, such as his speech at the Council of Bari or the need to refute his association with the thinking of Roscelin, but he intended for his books to form a unity, with his letters and latter works advising the reader to consult his other books for the arguments supporting various points in his reasoning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004_155-0">[148]</sup> It seems to have been a recurring problem that early drafts of his works were copied and circulated without his permission.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-3">[147]</sup><br />
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<ul>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Grammatico</span></i></li>
<li>The <i>Monologion</i></li>
<li>The <i>Proslogion</i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Veritate</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Libertate Arbitrii</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Casu Diaboli</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Fide Trinitatis</span></i>, also known as <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Incarnatione Verbi</span></i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-3">[33]</sup></li>
</ul>
While archbishop of Canterbury, he composed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-3">[24]</sup><br />
<ul>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Cur Deus Homo</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Conceptu Virginali</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Processione Spiritus Sancti</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Sacrificio Azymi et Fermentati</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Sacramentis Ecclesiae</span></i></li>
<li><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Concordia</span></i></li>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Monologion">Monologion</span></h3>
The <i>Monologion</i> (Latin: <i><span lang="la">Monologium</span></i>, "Monologue"), originally entitled <i>A Monologue on the Reason for Faith</i> (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Monoloquium de Ratione Fidei</span></i>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA85_85]_156-0">[149]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-158">[h]</sup> and sometimes also known as <i>An Example of Meditation on the Reason for Faith</i> (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Exemplum Meditandi de Ratione Fidei</span></i>),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELuscombe1997[https://books.google.com/books?id=_T2cAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44_44]_159-0">[151]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-161">[i]</sup> was written in 1075 and 1076.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-4">[24]</sup> It follows St Augustine to such an extent that Gibson argues neither Boethius nor Anselm state anything which was not already dealt with in greater detail by Augustine's <i>De Trinitate</i>;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGibson1981214_162-0">[153]</sup> Anselm even acknowledges his debt to that work in the <i>Monologion'</i>s prologue.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21]_163-0">[154]</sup> However, he takes pains to present his reasons for belief in God without appeal to scriptural or patristic authority,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21–22]_164-0">[155]</sup> using new and bold arguments.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-0">[156]</sup> He attributes this style—and the book's existence—to the requests of his fellow monks that "nothing whatsoever in these matters should be made convincing by the authority of Scripture, but whatsoever... the necessity of reason would concisely prove".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-166">[157]</sup><br />
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In the first chapter, Anselm begins with a statement that anyone should be able to convince themselves of the existence of God through reason alone "if he is even moderately intelligent".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.1_167-0">[158]</sup> He argues that many different things are known as "good", in many varying kinds and degrees. These must be understood as being judged relative to a single attribute of goodness.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006_168-0">[159]</sup> He then argues that goodness is itself very good and, further, is good through itself. As such, it must be the highest good and, further, "that which is supremely good is also supremely great. There is, therefore, some one thing that is supremely good and supremely great—in other words, supreme among all existing things."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2_169-0">[160]</sup> Chapter 2 follows a similar argument, while Chapter 3 argues that the "best and greatest and supreme among all existing things" must be responsible for the existence of all other things.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2_169-1">[160]</sup> Chapter 4 argues that there must be a highest level of dignity among existing things and that highest level must have a single member. "Therefore, there is a certain nature or substance or essence who through himself is good and great and through himself is what he is; through whom exists whatever truly is good or great or anything at all; and who is the supreme good, the supreme great thing, the supreme being or subsistent, that is, supreme among all existing things."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2_169-2">[160]</sup> The remaining chapters of the book are devoted to consideration of the attributes necessary to such a being.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2_169-3">[160]</sup> The Euthyphro dilemma, although not addressed by that name, is dealt with as a false dichotomy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERogers20088_170-0">[161]</sup> God is taken to neither conform to nor invent the moral order but to embody it:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERogers20088_170-1">[161]</sup> in each case of his attributes, "God <i>having</i> that attribute <i>is precisely</i> that attribute itself".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§6_171-0">[162]</sup><br />
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A letter survives of Anselm responding to Lanfranc's criticism of the work. The elder cleric took exception to its lack of appeals to scripture and authority.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21]_163-1">[154]</sup> The preface of the <i>Proslogion</i> records his own dissatisfaction with the <i>Monologion'</i>s arguments, since they are rooted in <i></i><i>a posteriori</i> evidence and inductive reasoning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-1">[156]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Proslogion">Proslogion</span></h3>
The <i></i><i>Proslogion</i> (Latin: <i><span lang="la">Proslogium</span></i>, "Discourse"), originally entitled <i>Faith Seeking Understanding</i> (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Fides Quaerens Intellectum</span></i>) and then <i>An Address on God's Existence</i> (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Alloquium de Dei Existentia</span></i>),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA85_85]_156-2">[149]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForshall1840[https://books.google.com/books?id=qvNfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA74_74]_172-0">[163]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-173">[j]</sup> was written over the next two years (1077–1078).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-5">[24]</sup> It is written in the form of an extended direct address to God.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-5">[147]</sup> It grew out of his dissatisfaction with the Monologion's interlinking and contingent arguments.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-6">[147]</sup> His "single argument that needed nothing but itself alone for proof, that would by itself be enough to show that God really exists"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-0">[164]</sup> is commonly<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-175">[k]</sup> taken to be merely the second chapter of the work. In it, Anselm reasoned that even atheists can imagine a greatest being, having such attributes that nothing greater could exist (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">id quo nihil maius cogitari possit</span></i>).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-3">[106]</sup> However, if such a being's attributes did not include existence, a still greater being could be imagined: one with all of the attributes of the first <i>and</i> existence. Therefore, the truly greatest possible being must necessarily exist. Further, this necessarily-existing greatest being must be God, who therefore necessarily exists.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-2">[156]</sup> This reasoning was known to the Scholastics as "Anselm's argument" (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">ratio Anselmi</span></i>) but it became known as the ontological argument for the existence of God following Kant's treatment of it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-2">[164]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-177">[l]</sup><br />
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More probably, Anselm intended his "single argument" to include most of the rest of the work as well,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-7">[147]</sup> wherein he establishes the attributes of God and their compatibility with one another. Continuing to construct a being greater than which nothing else can be conceived, Anselm proposes such a being must be "just, truthful, happy, and whatever it is better to be than not to be".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-179">[167]</sup> Chapter 6 specifically enumerates the additional qualities of awareness, omnipotence, mercifulness, impassibility (inability to suffer),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-1">[166]</sup> and immateriality;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.1_180-0">[168]</sup> Chapter 11, self-existent,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.1_180-1">[168]</sup> wisdom, goodness, happiness, and permanence; and Chapter 18, unity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-2">[166]</sup> Anselm addresses the question-begging nature of "greatness" in this formula partially by appeal to intuition and partially by independent consideration of the attributes being examined.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.1_180-2">[168]</sup> The incompatibility of, e.g., omnipotence, justness, and mercifulness are addressed in the abstract by reason, although Anselm concedes that specific acts of God are a matter of revelation beyond the scope of reasoning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.2_181-0">[169]</sup> At one point during the 15th chapter, he reaches the conclusion that God is "not only that than which nothing greater can be thought but something greater than can be thought".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-8">[147]</sup> In any case, God's unity is such that all of his attributes are to be understood as facets of a single nature: "all of them are one and each of them is entirely what [God is] and what the other[s] are".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-182">[170]</sup> This is then used to argue for the triune nature of the God, Jesus, and "the one love common to [God] and [his] Son, that is, the Holy Spirit who proceeds from both".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-183">[171]</sup> The last three chapters are a digression on what God's goodness might entail.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-9">[147]</sup> Extracts from the work were later compiled under the name <i>Meditations</i> or <i>The Manual of St Austin</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-10">[18]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Responsio">Responsio</span></h3>
The argument presented in the <i>Proslogion</i> has rarely seemed satisfactory<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-3">[156]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-187">[m]</sup> and was swiftly opposed by Gaunilo, a monk from the abbey of Marmoutier in Tours.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§5_188-0">[175]</sup> His book "for the fool" (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Liber pro Insipiente</span></i>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-191">[n]</sup> argues that we cannot arbitrarily pass from idea to reality<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-4">[156]</sup> (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">de posse ad esse not fit illatio</span></i>).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-4">[33]</sup> The most famous of Gaunilo's objections is a parody of Anselm's argument involving an island greater than which nothing can be conceived.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-4">[164]</sup> Since we can conceive of such an island, it exists in our understanding and so must exist in reality. This is, however, absurd, since its shore might arbitrarily be increased and in any case varies with the tide.<br />
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Anselm's reply (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Responsio</span></i>) or apology (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Liber Apologeticus</span></i>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-5">[156]</sup> does not address this argument directly, which has led Klima,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKlima2000_192-0">[178]</sup> Grzesik,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-5">[33]</sup> and others to construct replies for him and led Wolterstorff<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWolterstorff1993_193-0">[179]</sup> and others to conclude that Gaunilo's attack is definitive.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-5">[164]</sup> Anselm, however, considered that Gaunilo had misunderstood his argument.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-6">[164]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§5_188-1">[175]</sup> In each of Gaunilo's four arguments, he takes Anselm's description of "that than which nothing greater can be thought" to be equivalent to "that which is greater than everything else that can be thought".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§5_188-2">[175]</sup> Anselm countered that anything which does not actually exist is necessarily excluded from his reasoning and anything which might or probably does not exist is likewise aside the point. The <i>Proslogion</i> had already stated "anything else whatsoever other than [God] can be thought not to exist".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-194">[180]</sup> The <i>Proslogion'</i>s argument concerns and can only concern the <i>single</i> greatest entity out of all existing things. That entity both must exist and must be God.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3_174-7">[164]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Dialogues">Dialogues</span></h3>
All of Anselm's dialogues take the form of a lesson between a gifted and inquisitive student and a knowledgeable teacher. Except for in <i>Cur Deus Homo</i>, the student is not identified but the teacher is always recognizably Anselm himself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-10">[147]</sup><br />
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Anselm's <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Grammatico</span></i> ("On the Grammarian"), of uncertain date,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-196">[o]</sup> deals with eliminating various paradoxes arising from the grammar of Latin nouns and adjectives<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELuscombe1997[https://books.google.com/books?id=_T2cAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44_44]_159-1">[151]</sup> by examining the syllogisms involved to ensure the terms in the premises agree in meaning and not merely expression.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§8_197-0">[182]</sup> The treatment shows a clear debt to Boethius's treatment of Aristotle.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA14_14]_142-1">[138]</sup><br />
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Between 1080 and 1086, while still at Bec, Anselm composed the dialogues <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Veritate</span></i> ("On Truth"), <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Libertate Arbitrii</span></i> ("On the Freedom of Choice"), and <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Casu Diaboli</span></i> ("On the Devil's Fall").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-7">[24]</sup> <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Veritate</span></i> is concerned not merely with the truth of statements but with correctness in will, action, and essence as well.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.1_198-0">[183]</sup> Correctness in such matters is understood as doing what a thing ought or was designed to do.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.1_198-1">[183]</sup> Anselm employs Aristotelian logic to affirm the existence of an absolute truth of which all other truth forms separate kinds. He identifies this absolute truth with God, who therefore forms the fundamental principle both in the existence of things and the correctness of thought.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-6">[156]</sup> As a corollary, he affirms that "everything that is, is rightly".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-200">[185]</sup> <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Libertate Arbitrii</span></i> elaborates Anselm's reasoning on correctness with regard to free will. He does not consider this a capacity to '<i>sin</i> but a capacity to <i>do good</i> for its own sake (as opposed to owing to coercion or for self-interest).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.1_198-2">[183]</sup> God and the good angels therefore have free will despite being incapable of sinning; similarly, the non-coercive aspect of free will enabled man and the rebel angels to sin, despite this not being a necessary element of free will itself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.2_201-0">[186]</sup> In <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Casu Diaboli</span></i>, Anselm further considers the case of the fallen angels, which serves to discuss the case of rational agents in general.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§11_202-0">[187]</sup> The teacher argues that there are two forms of good—justice (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">justicia</span></i>) and benefit (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">commodum</span></i>)—and two forms of evil: injustice and harm (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">incommodum</span></i>). All rational beings seek benefit and shun harm on their own account but independent choice permits them to abandon bounds imposed by justice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§11_202-1">[187]</sup> Some angels chose their own happiness in preference to justice and were punished by God for their injustice with less happiness. The angels who upheld justice were rewarded with such happiness that they are now incapable of sin, there being no happiness left for them to seek in opposition to the bounds of justice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.2_201-1">[186]</sup> Humans, meanwhile, retain the theoretical capacity to will justly but, owing to the Fall, they are incapable of doing so in practice except by divine grace.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.3_203-0">[188]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Cur_Deus_Homo"><i>Cur Deus Homo</i></span></h3>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/goog_381044992"><i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text"></span></i></a><i>Cur Deus Homo</i> ("Why God was a Man") was written from 1095 to 1098 once Anselm was already archbishop of Canterbury<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-8">[24]</sup> as a response for requests to discuss the Incarnation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§7_204-0">[189]</sup> It takes the form of a dialogue between Anselm and Boso, one of his students.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_&_7_205-0">[190]</sup> Its core is a purely rational argument for the necessity of the Christian mystery of atonement, the belief that Jesus's crucifixion was necessary to atone for mankind's sin. Anselm argues that, owing to the Fall and mankind's fallen nature ever since, humanity has offended God. Divine justice demands restitution for sin but human beings are incapable of providing it, as all the actions of men are already obligated to the furtherance of God's glory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm191183_206-0">[191]</sup> Further, God's infinite justice demands infinite restitution for the impairment of his infinite dignity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.3_203-1">[188]</sup> The enormity of the offence led Anselm to reject personal acts of atonement, even Peter Damian's flagellation, as inadequate<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFulton2002[https://books.google.com/books?id=7NEzHGR24wwC&pg=PA176_176]_207-0">[192]</sup> and ultimately vain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFulton2002[https://books.google.com/books?id=7NEzHGR24wwC&pg=PA178_178]_208-0">[193]</sup> Instead, full recompense could only be made by God, which His infinite mercy inclines Him to provide. Atonement for humanity, however, could only be made through the figure of Jesus, as a sinless being both fully divine and fully human.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§7_204-1">[189]</sup> Taking it upon himself to offer his own life on our behalf, his crucifixion accrues infinite worth, more than redeeming mankind and permitting it to enjoy a just will in accord with its intended nature.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.3_203-2">[188]</sup> This interpretation is notable for permitting divine justice and mercy to be entirely compatible<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006_168-1">[159]</sup> and has exercised immense influence over church doctrine,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-7">[156]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFoley1909_209-0">[194]</sup> largely supplanting the earlier theory developed by Origen and Gregory of Nyssa<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-4">[106]</sup> that had focused primarily on Satan's power over fallen man.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-8">[156]</sup> <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Cur Deus Homo</span></i> is often accounted Anselm's greatest work,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74_74]_109-5">[106]</sup> but the legalist and amoral nature of the argument, along with its neglect of the individuals actually being redeemed, has been criticized both by comparison with the treatment by Abelard<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-9">[156]</sup> and for its subsequent development in Protestant theology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFoley1909256–7_210-0">[195]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_works">Other works</span></h3>
Anselm's <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Fide Trinitatis et de Incarnatione Verbi Contra Blasphemias Ruzelini</span></i> ("On Faith in the Trinity and on the Incarnation of the Word Against the Blasphemies of Roscelin"),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-6">[33]</sup> also known as <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Epistolae de Incarnatione Verbi</span></i> ("Letters on the Incarnation of the Word"),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-9">[24]</sup> was written in two drafts in 1092 and 1094.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-7">[33]</sup> It defended Lanfranc and Anselm from association with the supposedly tritheist heresy espoused by Roscelin of Compiègne, as well as arguing in favour of Trinitarianism and universals.<br />
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<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Conceptu Virginali et de Originali Peccato</span></i> ("On the Virgin Conception and Original Sin") was written in 1099.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-10">[24]</sup> He claimed to have written it out of a desire to expand on an aspect of <i>Cur Deus Homo</i> for his student and friend Boso and takes the form of Anselm's half of a conversation with him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-11">[147]</sup> Although Anselm denied belief in Mary's Immaculate Conception,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJanaro200651_211-0">[196]</sup> his thinking laid two principles which formed the groundwork for that dogma's development. The first is that it was proper that Mary should be so pure that—apart from God—no purer being could be imagined. The second was his treatment of original sin. Earlier theologians had held that it was transmitted from generation to generation by the sinful nature of sex. As in his earlier works, Anselm instead held that Adam's sin was borne by his descendants through the change in human nature which occurred during the Fall. Parents were unable to establish a just nature in their children which they had never had themselves.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJanaro200652_212-0">[197]</sup> This would subsequently be addressed in Mary's case by dogma surrounding the circumstances of her own birth.<br />
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<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Processione Spiritus Sancti Contra Graecos</span></i> ("On the Procession of the Holy Spirit Against the Greeks"),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEForshall1840[https://books.google.com/books?id=qvNfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA74_74]_172-1">[163]</sup> written in 1102,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-11">[24]</sup> is a recapitulation of Anselm's treatment of the subject at the Council of Bari.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFortescue1907[https://books.google.com/books?id=Gu5d7_bByvIC&pg=PA203_203]_92-3">[89]</sup> He discussed the Trinity first by stating that human beings could not know God from Himself but only from analogy. The analogy that he used was the self-consciousness of man. The peculiar double-nature of consciousness, memory, and intelligence represent the relation of the Father to the Son. The mutual love of these two (memory and intelligence), proceeding from the relation they hold to one another, symbolizes the Holy Spirit.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893_165-10">[156]</sup><br />
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<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Concordia Praescientiae et Praedestinationis et Gratiae Dei cum Libero Arbitrio</span></i> ("On the Harmony of Foreknowledge and Predestination and the Grace of God with Free Choice") was written from 1107 to 1108.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-12">[24]</sup> Like the <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Conceptu Virginali</span></i>, it takes the form of a single narrator in a dialogue, offering presumable objections from the other side.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-12">[147]</sup> Its treatment of free will relies on Anselm's earlier works, but goes into greater detail as to the ways in which there is no actual incompatibility or paradox created by the divine attributes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004_155-1">[148]</sup> In its 5th chapter, Anselm reprises his consideration of eternity from the <i>Monologion</i>. "Although nothing is there except what is present, it is not the temporal present, like ours, but rather the eternal, within which all times altogether are contained. If in a certain way the present time contains every place and all the things that are in any place, likewise, every time is encompassed in the eternal present, and everything that is in any time."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-214">[199]</sup> It is an overarching present, all beheld at once by God, thus permitting both his "foreknowledge" and genuine free choice on the part of mankind.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHolland2012[https://books.google.com/books?id=o3oNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT43_43]_215-0">[200]</sup><br />
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Fragments survive of the work Anselm left unfinished at his death, which would have been a dialogue concerning certain pairs of opposites, including ability/inability, possibility/impossibility, and necessity/freedom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§13_216-0">[201]</sup> It is thus sometimes cited under the name <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Potestate et Impotentia, Possibilitate et Impossibilitate, Necessitate et Libertate</span></i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-8">[33]</sup> Another work, probably left unfinished by Anselm and subsequently revised and expanded, was <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Humanis Moribus per Similitudines</span></i> ("On Mankind's Morals, Told Through Likenesses") or <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Similitudinibus</span></i> ("On Likenesses").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDinkova-Bruun2015[https://books.google.com/books?id=pA6yCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85_85]_217-0">[202]</sup> A collection of his sayings (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Dicta Anselmi</span></i>) was compiled, probably by the monk Alexander.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§14_218-0">[203]</sup> He also composed prayers to various saints.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73_73]_12-1">[11]</sup><br />
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Anselm wrote nearly 500 surviving letters (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Epistolae</span></i>) to clerics, monks, relatives, and others,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853361_219-0">[204]</sup> the earliest being those written to the Norman monks who followed Lanfranc to England in 1070.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73_73]_12-2">[11]</sup> Southern asserts that all of Anselm's letters "even the most intimate" are statements of his religious beliefs, consciously composed so as to be read by many others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990396_220-0">[205]</sup> His long letters to Waltram, bishop of Naumberg in Germany (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Epistolae ad Walerannum</span></i>) <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Sacrificio Azymi et Fermentati</span></i> ("On Unleavened and Leavened Sacrifice") and <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">De Sacramentis Ecclesiae</span></i> ("On the Church's Sacraments") were both written between 1106 and 1107 and are sometimes bound as separate books.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1_26-13">[24]</sup> Although he seldom asked others to pray for him, two of his letters to hermits do so, "evidence of his belief in their spiritual prowess".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHughes-Edwards2012[https://books.google.com/books?id=PFSuBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19_19]_55-1">[53]</sup> His letters of guidance—one to Hugh, a hermit near Caen, and two to a community of lay nuns—endorse their lives as a refuge from the difficulties of the political world with which Anselm had to contend.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHughes-Edwards2012[https://books.google.com/books?id=PFSuBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19_19]_55-2">[53]</sup><br />
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A 12th-century illumination of Eadmer composing Anselm's biography</div>
Many of Anselm's letters contain passionate expressions of attachment and affection, often addressed "to the beloved lover" (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">dilecto dilectori</span></i>). While there is wide agreement that Anselm was personally committed to the monastic ideal of celibacy, some academics such as McGuire<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMcGuire1985_221-0">[206]</sup> and Boswell<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoswell1980218–219_222-0">[207]</sup> have characterized these writings as expressions of a homosexual inclination.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDoe200018_223-0">[208]</sup> The general view, expressed by Olsen<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEOlsen1988_224-0">[209]</sup> and Southern, sees the expressions as representing a "wholly spiritual" affection "nourished by an incorporeal ideal".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990157_225-0">[210]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
Two biographies of Saint Anselm were written shortly after his death by his chaplain and secretary Eadmer (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Vita et Conversatione Anselmi Cantuariensis</span></i>) and the monk Alexander (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Ex Dictis Beati Anselmi</span></i>).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1_25-2">[23]</sup> Eadmer also detailed Anselm's struggles with the English monarchs in his history (<i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">Historia Novorum</span></i>). Another was compiled about fifty years later by John of Salisbury at the behest of Thomas Becket.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853361_219-1">[204]</sup> The historians William of Malmesbury, Orderic Vitalis, and Matthew Paris all left full accounts of his struggles against the second and third Norman kings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853361_219-2">[204]</sup><br />
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Anselm's students included Eadmer, Alexander, Gilbert Crispin, Honorius Augustodunensis, and Anselm of Laon. His works were copied and disseminated in his lifetime and exercised an influence on the Scholastics, including Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§2_143-1">[139]</sup> His thoughts have guided much subsequent discussion on the procession of the Holy Spirit and the atonement. His work also anticipates much of the later controversies over free will and predestination.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907_53-3">[51]</sup> An extensive debate occurred—primarily among French scholars—in the early 1930s about "nature and possibility" of Christian philosophy, which drew strongly on Anselm's work.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§2_143-2">[139]</sup><br />
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Modern scholarship remains sharply divided over the nature of Anselm's episcopal leadership. Some, including Fröhlich<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFröhlich199037–52_226-0">[211]</sup> and Schmitt,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGale2010_227-0">[212]</sup> argue for Anselm's attempts to manage his reputation as a devout scholar and cleric, minimizing the worldly conflicts he found himself forced into.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGale2010_227-1">[212]</sup> Vaughn<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVaughn1987_228-0">[213]</sup> and others argue that the "carefully nurtured image of simple holiness and profound thinking" was precisely employed as a tool by an adept, disingenuous political operator,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGale2010_227-2">[212]</sup> while the traditional view of the pious and reluctant church leader recorded by Eadmer—one who genuinely "nursed a deep-seated horror of worldly advancement"—is upheld by Southern<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990459–481_229-0">[214]</sup> among others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHughes-Edwards2012[https://books.google.com/books?id=PFSuBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19_19]_55-3">[53]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGale2010_227-3">[212]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration">Veneration</span></h2>
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Sant'Anselmo in Rome, the seat of the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation</div>
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Anselm's hagiography records that, when a child, he had a miraculous vision of God on the summit of the Becca di Nona near his home, with God asking his name, his home, and his quest before sharing bread with him. Anselm then slept, awoke returned to Aosta, and then retraced his steps before returning to speak to his mother.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA12_12–14]_18-1">[17]</sup><br />
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Anselm's canonization was requested of Pope Alexander III by Thomas Becket at the Council of Tours in 1163.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853361_219-3">[204]</sup> He may have been formally canonized before Becket's murder in 1170: no record of this has survived but he was subsequently listed among the saints at Canterbury and elsewhere. It is usually reckoned, however, that his cult was only formally sanctioned by Pope Alexander VI in 1494<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''EB''187892_93-14">[90]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTESouthern1990xxix_230-0">[215]</sup> or 1497<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-perron_134-1">[131]</sup> at the request of Archbishop Morton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-perron_134-2">[131]</sup> His feast day is commemorated on the day of his death, 21 April, by the Roman Catholic Church, much of Anglican Communion,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1_25-3">[23]</sup> and some forms of High Church Lutheranism. The location of his relics is uncertain. His most common attribute is a ship, representing the spiritual independence of the church.<br />
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Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Clement XI in 1720;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEButler1864_19-11">[18]</sup> he is known as the <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">doctor magnificus</span></i> ("Magnificent Doctor")<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000_35-9">[33]</sup> or the <i><span lang="la" title="Latin language text">doctor Marianus</span></i> ("Marian doctor"). A chapel of Canterbury Cathedral south of the high altar is dedicated to him; it includes a modern stained-glass representation of the saint, flanked by his mentor Lanfranc and his steward Baldwin and by kings William II and Henry I.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-231">[216]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-232">[217]</sup> The Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm, named in his honor, was established in Rome by Pope Leo XIII in 1887. The adjacent Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino, the seat of the Abbot Primate of the Federation of Black Monks (all the monks under the Rule of St Benedict except the Cistercians and the Trappists), was dedicated to him in 1900. 800 years after his death, on 21 April 1909, Pope Pius X issued the encyclical <i>"Communium Rerum"</i> praising Anselm, his ecclesiastical career, and his writings. In the United States, the Saint Anselm Abbey and its associated college are located in New Hampshire; they held a celebration in 2009 commemorating the 900th anniversary of Anselm's death. In 2015, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, created the Community of Saint Anselm, an Anglican religious order that resides at Lambeth Palace and is devoted to "prayer and service to the poor".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lodge2015_233-0">[218]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lodge2015_233-0">References </sup></h2>
<ul>
<li><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFIEP2006">"Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109)", <i>Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy</i>, 2006<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 June</span> 2015</span></cite></li>
<li><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFODCC2005">"St Anselm", <i>The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church,</i> 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 73–75, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="International Standard Book Number">ISBN</a> 978-0-19-280290-3</cite></li>
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</ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Citations</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">A. D. Smith, <i>Anselm's Other Argument</i>, Harvard University Press, 2014, p. 66.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"> <span class="reference-text">Brian Davies, Brian Leftow (eds.), <i>The Cambridge Companion to Anselm</i>, Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 120.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"> <span class="reference-text">Steven P. Marrone, <i>William of Auvergne and Robert Grosseteste: New Ideas of Truth in Early Thirteenth Century</i>, Princeton University Press, 2014, p. 146.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA2_2–3]-5"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>2–3.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–2]-6"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>1–2.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19907-7"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 7.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–4]-8"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>1–4.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19908-9"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891-10"> <span class="reference-text"><i>EB</i> (1878), p. 91.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERobson1996-11"> <span class="reference-text">Robson (1996).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73_73]-12"> <span class="reference-text"><i>ODCC</i> (2005), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">73</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1]-13"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">1</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA2_2]-14"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">2</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA4_4–7]-15"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">4–7</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA7_7–8]-16"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">7–8</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19909-17"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA12_12–14]-18"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span><a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">12–14</a>.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEButler1864-19"> <span class="reference-text">Butler (1864).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot-Buxton1915Ch.&nbsp;3-20"> <span class="reference-text">Wilmot-Buxton (1915), Ch. 3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853365–366-21"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 365–366.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366-22"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 366.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth20039-23"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1-25"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1-26"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern199032-27"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 32.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200310-28"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 10.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366–367-29"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), pp. 366–367.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853367–368-30"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 367–368.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853368-31"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 368.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975282-32"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 282.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200315-33"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 15.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]-34"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. </span>483.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000-35"> <span class="reference-text"><i>PEF</i> (2000).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975281-36"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 281.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853369-37"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 369.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200316-38"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 16.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''200574-39"> <span class="reference-text"><i>ODCC</i> (2005), p. 74.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853370-40"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 370.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189]-41"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>189.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853371-42"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 371.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983298–299-43"> <span class="reference-text">Barlow (1983), pp. 298–299.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189–190]-44"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>189–190.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA191_191–192]-45"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>191–192.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983306-46"> <span class="reference-text">Barlow (1983), p. 306.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974246-47"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 246.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975286-48"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 286.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974248-49"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 248.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200317-50"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 17.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBoniface747Letter_to_Cuthbert-51"> <span class="reference-text">Boniface (747), Letter to Cuthbert.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-52"> <span class="reference-text"> <cite class="citation encyclopaedia">Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "</cite></span>Guibert of Ravenna". <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i>. <b>12</b> (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 683.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907-53"> <span class="reference-text"><i>CE</i> (1907).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974240-54"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 240.</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">Hughes-Edwards (2012), p. </span>19.
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">A. D. Smith, <i>Anselm's Other Argument</i>, Harvard University Press, 2014, p. 66.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"> <span class="reference-text">Brian Davies, Brian Leftow (eds.), <i>The Cambridge Companion to Anselm</i>, Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 120.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"> <span class="reference-text">Steven P. Marrone, <i>William of Auvergne and Robert Grosseteste: New Ideas of Truth in Early Thirteenth Century</i>, Princeton University Press, 2014, p. 146.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA2_2–3]-5"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>2–3.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–2]-6"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>1–2.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19907-7"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 7.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1–4]-8"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>1–4.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19908-9"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''EB''187891-10"> <span class="reference-text"><i>EB</i> (1878), p. 91.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERobson1996-11"> <span class="reference-text">Robson (1996).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA73_73]-12"> <span class="reference-text"><i>ODCC</i> (2005), p. </span>73.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA1_1]-13"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>1.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA2_2]-14"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>2.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA4_4–7]-15"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>4–7.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA7_7–8]-16"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>7–8.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern19909-17"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERule1883[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUBTzaMXEDEC&pg=PA12_12–14]-18"> <span class="reference-text">Rule (1883), p. </span>12–14.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEButler1864-19"> <span class="reference-text">Butler (1864).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot-Buxton1915Ch.&nbsp;3-20"> <span class="reference-text">Wilmot-Buxton (1915), Ch. 3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853365–366-21"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 365–366.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366-22"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 366.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth20039-23"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§1-25"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§1-26"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern199032-27"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 32.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200310-28"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 10.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853366–367-29"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), pp. 366–367.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853367–368-30"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 367–368.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853368-31"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 368.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975282-32"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 282.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200315-33"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 15.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA483_483]-34"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. </span>483.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''PEF''2000-35"> <span class="reference-text"><i>PEF</i> (2000).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975281-36"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 281.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853369-37"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 369.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200316-38"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 16.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''ODCC''200574-39"> <span class="reference-text"><i>ODCC</i> (2005), p. 74.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853370-40"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 370.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189]-41"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>189.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853371-42"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 371.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983298–299-43"> <span class="reference-text">Barlow (1983), pp. 298–299.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA189_189–190]-44"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>189–190.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern1990[https://books.google.com/books?id=lxf-LvQvvwIC&pg=PA191_191–192]-45"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. </span>191–192.</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBarlow1983306-46"> <span class="reference-text">Barlow (1983), p. 306.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974246-47"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 246.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975286-48"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 286.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974248-49"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 248.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200317-50"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), p. 17.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEBoniface747Letter_to_Cuthbert-51"> <span class="reference-text">Boniface (747), Letter to Cuthbert.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-52"> <span class="reference-text"> <cite class="citation encyclopaedia">Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "</cite></span>Guibert of Ravenna". <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i>. <b>12</b> (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 683</li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''CE''1907-53"> <span class="reference-text"><i>CE</i> (1907).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1974240-54"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1974), p. 240.</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">Hughes-Edwards (2012), p. </span>19.
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975296–297-118"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), pp. 296–297.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn198080-119"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1980), p. 80.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975297-120"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 297.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-121"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFCross">Cross, Michael, "Altar in St Anselm Chapel", <i>Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society</i><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 June</span> 2015</span></cite></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-122"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation">"St Anselm's Chapel Altar", <i>Waymarking</i>, Seattle: Groundspeak, 28 April 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 June</span> 2015</span></cite></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA498_498]-123"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. 498.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWillis1845[https://books.google.com/books?id=v1kgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46_46]-124"> <span class="reference-text">Willis (1845), p. 46.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA21_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;21]-125"> <span class="reference-text">Ollard & al. (1931), App. D, p. 21.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227–228]-126"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. 227–228.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-SS-127"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 9 January 1753 by "S.S." (probably Samuel Shuckford but possibly Samuel Stedman)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA21_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;21]_125-0">[122]</sup> to Thomas Herring.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227–228]_126-0">[123]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA20_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;20]-128"> <span class="reference-text">Ollard & al. (1931), App. D, p. 20.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA226_226]-129"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. 226.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-130"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 23 December 1752 by Thomas Herring to John Lynch.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA226_226]_129-0">[126]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227]-131"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. 227.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-132"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 6 January 1753 by Thomas Herring to John Lynch.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227]_131-0">[128]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA229_229–230]-133"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. 229–230.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-perron-134"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 31 March 1753 by P. Bradley to Count Perron.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA229_229–230]_133-0">[130]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA230_230–231]-135"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. 230–231.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-perron2-136"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 16 August 1841 by Lord Bolton, possibly to W.R. Lyall.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA230_230–231]_135-0">[132]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8zGpbpwRhIC&pg=PA2_2]-137"> <span class="reference-text">Davies & al. (2004), p. 2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006Introduction-138"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), Introduction.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200323–24-139"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), pp. 23–24</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMarenbon2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrq2qXlegt4C&pg=PA170_170]-140"> <span class="reference-text">Marenbon (2005), p. 170.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA14_14]-142"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. 14.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§2-143"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMarenbon2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrq2qXlegt4C&pg=PA169_169–170]-144"> <span class="reference-text">Marenbon (2005), p. 169–170.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHollister1982302-145"> <span class="reference-text">Hollister (1982), p. 302.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEChisholm191182-147"> <span class="reference-text">Chisholm 1911, p. 82.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESchaff2005-148"> <span class="reference-text">Schaff (2005).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007-150"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''Cur_Deus_Homo'',_Vol.&nbsp;I,_§2-152"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Cur Deus Homo</i>, Vol. I, §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''De_Fide_Trinitatis'',_§2-153"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>De Fide Trinitatis</i>, §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3-154"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004-155"> <span class="reference-text">Davies & al. (2004).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA85_85]-156"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. 85.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''Letters'',_No.&nbsp;109-157"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Letters</i>, No. 109.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELuscombe1997[https://books.google.com/books?id=_T2cAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44_44]-159"> <span class="reference-text">Luscombe (1997), p. 44.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA86_86]-160"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. 86.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGibson1981214-162"> <span class="reference-text">Gibson (1981), p. 214</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21]-163"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. 21.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21–22]-164"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. 21–22.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893-165"> <span class="reference-text"><i>EB</i> (1878), p. 93.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-166"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Monologion</i>, p. 7, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-4">[147]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.1-167"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §2.1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006-168"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2-169"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §2.2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERogers20088-170"> <span class="reference-text">Rogers (2008), p. 8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§6-171"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §6.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEForshall1840[https://books.google.com/books?id=qvNfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA74_74]-172"> <span class="reference-text">Forshall (1840), p. 74.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.3-174"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §2.3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975296–297-118"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), pp. 296–297.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn198080-119"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1980), p. 80.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEVaughn1975297-120"> <span class="reference-text">Vaughn (1975), p. 297.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-121"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation" id="CITEREFCross">Cross, Michael, "Altar in St Anselm Chapel", <i>Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society</i><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 June</span> 2015</span></cite></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-122"> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation">"St Anselm's Chapel Altar", <i>Waymarking</i>, Seattle: Groundspeak, 28 April 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 June</span> 2015</span></cite></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''Rambler''1853[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA498_498]-123"> <span class="reference-text"><i>Rambler</i> (1853), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">498</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWillis1845[https://books.google.com/books?id=v1kgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46_46]-124"> <span class="reference-text">Willis (1845), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">46</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA21_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;21]-125"> <span class="reference-text">Ollard & al. (1931), <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">App. D, p. 21</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227–228]-126"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">227–228</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-SS-127"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 9 January 1753 by "S.S." (probably <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Samuel Shuckford">Samuel Shuckford</a> but possibly Samuel Stedman)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA21_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;21]_125-0">[122]</sup> to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Thomas Herring">Thomas Herring</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227–228]_126-0">[123]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEOllard_&_al.1931[https://books.google.com/books?id=nWsX2dhAONAC&pg=PA20_App.&nbsp;D,_p.&nbsp;20]-128"> <span class="reference-text">Ollard & al. (1931), <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">App. D, p. 20</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA226_226]-129"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">226</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-130"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 23 December 1752 by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Thomas Herring">Thomas Herring</a> to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="John Lynch (Dean of Canterbury)">John Lynch</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA226_226]_129-0">[126]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227]-131"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">227</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-132"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 6 January 1753 by <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Thomas Herring">Thomas Herring</a> to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="John Lynch (Dean of Canterbury)">John Lynch</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA227_227]_131-0">[128]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA229_229–230]-133"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">229–230</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-perron-134"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 31 March 1753 by P. Bradley to <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Count Perron">Count Perron</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA229_229–230]_133-0">[130]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA230_230–231]-135"> <span class="reference-text">HMC (1901), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">230–231</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-perron2-136"> <span class="reference-text">A letter of 16 August 1841 by Lord Bolton, possibly to W.R. Lyall.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHMC1901[https://books.google.com/books?id=GWcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA230_230–231]_135-0">[132]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8zGpbpwRhIC&pg=PA2_2]-137"> <span class="reference-text">Davies & al. (2004), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">2</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006Introduction-138"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), Introduction.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTECharlesworth200323–24-139"> <span class="reference-text">Charlesworth (2003), pp. 23–24.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMarenbon2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrq2qXlegt4C&pg=PA170_170]-140"> <span class="reference-text">Marenbon (2005), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">170</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA14_14]-142"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">14</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§2-143"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEMarenbon2005[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrq2qXlegt4C&pg=PA169_169–170]-144"> <span class="reference-text">Marenbon (2005), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">169–170</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEHollister1982302-145"> <span class="reference-text">Hollister (1982), p. 302.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEChisholm191182-147"> <span class="reference-text">Chisholm 1911, p. 82.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESchaff2005-148"> <span class="reference-text">Schaff (2005).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007-150"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''Cur_Deus_Homo'',_Vol.&nbsp;I,_§2-152"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Cur Deus Homo</i>, Vol. I, §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''De_Fide_Trinitatis'',_§2-153"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>De Fide Trinitatis</i>, §2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3-154"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEDavies_&_al.2004-155"> <span class="reference-text">Davies & al. (2004).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA85_85]-156"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">85</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEAnselm_of_Canterbury''Letters'',_No.&nbsp;109-157"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Letters</i>, No. 109</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELuscombe1997[https://books.google.com/books?id=_T2cAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44_44]-159"> <span class="reference-text">Luscombe (1997), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">44</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA86_86]-160"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">86</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEGibson1981214-162"> <span class="reference-text">Gibson (1981), p. 214.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21]-163"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">21</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTELogan2009[https://books.google.com/books?id=4KO0zKJuNi4C&pg=PA21_21–22]-164"> <span class="reference-text">Logan (2009), p. <a class="external text" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">21–22</a>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''EB''187893-165"> <span class="reference-text"><i>EB</i> (1878), p. 93.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-166"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Monologion</i>, p. 7, translated by <a class="new" href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" title="Greg Sadler (page does not exist)">Sadler</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§3_154-4">[147]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.1-167"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §2.1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006-168"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§2.2-169"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §2.2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTERogers20088-170"> <span class="reference-text">Rogers (2008), p. 8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§6-171"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §6.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4-178"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §4.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-179"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Proslogion</i>, p. 104, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-0">[166]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.1-180"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §3.1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§3.2-181"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §3.2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-182"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Proslogion</i>, p. 115, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-3">[166]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-183"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Proslogion</i>, p. 117, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-4">[166]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEZalta_&_al.1991-184"> <span class="reference-text">Zalta & al. (1991).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEZalta_&_al.2007-185"> <span class="reference-text">Zalta & al. (2007).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEZalta_&_al.2011-186"> <span class="reference-text">Zalta & al. (2011).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§5-188"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §5.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-189"> <span class="reference-text">Psalm 14:1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-190"> <span class="reference-text">Psalm 53:1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEKlima2000-192"> <span class="reference-text">Klima (2000).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTEWolterstorff1993-193"> <span class="reference-text">Wolterstorff (1993).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-194"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>Proslogion</i>, p. 103, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§4_178-5">[166]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTESouthern199065-195"> <span class="reference-text">Southern (1990), p. 65.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§8-197"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §8.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.1-198"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §4.1.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§9-199"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IEP</i> (2006), §9.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-200"> <span class="reference-text">Anselm of Canterbury, <i>De Veritate</i>, p. 185, translated by Sadler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§9_199-0">[184]</sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''SEP''2007§4.2-201"> <span class="reference-text"><i>SEP</i> (2007), §4.2.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-FOOTNOTE''IEP''2006§11-202"> <span class="reference-text"><i>IE</i></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> <span style="color: #990000;">VIRTUE</span></span><span style="color: #990000;"></span></span></h2>
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<h2 id="section1">
Definitions</h2>
According to its etymology the word <i>virtue</i> (Latin <i>virtus</i>) signifies manliness or courage. "Appelata est enim a viro virtus: viri autem propria maxime est fortitudo" ("The term virtue is from the word that signifies man; a man's chief quality is fortitude"; Cicero, "Tuscul.", I, xi, 18). Taken in its widest sense virtue means the excellence of perfection of a thing, just as vice, its contrary, denotes a defect or absence of perfection due to a thing. In its strictest meaning, however, as used by moral philosophers and theologians, it signifies a habit superadded to a faculty of the soul, disposing it to elicit with readiness acts conformable to our rational nature. "Virtue", says Augustine, "is a good habit consonant with our nature." From Saint Thomas's entire Question on the essence of virtue may be gathered his brief but complete definition of virtue: "habitus operativus bonus", an operative habit essentially good, as distinguished from vice, an operative habit essentially evil. Now a habit is a quality in itself difficult of change, disposing well or ill the subject in which it resides, either directly in itself or in relation to its operation. An operative habit is a quality residing in a power or faculty in itself indifferent to this or that line of action, but determined by the habit to this rather than to that kind of acts. (See HABIT.) Virtue then has this in common with vice, that it disposes a potency to a certain determined activity; but it differs specifically from it in that it disposes it to good acts, i.e. acts in consonance with right reason. Thus, temperance inclines the sensuous appetite to acts of moderation conformably to right reason just as intemperance impels the same appetite to acts of excess contrary to the dictates of our rational nature. <br />
<h2 id="section2">
Subjects of virtue</h2>
Before determining the subjects or potencies in which the different virtues reside, it will be necessary to distinguish two kinds of virtues: those which are virtues absolutely (<i>simpliciter</i>) and those which are virtues only in a restricted sense (<i>secundum quid</i>). The later confer only a faculty for well-doing, and render the possessor good only in a restricted sense, e.g. a good logician. The former, in addition to the facility for well-doing, cause one to use the facility rightly, and render the possessor unqualifiedly good. Now the intellect may be the subject of those habits which are called virtues in a restricted sense, such as science and art. But the will only, or any other faculty only in so far as it is moved by the will, can be the subject of habits, which are called virtues in the absolute sense. For it is the proper function of the will to move to their respective acts all the other powers which are in any way rational. Thus the intellect and sensuous appetite as moved by the will are the subjects of prudence and temperance, while the will itself is the subject of justice, a virtue in the absolute sense. <br />
<h2 id="section3">
Divisions of virtue</h2>
Virtues may be divided into intellectual, moral, and theological. <br />
<h3 id="A">
Intellectual virtues</h3>
Intellectual virtue may be defined as a habit perfecting the intellect to elicit with readiness acts that are good in reference to their proper object, namely, truth. As the intellect is called speculative or practical according as it confines itself to the sole contemplation of truth or considers truth in reference to action, the intellectual virtues may be classified according to this twofold function of the mental faculty. The speculative intellectual virtues are wisdom, science, and understanding. Wisdom is the knowledge of conclusions through their highest causes. Thus philosophy, and particularly metaphysics, is properly designated as wisdom, since it considers truth of the natural order according to its highest principles. Science is the knowledge of conclusions acquired by demonstration through causes or principles which are final in one class or other. Thus there are different sciences, mathematics, physics, etc., but only one wisdom, the supreme judge of all. Understanding is defined as the habit of first principles; as habit or virtue it is to be distinguished, at least logically, from the faculty of intelligence. It is also called intuition, as it has for its object truths that are self-evident, the perception of which requires no discursive process. It is to be observed that these virtues differ from the gifts of the Holy Ghost, designated by the same name, inasmuch as they are qualities of the natural order, while the gifts are intrinsically supernatural. The practical intellectual virtues are two, namely, art and prudence.<br />
<br />
<i>Art</i> <br />
Art, according to the Schoolmen, signifies the right method with regard to external productions (<i>recta ratio factibilium</i>). Just as science perfects and directs the intellect to reason correctly with regard to its proper object in view of the attainment of truth, so also art perfects and directs the intellect in the application of certain rules in view of the production of external works, whether these be of a useful or æsthetic character. Hence the division into useful and fine arts. Art has this in common with the three speculative intellectual habits, that they are all virtues only in a restricted sense. Hence they constitute a man good only in a qualified sense, e.g. a good geometrician or a good sculptor. For the proper function of science as art, as such, is not to confer moral goodness, but to direct the intellect in its scientific or artistic processes.<br />
<br />
<i>Prudence</i> <br />
As art is the right method of production, so prudence, as defined by St. Thomas, is the right method of conduct (<i>recta ratio agibilium</i>). It differs from all the other intellectual virtues in this, that it is a virtue in the absolute sense, not only conferring a readiness for well-doing, but causing one to use that readiness rightly. Considered more specifically, it is that virtue which directs on in the choice of means most apt, under existing circumstances, for the attainment of a due end. It differs from the moral virtues as it resides not in the appetitive powers but in the intellect, its proper act being, not the choice of apt means, but the direction of that choice. But although prudence is essentially an intellectual virtue, nevertheless, under a certain respect (<i>materialiter</i>) it may be considered a moral virtue, since it has as its subject matter the acts of the moral virtues. For if the end be vicious, though a certain astuteness be manifested in the discernment of means, such astuteness is not real prudence, but the semblance of prudence. (See PRUDENCE.)<br />
<br />
<h3 id="B">
Moral virtues</h3>
Moral virtues are those which perfect the appetitive faculties of the soul, namely, the will and the sensuous appetite. Moral virtue is so called from the word <i>mos</i>, which signifies a certain natural or quasi-natural inclination to do a thing. But the inclination to act is properly attributed to the appetitive faculty, whose function it is to move the other powers to action. Consequently that virtue is called moral which perfects the appetitive faculty. For as appetite and reason have distinct activities, it is necessary that not only reason be well disposed by the habit of intellectual virtue, but that the appetitive powers also be well disposed by the habit of moral virtue. From this necessity of the moral virtues we see the falsity of the theory of Socrates, who held that all virtue was knowledge, as he held that all vice was ignorance. Moreover, the moral virtues excel the intellectual, prudence excepted, in this, that they give not only the facility, but also the right use of the facility, for well- doing. Hence moral virtues are virtues absolutely; and when we say without qualification that a man is good, we mean morally good. As the proper function of the moral virtues is to rectify the appetitive powers, i.e. to dispose them to act in accordance with right reason, there are principally three moral virtues: justice, which perfects the rational appetite or will; fortitude and temperance, which moderate the lower or sensuous appetite. Prudence, as we have observed, is called a moral virtue, not indeed essentially, but by reason of its subject matter, inasmuch as it is directive of the acts of the moral virtues.<br />
<br />
<i>Justice</i> <br />
Justice, an essentially moral virtue, regulates man in relations with his fellow-men. It disposes us to respect the rights of others, to give each man his due. (See JUSTICE.) Among the virtues annexed to justice are: <br />
<ul>
<li>religion, which regulates man in his relations to God, disposing him to pay due worship to his Creator; </li>
<li>piety, which disposes to the fulfillment of duties which one owes to parents and country (patriotism); </li>
<li>gratitude, which inclines one to recognition of benefits received; </li>
<li>liberality, which restrains the immoderate affection for wealth from withholding seasonable gifts or expenses; </li>
<li>affability, by which one is suitably adapted to his fellow-men in social intercourse so as to behave toward each appropriately. </li>
</ul>
All these moral virtues, as well as justice itself, regulate man in his dealings with others. But besides these there are moral virtues which regulate man with regard to his own inner passions. Now there are passions which impel man to desire that which reason impels him forward; hence there are principally two moral virtues, namely, temperance and fortitude, whose function it is to regulate those lower appetites.<br />
<br />
<i>Temperance</i> <br />
Temperance it is which restrains the undue impulse of concupiscence for sensible pleasure, while fortitude causes man to be brave when he would otherwise shrink, contrary to reason, from dangers or difficulties. Temperance, then, to consider it more particularly, is that moral virtue which moderates in accordance with reason the desires and pleasures of the sensuous appetite attendant on those acts by which human nature is preserved in the individual or propagated in the species. The subordinate species of temperance are: <br />
<ul>
<li>abstinence, which disposes to moderation in the use of food; </li>
<li>sobriety, which inclines to moderation in the use of spirituous liquors; </li>
<li>chastity, which regulates the appetite in regard to sexual pleasures; to chastity may be reduced modesty, which is concerned with acts subordinate to the act of reproduction.</li>
</ul>
The virtues annexed to temperance are: <br />
<ul>
<li>continence, which according to the Scholastics, restrains the will from consenting to violent movements or concupiscence; </li>
<li> humility, which restrains inordinate desires of one's own excellence; </li>
<li>meekness, which checks inordinate movements of anger; </li>
<li>modesty or decorum, which consists in duly ordering the external movements of <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm">anger</a>; to the direction of reason. </li>
</ul>
To this virtue may be reduced to what Aristotle designated as <i>eutrapelia</i>, or good cheer, which disposes to moderation in sports, games, and jests, in accordance with the dictates of reason, taking into consideration the circumstance of person, season, and place. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Fortitude</i> <br />
As temperance and its annexed virtues remove from the will hindrances to rational good arising from sensuous pleasure, so fortitude removes from the will those obstacles arising from the difficulties of doing what reason requires. Hence fortitude, which implies a certain moral strength and courage, is the virtue by which one meets and sustains dangers and difficulties, even death itself, and in never through fear of these deterred from the pursuit of good which reason dictates. (See FORTITUDE.) The virtues annexed to fortitude are: <br />
<ul>
<li>Patience, which disposes us to bear present evils with equanimity; for as the brave man is one who represses those fears which make him shrink from meeting dangers which reason dictates he should encounter, so also the patient man is one who endures present evils in such a way as not to be inordinately cast down by them. </li>
<li>Munificence, which disposes one to incur great expenses for the suitable doing of a great work. It differs from mere liberality, as it has reference not to ordinary expenses and donations, but to those that are great. Hence the munificent man is one who gives with royal generosity, who does things not on a cheap but magnificent scale, always, however, in accordance with right reason. </li>
<li>Magnanimity, which implies a reaching out of the soul to great things, is the virtue which regulates man with regard to honours. The magnanimous man aims at great works in every line of virtue, making it his purpose to do things worthy of great honour. Nor is magnanimity incompatible with true humility. "Magnanimity", says St. Thomas, "makes a man deem himself worthy of great honours in consideration of the Divine gifts he possesses; whilst humility makes him think little of himself in consideration of his own short-comings". </li>
<li>Perseverance, the virtue which disposes to continuance in the accomplishment of good works in spite of the difficulties attendant upon them. As a moral virtue it is not to be taken precisely for what is designated as final perseverance, that special gift of the predestined by which one is found in the state of grace at the moment of death. It is used here to designate that virtue which disposes one to continuance in any virtuous work whatsoever. </li>
</ul>
(For a more detailed treatment of the four principal moral virtues, see CARDINAL VIRTUES.)<br />
<br />
<h3 id="C">
Theological virtues</h3>
All virtues have as their final scope to dispose man to acts conducive to his true happiness. The happiness, however, of which man is capable is twofold, namely, natural, which is attainable by man's natural powers, and supernatural, which exceeds the capacity of unaided human nature. Since, therefore, merely natural principles of human action are inadequate to a supernatural end, it is necessary that man be endowed with supernatural powers to enable him to attain his final destiny. Now these supernatural principles are nothing else than the theological virtues. They are called theological <br />
<ol>
<li>because they have God for their immediate and proper object; </li>
<li>because they are Divinely infused; </li>
<li>because they are known only through Divine Revelation. </li>
</ol>
The theological virtues are three, viz. faith, hope, and charity. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Faith</i> <br />
Faith is an infused virtue, by which the intellect is perfected by a supernatural light, in virtue of which, under a supernatural movement of the will, it assents firmly to the supernatural truths of Revelation, not on the motive of intrinsic evidence, but on the sole ground of the infallible authority of God revealing. For as man is guided in the attainment of natural happiness by principles of knowledge known by the natural light of reason, so also in the attainment of his supernatural destiny his intellect must be illumined by certain supernatural principles, namely, Divinely revealed truths. (See FAITH.)<br />
<br />
<i>Hope</i> <br />
But not only man's intellect must be perfected with regard to his supernatural end, his will also must tend to that end, as a good possible of attainment. Now the virtue, by which the will is so perfected, is the theological virtue of hope. It is commonly defined as a Divinely infused virtue, by which we trust, with an unshaken confidence grounded on the Divine assistance, to attain life everlasting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Charity</i> <br />
But the will must not only tend to God, its ultimate end, it must also be united to Him by a certain conformity. This spiritual union or conformity, by which the soul is united to God, the sovereign Good, is effected by charity. Charity, then, is that theological virtue, by which God, our ultimate end, known by supernatural light, is loved by reason of His own intrinsic goodness or amiability, and our neighbour loved on account of God. It differs from faith, as it regards God not under the aspect of truth but of good. It differs from hope inasmuch as it regards God not as our good precisely (<i>nobis bonum</i>), but as good in Himself (<i>in se bonum</i>). But this love of God as good in Himself does not, as the Quietists maintained, exclude the love of God as He is our good (see QUIETISM). With regard to the love of our neighbor, it falls within the theological virtue of charity in so far as its motive is the supernatural love of God, and it is thus distinguished from mere natural affection. Of the three theological virtues, charity is the most excellent. Faith and hope, involving as they do a certain imperfection, namely, obscurity of light and absence of possession, will cease with this life, but charity involving no essential defect will last forever. Moreover, while charity excludes all mortal <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm">sin</a>, faith and hope are compatible with grievous <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm">sin</a>; but as such they are only imperfect virtues; it is only when informed and vivified by charity that their acts are meritorious of eternal life (see THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE OF LOVE).<br />
<br />
<h2 id="section4">
Causes of virtue</h2>
To the human intellect the first principles of knowledge, both speculative and moral, are connatural; to the human will the tendency to rational good is connatural. Now these naturally knowable principles and these natural tendencies to good constitute the seeds or germs whence the intellectual and moral virtues spring. Moreover by reason of individual natural temperament, resulting from physiological conditions, particular individuals are better disposed than others to particular virtues. Thus certain persons have a natural aptitude with regard to science, others to temperance, and others to fortitude. Hence nature itself may be assigned as the radical cause of the intellectual and moral virtues, or the cause of those virtues viewed in their embryonic state. In their perfect and fully developed state, however, the aforesaid virtues are caused or acquired by frequently repeated acts. Thus by multiplied acts the moral virtues are generated in the appetitive faculties in so far as they are acted upon by reason, and the determination of first principles (see HABIT). The supernatural virtues are immediately caused or infused by God. But a virtue may be called infused in two ways: first, when by its very nature (<i>per se</i>) it can be effectively produced by God alone; secondly, accidentally (<i>per accidens</i>) when it may be acquired by our own acts, but by a Divine dispensation it is infused, as in the case of Adam and Christ. Now besides the theological virtues, according to the doctrine of St. Thomas, there are also moral and intellectual virtues of their very nature Divinely infused, as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These infused virtues differ from the acquired virtues <br />
<ul>
<li>as to their effective principle, being immediately caused by God, whilst the acquired virtues are caused by acts of a created vital power; </li>
<li>by reason of their radical principle, for the infused virtues flow from sanctifying grace as their source, whereas the acquired virtues are not essentially connected with grace; </li>
<li>by reason of the acts they elicit, those of the infused virtues being intrinsically supernatural, those of the acquired not exceeding the capacity of human nature; </li>
<li>whilst one mortal sin destroys the infused virtues, with the acquired virtues acts of mortal sin are not necessarily incompatible, as contrary acts are not directly opposed to the corresponding contrary habit. </li>
</ul>
<div id="section5">
<br /></div>
<h2 id="section5">
Properties of virtues</h2>
<h3 id="A">
Mean of virtues</h3>
One of the properties of virtues is that they consist in the golden mean, that is to say, in what lies between excess and deficit. For as the perfection of things subject to rule consists in conformity with that rule, so also evil in those same things results from deviation from that rule either by excess or defect. Hence the perfection of the moral virtues consists in rendering the movements of the appetitive powers conformable to their proper rule, which is reason, neither going beyond nor falling short of it. Thus fortitude, which makes one brave to meet dangers, avoids on the one hand reckless daring and on the other undue timidity. This golden mean, which consists in conformity with right reason, sometimes coincides with the mean of the objective thing (medium rei), as in the case of the virtue of justice, which renders to every man his due, no more and no less. The golden mean, however, is sometimes taken in reference to ourselves, as in the case of the other moral virtues, viz. fortitude and temperance. For these virtues are concerned with the inner passions, in which the standard of right cannot be fixed invariably, as different individuals vary with regard to the passions. Thus what would be moderation in one would be excess in another. Here also it is to be observed that the mean and extremes in actions and passions must be determined according to circumstances, which may vary. Hence with regard to a certain virtue, what may be an extreme according to one circumstance may be a mean according to another. Thus perpetual chastity, which renounces all sexual pleasures, and voluntary poverty, which renounces all temporal possessions, are true virtues, when exercised for the motive of more surely securing life everlasting. With regard to the intellectual virtues, their golden mean is truth or conformity to reality, whilst excess consists in false affirmation, and defect in false negation. Theological virtues do not absolutely (<i>per se</i>) consist in a mean, as their object is something infinite. Thus we can never love God excessively. Accidentally (<i>per accidens</i>), however, what is extreme or mean in theological virtues may be considered relatively to ourselves. Thus although we can never love God as much as He deserves, still we can love Him according to our powers.<br />
<br />
<h3 id="B">
Connection of virtues</h3>
Another property of virtues is their connection with one another. This mutual connection exists between the moral virtues in their perfect state. "The virtues", says St. Gregory, "if separated, cannot be perfect in the nature of virtue; for that is no true prudence which is not just and temperate and brave". The reason of this connection is that no moral virtue can be had without prudence; because it is the function of moral virtue, being an elective habit, to make a right choice, which rectitude of choice must be directed by prudence. On the other hand prudence cannot exist without the moral virtues; because prudence, being a right method of conduct, has as principles whence it proceeds the ends of conduct, to which ends one becomes duly affected through the moral virtues. Imperfect moral virtues, however, that is to say, those inclinations to virtue resulting from natural temperament, are not necessarily connected with one another. Thus we see a man from natural temperament prompt to acts of liberality and not prompt to acts of chastity. Nor are the natural or acquired moral virtues necessarily connected with charity, though they may be so occasionally. But the supernatural moral virtues are infused simultaneously with charity. For charity is the principle of all good works referable to man's supernatural destiny. Hence it is necessary that there be infused at the same time with charity all the moral virtues by which one performs the different kinds of good works. Thus the infused moral virtues are not only connected on account of prudence, but also on account of charity. Hence he who loses charity by mortal <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm">sin</a> looses all the infused but not the acquired moral virtues.<br />
<br />
From the doctrine of nature and properties of virtues it is abundantly clear how important a role they play in man's true and real perfection. In the economy of Divine Providence all creatures by the exercise of their proper activity must tend to that end destined for them by the wisdom of an infinite intelligence. But as Divine Wisdom governs creatures conformably to their nature, man must tend to his destined end, not by blind instance, but by the exercise of reason and free will. But as these faculties, as well as the faculties subject to them, may be exercised for the faculties subject to them, may be exercised for good or evil, the proper functions of the virtues is to dispose these various psychical activities to acts conductive to man's true ultimate end, just as the part which vice plays in man's rational life is to make him swerve from his final destiny. If, then, the excellence of a thing is to be measured by the end for which it is destined, without doubt among man's highest principles of action which play so important a part in his rational, spiritual, supernatural life, and which in the truest sense of the word are justly called virtues. </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References:</h2>
<div id="approbation">
<b>Ecclesiastical approbation.</b> <span id="nihil"><i>Nihil Obstat.</i> October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><i>Imprimatur.</i> +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="citation book"><i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i> by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7 </span><span id="mlaauthor">Waldron, Martin Augustine.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Virtue."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 15.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1912.</span> <span id="mladate">22 Apr. 2018</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm>.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">ARISTOTLE, Ethics; PETER LOMBARD, Sent., III, dist.xxv-xxxvi; SAINT THOMAS, Summa Theol. I-II., Q. lv-lxxxi, tr. RICKABY, Aquinas Ethicus; SUAREZ, De virtutibus; JOANNES A. S. THOMA, Cursus theologicus, Comment. in I-II; SALAMANTICENSES, Tractatus XII de virtutibus; BARRE, Tractatus de virtutibus; LEQUEUX, Man. Comp. doct. mor de virtut; BILLOT, De virtut, infusis; PESCH, De virtutibus theologicis et moralibus (Freiburg, 1900); JANVIER, Conf. de Notre Dame: La vertu (Paris, 1906); RICKABY, Moral phil. (London, 1910); CRONIN, Science of Ethics; ULLATHORNE, Groundwork of the Christian Virtues (London, 1888); MING, Data of Modern Ethics Examined.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b>SIN</b></span></h2>
<br />
The subject is treated under these heads: <br />
<ul>
<li>Nature of sin </li>
<li>Division </li>
<li>Mortal sin </li>
<li>Venial sin </li>
<li>Permission and remedies </li>
<li>The sense of sin</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul></ul>
<h2 id="i">
Nature of sin</h2>
Since sin is a moral evil, it is necessary in the first place to determine what is meant by evil, and in particular by moral evil. Evil is defined by St. Thomas (De malo, 2:2) as a privation of form or order or due measure. In the physical order a thing is good in proportion as it possesses being. God alone is essentially being, and He alone is essentially and perfectly good. Everything else possesses but a limited being, and, in so far as it possesses being, it is good. When it has its due proportion of form and order and measure it is, in its own order and degree, good. (See GOOD.) Evil implies a deficiency in perfection, hence it cannot exist in God who is essentially and by nature good; it is found only in finite beings which, because of their origin from nothing, are subject to the privation of form or order or measure due them, and, through the opposition they encounter, are liable to an increase or decrease of the perfection they have: "for evil, in a large sense, may be described as the sum of opposition, which experience shows to exist in the universe, to the desires and needs of individuals; whence arises, among human beings at least, the suffering in which life abounds" (see EVIL).<br />
<br />
According to the nature of the perfection which it limits, evil is metaphysical, physical, or moral. Metaphysical evil is not evil properly so called; it is but the negation of a greater good, or the limitation of finite beings by other finite beings. Physical evil deprives the subject affected by it of some natural good, and is adverse to the well-being of the subject, as pain and suffering. Moral evil is found only in intelligent beings; it deprives them of some moral good. Here we have to deal with moral evil only. This may be defined as a privation of conformity to right reason and to the law of God. Since the morality of a human act consists in its agreement or non-agreement with right reason and the eternal law, an act is good or evil in the moral order according as it involves this agreement or non-agreement. When the intelligent creature, knowing God and His law, deliberately refuses to obey, moral evil results.<br />
<br />
Sin is nothing else than a morally bad act (St. Thomas, "De malo", 7:3), an act not in accord with reason informed by the Divine law. God has endowed us with reason and free-will, and a sense of responsibility; He has made us subject to His law, which is known to us by the dictates of conscience, and our acts must conform with these dictates, otherwise we sin (Romans 14:23). In every sinful act two things must be considered, the substance of the act and the want of rectitude or conformity (St. Thomas, I-II:72:1). The act is something positive. The sinner intends here and now to act in some determined matter, inordinately electing that particular good in defiance of God's law and the dictates of right reason. The deformity is not directly intended, nor is it involved in the act so far as this is physical, but in the act as coming from the will which has power over its acts and is capable of choosing this or that particular good contained within the scope of its adequate object, i.e. universal good (St. Thomas, "De malo", Q. 3, a. 2, ad 2um). God, the first cause of all reality, is the cause of the physical act as such, the free-will of the deformity (St. Thomas I-II:89:2; "De malo", 3:2). The evil act adequately considered has for its cause the free-will defectively electing some mutable good in place of the eternal good, God, and thus deviating from its true last end.<br />
<br />
In every sin a privation of due order or conformity to the moral law is found, but sin is not a pure, or entire privation of all moral good (St. Thomas, "De malo", 2:9; I-II:73:2). There is a twofold privation; one entire which leaves nothing of its opposite, as for instance, darkness which leaves no light; another, not entire, which leaves something of the good to which it is opposed, as for instance, disease which does not entirely destroy the even balance of the bodily functions necessary for health. A pure or entire privation of good could occur in a moral act only on the supposition that the will could incline to evil as such for an object. This is impossible because evil as such is not contained within the scope of the adequate object of the will, which is good. The sinner's intention terminates at some object in which there is a participation of God's goodness, and this object is directly intended by him. The privation of due order, or the deformity, is not directly intended, but is accepted in as much as the sinner's desire tends to an object in which this want of conformity is involved, so that sin is not a pure privation, but a human act deprived of its due rectitude. From the defect arises the evil of the act, from the fact that it is voluntary, its imputability.<br />
<br />
<h2 id="ii">
Division of sin</h2>
As regards the principle from which it proceeds sin is original or actual. The will of Adam acting as head of the human race for the conservation or loss of original justice is the cause and source of original sin. Actual sin is committed by a free personal act of the individual will. It is divided into sins of commission and omission. A sin of commission is a positive act contrary to some prohibitory precept; a sin of omission is a failure to do what is commanded. A sin of omission, however, requires a positive act whereby one wills to omit the fulfilling of a precept, or at least wills something incompatible with its fulfillment (I-II:72:5). As regards their malice, sins are distinguished into sins of ignorance, passion or infirmity, and malice; as regards the activities involved, into sins of thought, word, or deed (<i>cordis, oris, operis</i>); as regards their gravity, into mortal and venial. This last named division is indeed the most important of all and it calls for special treatment. But before taking up the details, it will be useful to indicate some further distinctions which occur in theology or in general usage.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Material and formal sin</h3>
This distinction is based upon the difference between the objective elements (object itself, circumstances) and the subjective (advertence to the sinfulness of the act). An action which, as a matter of fact, is contrary to the Divine law but is not known to be such by the agent constitutes a material sin; whereas formal sin is committed when the agent freely transgresses the law as shown him by his conscience, whether such law really exists or is only thought to exist by him who acts. Thus, a person who takes the property of another while believing it to be his own commits a material sin; but the sin would be formal if he took the property in the belief that it belonged to another, whether his belief were correct or not.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Internal sins</h3>
That sin may be committed not only by outward deeds but also by the inner activity of the mind apart from any external manifestation, is plain from the precept of the Decalogue: "Thou shalt not covet", and from Christ's rebuke of the scribes and pharisees whom he likens to "whited sepulchres... full of all filthiness" (Matthew 23:27). Hence the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, c. v), in declaring that all mortal sins must be confessed, makes special mention of those that are most secret and that violate only the last two precepts of the Decalogue, adding that they "sometimes more grievously wound the soul and are more dangerous than sins which are openly committed". Three kinds of internal sin are usually distinguished:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>delectatio morosa</i>, i.e. the pleasure taken in a sinful thought or imagination even without desiring it; </li>
<li><i>gaudium</i>, i.e. dwelling with complacency on sins already committed; and </li>
<li><i>desiderium</i>, i.e. the desire for what is sinful.</li>
</ul>
An <i>efficacious</i> desire, i.e. one that includes the deliberate intention to realize or gratify the desire, has the same malice, mortal or venial, as the action which it has in view. An inefficacious desire is one that carries a condition, in such a way that the will is prepared to perform the action in case the condition were verified. When the condition is such as to eliminate all sinfulness from the action, the desire involves no sin: e.g. I would gladly eat meat on Friday, if I had a dispensation; and in general this is the case whenever the action is forbidden by positive law only. When the action is contrary to natural law and yet is permissible in given circumstances or in a particular state of life, the desire, if it include those circumstances or that state as conditions, is not in itself sinful: e.g. I would kill so-and-so if I had to do it in self-defence. Usually, however, such desires are dangerous and therefore to be repressed. If, on the other hand, the condition does not remove the sinfulness of the action, the desire is also sinful. This is clearly the case where the action is intrinsically and absolutely evil, e.g. blasphemy: one cannot without committing sin, have the desire — I would blaspheme God if it were not wrong; the condition is an impossible one and therefore does not affect the desire itself. The pleasure taken in a sinful thought (<i>delectatio, gaudium</i>) is, generally speaking, a sin of the same kind and gravity as the action which is thought of. Much, however, depends on the motive for which one thinks of sinful actions. The pleasure, e.g. which one may experience in studying the nature of murder or any other crime, in getting clear ideas on the subject, tracing its causes, determining the guilt etc., is not a sin; on the contrary, it is often both necessary and useful. The case is different of course where the pleasure means gratification in the sinful object or action itself. And it is evidently a sin when one boasts of his evil deeds, the more so because of the scandal that is given.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The capital sins or vices</h3>
According to St. Thomas (II-II:153:4) "a capital vice is that which has an exceedingly desirable end so that in his desire for it a man goes on to the commission of many sins all of which are said to originate in that vice as their chief source". It is not then the gravity of the vice in itself that makes it capital but rather the fact that it gives rise to many other sins. These are enumerated by St. Thomas (I-II:84:4) as vainglory (pride), avarice, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, anger. St. Bonaventure (Brevil., III, ix) gives the same enumeration. Earlier writers had distinguished eight capital sins: so St. Cyprian (De mort., iv); Cassian (<i>Institutes</i> 5, <i>Conferences</i> 5); Columbanus ("Instr. de octo vitiis princip." in "Bibl. max. vet. patr.", XII, 23); Alcuin (De virtut. et vitiis, xxvii sqq.). The number seven, however, had been given by St. Gregory the Great (Lib. mor. in Job. XXXI, xvii), and it was retained by the foremost theologians of the Middle Ages.<br />
<br />
It is to be noted that "sin" is not predicated univocally of all kinds of sin. "The division of sin into venial and mortal is not a division of genus into species which participate equally the nature of the genus, but the division of an analogue into things of which it is predicated primarily and secondarily" (St. Thomas, I-II:88:1, ad 1um). "Sin is not predicated univocally of all kinds of sin, but primarily of actual mortal sin ... and therefore it is not necessary that the definition of sin in general should be verified except in that sin in which the nature of the genus is found perfectly. The definition of sin may be verified in other sins in a certain sense" (St. Thomas, II, d. 33, Q. i, a. 2, ad 2um). Actual sin primarily consists in a voluntary act repugnant to the order of right reason. The act passes, but the soul of the sinner remains stained, deprived of grace, in a state of sin, until the disturbance of order has been restored by penance. This state is called habitual sin, <i>macula peccati. reatus culpæ</i> (I-II:87:6).<br />
<br />
The division of sin into original and actual, mortal and venial, is not a division of genus into species because sin has not the same signification when applied to original and personal sin, mortal and venial. Mortal sin cuts us off entirely from our true last end; venial sin only impedes us in its attainment. Actual personal sin is voluntary by a proper act of the will. Original sin is voluntary not by a personal voluntary act of ours, but by an act of the will of Adam. Original and actual sin are distinguished by the manner in which they are voluntary (<i>ex parte actus</i>); mortal and venial sin by the way in which they affect our relation to God (<i>ex parte deordinationis</i>). Since a voluntary act and its disorder are of the essence of sin, it is impossible that sin should be a generic term in respect to original and actual, mortal and venial sin. The true nature of sin is found perfectly only in a personal mortal sin, in other sins imperfectly, so that sin is predicated primarily of actual sin, only secondarily of the others. Therefore we shall consider: first, personal mortal sin; second, venial sin.<br />
<br />
<h2 id="iii">
Mortal sin</h2>
Mortal sin is defined by St. Augustine (<i>Reply to Faustus</i> XXII.27) as "Dictum vel factum vel concupitum contra legem æternam", i.e. something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law. This is a definition of sin as it is a voluntary act. As it is a defect or privation it may be defined as an aversion from God, our true last end, by reason of the preference given to some mutable good. The definition of St. Augustine is accepted generally by theologians and is primarily a definition of actual mortal sin. It explains well the material and formal elements of sin. The words "dictum vel factum vel concupitum" denote the material element of sin, a human act: "contra legem æternam", the formal element. The act is bad because it transgresses the Divine law. St. Ambrose (De paradiso, viii) defines sin as a "prevarication of the Divine law". The definition of St. Augustine strictly considered, i.e. as sin averts us from our true ultimate end, does not comprehend venial sin, but in as much as venial sin is in a manner contrary to the Divine law, although not averting us from our last end, it may be said to be included in the definition as it stands. While primarily a definition of sins of commission, sins of omission may be included in the definition because they presuppose some positive act (St. Thomas, I-II:71:5) and negation and affirmation are reduced to the same genus. Sins that violate the human or the natural law are also included, for what is contrary to the human or natural law is also contrary to the Divine law, in as much as every just human law is derived from the Divine law, and is not just unless it is in conformity with the Divine law.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Biblical description of sin</h3>
In the Old Testament sin is set forth as an act of disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:11; Isaiah 1:2-4; Jeremiah 2:32); as an insult to God (Numbers 27:14); as something detested and punished by God (Genesis 3:14-19; Genesis 4:9-16); as injurious to the sinner (Tobit 12:10); to be expiated by penance (Psalm 51:19). In the New Testament it is clearly taught in St. Paul that sin is a transgression of the law (Romans 2:23; 5:12-20); a servitude from which we are liberated by grace (Romans 6:16-18); a disobedience (Hebrews 2:2) punished by God (Hebrews 10:26-31). St. John describes sin as an offence to God, a disorder of the will (John 12:43), an iniquity (1 John 3:4-10). Christ in many of His utterances teaches the nature and extent of sin. He came to promulgate a new law more perfect than the old, which would extend to the ordering not only of external but also of internal acts to a degree unknown before, and, in His Sermon on the Mount, He condemns as sinful many acts which were judged honest and righteous by the doctors and teachers of the Old Law. He denounces in a special manner hypocrisy and scandal, infidelity and the sin against the Holy Ghost. In particular He teaches that sins come from the heart (Matthew 15:19-20).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Systems which deny sin or distort its true notion</h3>
All systems, religious and ethical, which either deny, on the one hand, the existence of a personal creator and lawgiver distinct from and superior to his creation, or, on the other, the existence of free will and responsibility in man, distort or destroy the true biblico-theological notion of sin. In the beginning of the Christian era the Gnostics, although their doctrines varied in details, denied the existence of a personal creator. The idea of sin in the Catholic sense is not contained in their system. There is no sin for them, unless it be the sin of ignorance, no necessity for an atonement; Jesus is not God (see GNOSTICISM). Manichaeism with its two eternal principles, good and evil, at perpetual war with each other, is also destructive of the true notion of sin. All evil, and consequently sin, is from the principle of evil. The Christian concept of God as a lawgiver is destroyed. Sin is not a conscious voluntary act of disobedience to the Divine will. Pantheistic systems which deny the distinction between God and His creation make sin impossible. If man and God are one, man is not responsible to anyone for his acts, morality is destroyed. If he is his own rule of action, he cannot deviate from right as St. Thomas teaches (I:63:1). The identification of God and the world by Pantheism leaves no place for sin.<br />
<br />
There must be some law to which man is subject, superior to and distinct from him, which can be obeyed and transgressed, before sin can enter into his acts. This law must be the mandate of a superior, because the notions of superiority and subjection are correlative. This superior can be only God, who alone is the author and lord of man. Materialism, denying as it does the spirituality and the immortality of the soul, the existence of any spirit whatsoever, and consequently of God, does not admit sin. There is no free will, everything is determined by the inflexible laws of motion. "Virtue" and "vice" are meaningless qualifications of action. Positivism places man's last end in some sensible good. His supreme law of action is to seek the maximum of pleasure. Egotism or altruism is the supreme norm and criterion of the Positivistic systems, not the eternal law of God as revealed by Him, and dictated by conscience. For the materialistic evolutionists man is but a highly-developed animal, conscience a product of evolution. Evolution has revolutionized morality, sin is no more.<br />
<br />
Kant in his "Critique of Pure Reason" having rejected all the essential notions of true morality, namely, liberty, the soul, God and a future life, attempted in his "Critique of the Practical Reason" to restore them in the measure in which they are necessary for morality. The practical reason, he tells us, imposes on us the idea of law and duty. The fundamental principle of the morality of Kant is "duty for duty's sake", not God and His law. Duty cannot be conceived of alone as an independent thing. It carries with it certain postulates, the first of which is liberty. "I ought, therefore I can", is his doctrine. Man by virtue of his practical reason has a consciousness of moral obligation (categorical imperative). This consciousness supposes three things: free will, the immortality of the soul, the existence of God, otherwise man would not be capable of fulfilling his obligations, there would be no sufficient sanction for the Divine law, no reward or punishment in a future life. Kant's moral system labours in obscurities and contradictions and is destructive of much that pertains to the teaching of Christ. Personal dignity is the supreme rule of man's actions. The notion of sin as opposed to God is suppressed. According to the teaching of materialistic Monism, now so widespread, there is, and can be, no free will. According to this doctrine but one thing exists and this one being produces all phenomena, thought included; we are but puppets in its hands, carried hither an thither as it wills, and finally are cast back into nothingness. There is no place for good and evil, a free observance or a wilful transgression of law, in such a system. Sin in the true sense is impossible. Without law and liberty and a personal God there is no sin.<br />
<br />
That God exists and can be known from His visible creation, that He has revealed the decrees of His eternal will to man, and is distinct from His creatures (Denzinger-Bannwart, "Enchiridion", nn. 1782, 1785, 1701), are matters of Catholic faith and teaching. Man is a created being endowed with free will (ibid., 793), which fact can be proved from Scripture and reason (ibid., 1041-1650). The Council of Trent declares in Sess. VI, c. i (ibid., 793) that man by reason of the prevarication of Adam has lost his primeval innocence, and that while free will remains, its powers are lessened (see ORIGINAL SIN). <br />
<h3>
Protestant errors</h3>
Luther and Calvin taught as their fundamental error that no free will properly so called remained in man after the fall of our first parents; that the fulfillment of God's precepts is impossible even with the assistance of grace, and that man in all his actions sins. Grace is not an interior gift, but something external. To some sin is not imputed, because they are covered as with a cloak by the merits of Christ. Faith alone saves, there is no necessity for good works. Sin in Luther's doctrine cannot be a deliberate transgression of the Divine law. Jansenius, in his "Augustinus", taught that according to the present powers of man some of God's precepts are impossible of fulfilment, even to the just who strive to fulfil them, and he further taught that grace by means of which the fulfilment becomes possible is wanting even to the just. His fundamental error consists in teaching that the will is not free but is necessarily drawn either by concupiscence or grace. Internal liberty is not required for merit or demerit. Liberty from coercion suffices. Christ did not die for all men. Baius taught a semi-Lutheran doctrine. Liberty is not entirely destroyed, but is so weakened that without grace it can do nothing but sin. True liberty is not required for sin. A bad act committed involuntarily renders man responsible (propositions 50-51 in Denzinger-Bannwart, "Enchiridion", nn. 1050-1). All acts done without charity are mortal sins and merit damnation because they proceed from concupiscence. This doctrine denies that sin is a voluntary transgression of Divine law. If man is not free, a precept is meaningless as far as he is concerned.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Philosophical sin</h3>
Those who would construct a moral system independent of God and His law distinguish between theological and philosophical sin. Philosophical sin is a morally bad act which violates the natural order of reason, not the Divine law. Theological sin is a transgression of the eternal law. Those who are of atheistic tendencies and contend for this distinction, either deny the existence of God or maintain that He exercises no providence in regard to human acts. This position is destructive of sin in the theological sense, as God and His law, reward and punishment, are done away with. Those who admit the existence of God, His law, human liberty and responsibility, and still contend for a distinction between philosophical and theological sin, maintain that in the present order of God's providence there are morally bad acts, which, while violating the order of reason, are not offensive to God, and they base their contention on this that the sinner can be ignorant of the existence of God, or not actually think of Him and His law when he acts. Without the knowledge of God and consideration of Him, it is impossible to offend Him. This doctrine was censured as scandalous, temerarious, and erroneous by Alexander VIII (24 Aug., 1690) in his condemnation of the following proposition: "Philosophical or moral sin is a human act not in agreement with rational nature and right reason, theological and mortal sin is a free transgression of the Divine law. However grievous it may be, philosophical sin in one who is either ignorant of God or does not actually think of God, is indeed a grievous sin, but not an offense to God, nor a mortal sin dissolving friendship with God, nor worthy of eternal punishment" (Denzinger-Bannwart, 1290).<br />
<br />
This proposition is condemned because it does not distinguish between vincible and invincible ignorance, and further supposes invincible ignorance of God to be sufficiently common, instead of only metaphysically possible, and because in the present dispensation of God's providence we are clearly taught in Scripture that God will punish all evil coming from the free will of man (Romans 2:5-11). There is no morally bad act that does not include a transgression of Divine law. From the fact that an action is conceived of as morally evil it is conceived of as prohibited. A prohibition is unintelligible without the notion of some one prohibiting. The one prohibiting in this case and binding the conscience of man can be only God, Who alone has power over man's free will and actions, so that from the fact that any act is perceived to be morally bad and prohibited by conscience, God and His law are perceived at least confusedly, and a wilful transgression of the dictate of conscience is necessarily also a transgression of God's law. Cardinal de Lugo (De incarnat., disp. 5, lect. 3) admits the possibility of philosophical sin in those who are inculpably ignorant of God, but he holds that it does not actually occur, because in the present order of God's providence there cannot be invincible ignorance of God and His law. This teaching does not necessarily fall under the condemnation of Alexander VIII, but it is commonly rejected by theologians for the reason that a dictate of conscience necessarily involves a knowledge of the Divine law as a principle of morality.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Conditions of mortal sin: knowledge, free will, grave matter</h3>
Contrary to the teaching of Baius (prop. 46, Denzinger-Bannwart, 1046) and the Reformers, a sin must be a voluntary act. Those actions alone are properly called human or moral actions which proceed from the human will deliberately acting with knowledge of the end for which it acts. Man differs from all irrational creatures in this precisely that he is master of his actions by virtue of his reason and free will (I-II:1:1). Since sin is a human act wanting in due rectitude, it must have, in so far as it is a human act, the essential constituents of a human act. The intellect must perceive and judge of the morality of the act, and the will must freely elect. For a deliberate mortal sin there must be full advertence on the part of the intellect and full consent on the part of the will in a grave matter. An involuntary transgression of the law even in a grave matter is not a formal but a material sin. The gravity of the matter is judged from the teaching of Scripture, the definitions of councils and popes, and also from reason. Those sins are judged to be mortal which contain in themselves some grave disorder in regard to God, our neighbour, ourselves, or society. Some sins admit of no lightness of matter, as for example, blasphemy, hatred of God; they are always mortal (<i>ex toto genere suo</i>), unless rendered venial by want of full advertence on the part of the intellect or full consent on the part of the will. Other sins admit lightness of matter: they are grave sins (<i>ex genere suo</i>) in as much as their matter in itself is sufficient to constitute a grave sin without the addition of any other matter, but is of such a nature that in a given case, owing to its smallness, the sin may be venial, e.g. theft.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Imputability</h3>
That the act of the sinner may be imputed to him it is not necessary that the object which terminates and specifies his act should be directly willed as an ends or means. It suffices that it be willed indirectly or in its cause, i.e. if the sinner foresees, at least confusedly, that it will follow from the act which he freely performs or from his omission of an act. When the cause produces a twofold effect, one of which is directly willed, the other indirectly, the effect which follows indirectly is morally imputable to the sinner when these three conditions are verified:<br />
<ul>
<li>first, the sinner must foresee at least confusedly the evil effects which follow on the cause he places;</li>
<li>second, he must be able to refrain from placing the cause;</li>
<li>third, he must be under the obligation of preventing the evil effect.</li>
</ul>
Error and ignorance in regard to the object or circumstances of the act to be placed, affect the judgment of the intellect and consequently the morality and imputability of the act. Invincible ignorance excuses entirely from sin. Vincible ignorance does not, although it renders the act less free (see IGNORANCE). The passions, while they disturb the judgment of the intellect, more directly affect the will. Antecedent passion increases the intensity of the act, the object is more intensely desired, although less freely, and the disturbance caused by the passions may be so great as to render a free judgment impossible, the agent being for the moment beside himself (I-II:6:7, ad 3um). Consequent passion, which arises from a command of the will, does not lessen liberty, but is rather a sign of an intense act of volition. Fear, violence, heredity, temperament and pathological states, in so far as they affect free volition, affect the malice and imputability of sin. From the condemnation of the errors of Baius and Jansenius (Denz.-Bann., 1046, 1066, 1094, 1291-2) it is clear that for an actual personal sin a knowledge of the law and a personal voluntary act, free from coercion and necessity, are required. No mortal sin is committed in a state of invincible ignorance or in a half-conscious state. Actual advertence to the sinfulness of the act is not required, virtual advertence suffices. It is not necessary that the explicit intention to offend God and break His law be present, the full and free consent of the will to an evil act suffices. <br />
<h3>
Malice</h3>
The true malice of mortal sin consists in a conscious and voluntary transgression of the eternal law, and implies a contempt of the Divine will, a complete turning away from God, our true last end, and a preferring of some created thing to which we subject ourselves. It is an offence offered to God, and an injury done Him; not that it effects any change in God, who is immutable by nature, but that the sinner by his act deprives God of the reverence and honor due Him: it is not any lack of malice on the sinner's part, but God's immutability that prevents Him from suffering. As an offence offered to God mortal sin is in a way infinite in its malice, since it is directed against an infinite being, and the gravity of the offence is measured by the dignity of the one offended (St. Thomas, III:1:2, ad 2um). As an act sin is finite, the will of man not being capable of infinite malice. Sin is an offence against Christ Who has redeemed man (Philippians 3:18); against the Holy Ghost Who sanctifies us (Hebrews 10:29), an injury to man himself, causing the spiritual death of the soul, and making man the servant of the devil. The first and primary malice of sin is derived from the object to which the will inordinately tends, and from the object considered morally, not physically. The end for which the sinner acts and the circumstances which surround the act are also determining factors of its morality. An act which, objectively considered, is morally indifferent, may be rendered good or evil by circumstances, or by the intention of the sinner. An act that is good objectively may be rendered bad, or a new species of good or evil may be added, or a new degree. Circumstances can change the character of a sin to such a degree that it becomes specifically different from what it is objectively considered; or they may merely aggravate the sin while not changing its specific character; or they may lessen its gravity. That they may exercise this determining influence two things are necessary: they must contain in themselves some good or evil, and must be apprehended, at least confusedly, in their moral aspect. The external act, in so far as it is a mere execution of a voluntary efficacious internal act, does not, according to the common Thomistic opinion, add any essential goodness or malice to the internal sin.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Gravity</h3>
While every mortal sin averts us from our true last end, all mortal sins are not equally grave, as is clear from Scripture (John 19:11; Matthew 11:22; Luke 6), and also from reason. Sins are specifically distinguished by their objects, which do not all equally avert man from his last end. Then again, since sin is not a pure privation, but a mixed one, all sins do not equally destroy the order of reason. Spiritual sins, other things being equal, are graver than carnal sins. (St. Thomas, "De malo", Q. ii, a. 9; I-II.73.5).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Specific and numeric distinction of sin</h3>
Sins are distinguished specifically by their formally diverse objects; or from their opposition to different virtues, or to morally different precepts of the same virtue. Sins that are specifically distinct are also numerically distinct. Sins within the same species are distinguished numerically according to the number of complete acts of the will in regard to total objects. A total object is one which, either in itself or by the intention of the sinner, forms a complete whole and is not referred to another action as a part of the whole. When the completed acts of the will relate to the same object there are as many sins as there are morally interrupted acts.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Subject causes of sin</h3>
Since sin is a voluntary act lacking in due rectitude, sin is found, as in a subject, principally in the will. But, since not only acts elicited by the will are voluntary, but also those that are elicited by other faculties at the command of the will, sin may be found in these faculties in so far as they are subject in their actions to the command of the will, and are instruments of the will, and move under its guidance (I-II:74).<br />
<br />
The external members of the body cannot be effective principles of sin (I-II:74:2, ad 3um). They are mere organs which are set in activity by the soul; they do not initiate action. The appetitive powers on the contrary can be effective principles of sin, for they possess, through their immediate conjunction with the will and their subordination to it, a certain though imperfect liberty (I-II:56:4, ad 3um). The sensual appetites have their own proper sensible objects to which they naturally incline, and since original sin has broken the bond which held them in complete subjection to the will, they may antecede the will in their actions and tend to their own proper objects inordinately. Hence they may be proximate principles of sin when they move inordinately contrary to the dictates of right reason.<br />
<br />
It is the right of reason to rule the lower faculties, and when the disturbance arises in the sensual part the reason may do one of two things: it may either consent to the sensible delectation or it may repress and reject it. If it consents, the sin is no longer one of the sensual part of man, but of the intellect and will, and consequently, if the matter is grave, mortal. If rejected, no sin can be imputed. There can be no sin in the sensual part of man independently of the will. The inordinate motions of the sensual appetite which precede the advertence of reason, or which are suffered unwillingly, are not even venial sins. The temptations of the flesh not consented to are not sins. Concupiscence, which remains after the guilt of original sin is remitted in baptism, is not sinful so long as consent is not given to it (Council of Trent, sess. V, can. v). The sensual appetite of itself cannot be the subject of mortal sin, for the reason that it can neither grasp the notion of God as an ultimate end, nor avert us from Him, without which aversion there cannot be mortal sin. The superior reason, whose office it is to occupy itself with Divine things, may be the proximate principle of sin both in regard to its own proper act, to know truth, and as it is directive of the inferior faculties: in regard to its own proper act, in so far as it voluntarily neglects to know what it can and ought to know; in regard to the act by which it directs the inferior faculties, to the extent that it commands inordinate acts or fails to repress them (I-II:74:7, ad 2um).<br />
<br />
The will never consents to a sin that is not at the same time a sin of the superior reason as directing badly, by either actually deliberating and commanding the consent, or by failing to deliberate and impede the consent of the will when it could and should do so. The superior reason is the ultimate judge of human acts and has an obligation of deliberating and deciding whether the act to be performed is according to the law of God. Venial sin may also be found in the superior reason when it deliberately consents to sins that are venial in their nature, or when there is not a full consent in the case of a sin that is mortal considered objectively.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Causes of sin</h3>
Under this head, it is needful to distinguish between the efficient cause, i.e. the agent performing the sinful action, and those other agencies, influences or circumstances, which incite to sin and consequently involve a danger, more or less grave, for one who is exposed to them. These inciting causes are explained in special articles on OCCASIONS OF SIN and TEMPTATION. Here we have to consider only the efficient cause or causes of sin. These are interior and exterior. The complete and sufficient cause of sin is the will, which is regulated in its actions by the reason, and acted upon by the sensitive appetites. The principal interior causes of sin are ignorance, infirmity or passion, and malice. Ignorance on the part of the reason, infirmity and passion on the part of the sensitive appetite, and malice on the part of the will. A sin is from certain malice when the will sins of its own accord and not under the influence of ignorance or passion.<br />
<br />
The exterior causes of sin are the devil and man, who move to sin by means of suggestion, persuasion, temptation and bad example. God is not the cause of sin (Council of Trent, sess. VI, can. vi, in Denz.-Bann., 816). He directs all things to Himself and is the end of all His actions, and could not be the cause of evil without self-contradiction. Of whatever entity there is in sin as an action, He is the cause. The evil will is the cause of the disorder (I-II:79:2). One sin may be the cause of another inasmuch as one sin may be ordained to another as an end. The seven capital sins, so called, may be considered as the source from which other sins proceed. They are sinful propensities which reveal themselves in particular sinful acts. Original sin by reason of its dire effects is the cause and source of sin in so far as by reason of it our natures are left wounded and inclined to evil. Ignorance, infirmity, malice, and concupiscence are the consequences of original sin.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Effects of sin</h3>
The first effect of mortal sin in man is to avert him from his true last end, and deprive his soul of sanctifying grace. The sinful act passes, and the sinner is left in a state of habitual aversion from God. The sinful state is voluntary and imputable to the sinner, because it necessarily follows from the act of sin he freely placed, and it remains until satisfaction is made (see PENANCE). This state of sin is called by theologians habitual sin, not in the sense that habitual sin implies a vicious habit, but in the sense that it signifies a state of aversion from God depending on the preceding actual sin, consequently voluntary and imputable. This state of aversion carries with it necessarily in the present order of God's providence the privation of grace and charity by means of which man is ordered to his supernatural end. The privation of grace is the "macula peccati" (St. Thomas, I-II.86), the stain of sin spoken of in Scripture (Joshua 22:17; Isaiah 4:4; 1 Corinthians 6:11). It is not anything positive, a quality or disposition, an obligation to suffer, an extrinsic denomination coming from sin, but is solely the privation of sanctifying grace. There is not a real but only a conceptual distinction between habitual sin (<i>reatus culpæ</i>) and the stain of sin (<i>macula peccati</i>). One and the same privation considered as destroying the due order of man to God is habitual sin, considered as depriving the soul of the beauty of grace is the stain or "macula" of sin.<br />
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The second effect of sin is to entail the penalty of undergoing suffering (<i>reatus pænæ</i>). Sin (<i>reatus culpæ</i>) is the cause of this obligation (<i>reatus pænæ</i> ). The suffering may be inflicted in this life through the medium of medicinal punishments, calamities, sickness, temporal evils, which tend to withdraw from sin; or it may be inflicted in the life to come by the justice of God as vindictive punishment. The punishments of the future life are proportioned to the sin committed, and it is the obligation of undergoing this punishment for unrepented sin that is signified by the "reatus poenæ" of the theologians. The penalty to be undergone in the future life is divided into the pain of loss (<i>pæna damni</i>) and the pain of sense (<i>pæna sensus</i>). The pain of loss is the privation of the beatific vision of God in punishment of turning away from Him. The pain of sense is suffering in punishment of the conversion to some created thing in place of God. This two-fold pain in punishment of mortal sin is eternal (1 Corinthians 6:9; Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:45). One mortal sin suffices to incur punishment. (<i>See</i> HELL.) Other effects of sins are: remorse of conscience (Wisdom 5:2-13); an inclination towards evil, as habits are formed by a repetition of similar acts; a darkening of the intelligence, a hardening of the will (Matthew 13:14-15; Romans 11:8); a general vitiating of nature, which does not however totally destroy the substance and faculties of the soul but merely weakens the right exercise of its faculties.<br />
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<h2 id="iv">
Venial sin</h2>
Venial sin is essentially different from mortal sin. It does not avert us from our true last end, it does not destroy charity, the principle of union with God, nor deprive the soul of sanctifying grace, and it is intrinsically reparable. It is called venial precisely because, considered in its own proper nature, it is pardonable; in itself meriting, not eternal, but temporal punishment. It is distinguished from mortal sin on the part of the disorder. By mortal sin man is entirely averted from God, his true last end, and, at least implicitly, he places his last end in some created thing. By venial sin he is not averted from God, neither does he place his last end in creatures. He remains united with God by charity, but does not tend towards Him as he ought. The true nature of sin as it is contrary to the eternal law, repugnant namely to the primary end of the law, is found only in mortal sin. Venial sin is only in an imperfect way contrary to the law, since it is not contrary to the primary end of the law, nor does it avert man from the end intended by the law. (St. Thomas, I-II.88.1; and Cajetan, I-II, Q. lxxxviii, a. 1, for the sense of the <i>præter legem</i> and <i>contra legem</i> of St. Thomas).<br />
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<h3>
Definition</h3>
Since a voluntary act and its disorder are of the essence of sin, venial sin as it is a voluntary act may be defined as a thought, word or deed at variance with the law of God. It retards man in the attainment of his last end while not averting him from it. Its disorder consists either in the not fully deliberate choosing of some object prohibited by the law of God, or in the deliberate adhesion to some created object not as an ultimate end but as a medium, which object does not avert the sinner from God, but is not, however, referable to Him as an end. Man cannot be averted from God except by deliberately placing his last end in some created thing, and in venial sin he does not adhere to any temporal good, enjoying it as a last end, but as a medium referring it to God not actually but habitually inasmuch as he himself is ordered to God by charity. "Ille qui peccat venialiter, inhæret bono temporali non ut fruens, quia non constituit in eo finem, sed ut utens, referens in Deum non actu sed habitu" (I-II:88:1, ad 3).<br />
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For a mortal sin, some created good must be adhered to as a last end at least implicitly. This adherence cannot be accomplished by a semi-deliberate act. By adhering to an object that is at variance with the law of God and yet not destructive of the primary end of the Divine law, a true opposition is not set up between God and that object. The created good is not desired as an end. The sinner is not placed in the position of choosing between God and creature as ultimate ends that are opposed, but is in such a condition of mind that if the object to which he adheres were prohibited as contrary to his true last end he would not adhere to it, but would prefer to keep friendship with God. An example may be had in human friendship. A friend will refrain from doing anything that of itself will tend directly to dissolve friendship while allowing himself at times to do what is displeasing to his friends without destroying friendship.<br />
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The distinction between mortal and venial sin is set forth in Scripture. From St. John (1 John 5:16-17) it is clear there are some sins "unto death" and some sins not "unto death", i.e. mortal and venial. The classic text for the distinction of mortal and venial sin is that of St. Paul (1 Corinthians 3:8-15), where he explains in detail the distinction between mortal and venial sin. "For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble: every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it; because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." By wood, hay, and stubble are signified venial sins (St. Thomas, I-II:89:2) which, built on the foundation of a living faith in Christ, do not destroy charity, and from their very nature do not merit eternal but temporal punishment. "Just as", says St. Thomas, [wood, hay, and stubble] "are gathered together in a house and do not pertain to the substance of the edifice, so also venial sins are multiplied in man, the spiritual edifice remaining, and for these he suffers either the fire of temporal tribulations in this life, or of purgatory after this life and nevertheless obtains eternal salvation." (I-II:89:2)<br />
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The suitableness of the division into wood, hay, and stubble is explained by St. Thomas (iv, dist. 21, Q. i, a. 2). Some venial sins are graver than others and less pardonable, and this difference is well signified by the difference in the inflammability of wood, hay, and stubble. That there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins is of faith (Council of Trent, sess. VI, c. xi and canons 23-25; sess. XIV, de poenit., c. v). This distinction is commonly rejected by all heretics ancient and modern. In the fourth century Jovinian asserted that all sins are equal in guilt and deserving of the same punishment (St. Aug., "Ep. 167", ii, n. 4); Pelagius, that every sin deprives man of justice and therefore is mortal; Wyclif, that there is no warrant in Scripture for differentiating mortal from venial sin, and that the gravity of sin depends not on the quality of the action but on the decree of predestination or reprobation so that the worst crime of the predestined is infinitely less than the slightest fault of the reprobate; Hus, that all the actions of the vicious are mortal sins, while all the acts of the good are virtuous (Denz.-Bann., 642); Luther, that all sins of unbelievers are mortal and all sins of the regenerate, with the exception of infidelity, are venial; Calvin, like Wyclif, bases the difference between mortal sin and venial sin on predestination, but adds that a sin is venial because of the faith of the sinner. The twentieth among the condemned propositions of Baius reads: "There is no sin venial in its nature, but every sin merits eternal punishment" (Denz.-Bann., 1020). Hirscher in more recent times taught that all sins which are fully deliberate are mortal, thus denying the distinction of sins by reason of their objects and making the distinction rest on the imperfection of the act (Kleutgen, 2nd ed., II, 284, etc.).<br />
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<h3>
Malice of venial sin</h3>
The difference in the malice of mortal and venial sin consists in this: that mortal sin is contrary to the primary end of the eternal law, that it attacks the very substance of the law which commands that no created thing should be preferred to God as an end, or equalled to Him, while venial sin is only at variance with the law, not in contrary opposition to it, not attacking its substance. The substance of the law remaining, its perfect accomplishment is prevented by venial sin.<br />
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Conditions</h3>
Venial sin is committed when the matter of the sin is light, even though the advertence of the intellect and consent of the will are full and deliberate, and when, even though the matter of the sin be grave, there is not full advertence on the part of the intellect and full consent on the part of the will. A precept obliges <i>sub gravi</i> when it has for its object an important end to be attained, and its transgression is prohibited under penalty of losing God's friendship. A precept obliges <i>sub levi</i> when it is not so directly imposed.<br />
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Effects</h3>
Venial sin does not deprive the soul of sanctifying grace, or diminish it. It does not produce a <i>macula</i>, or stain, as does mortal sin, but it lessens the lustre of virtue — "In anima duplex est nitor, unus quiden habitualis, ex gratia sanctificante, alter actualis ex actibus virtutem, jamvero peccatum veniale impedit quidem fulgorem qui ex actibus virtutum oritur, non autem habitualem nitorem, quia non excludit nec minuit habitum charitatis" (I-II:89:1). Frequent and deliberate venial sin lessens the fervour of charity, disposes to mortal sin (I-II:88:3), and hinders the reception of graces God would otherwise give. It displeases God (Revelation 2:4-5) and obliges the sinner to temporal punishment either in this life or in Purgatory. We cannot avoid all venial sin in this life. "Although the most just and holy occasionally during this life fall into some slight and daily sins, known as venial, they cease not on that account to be just" (Council of Trent, sess. VI, c. xi). And canon xxiii says: "If any one declare that a man once justified cannot sin again, or that he can avoid for the rest of his life every sin, even venial, let him be anathema", but according to the common opinion we can avoid all such as are fully deliberate. Venial sin may coexist with mortal sin in those who are averted from God by mortal sin. This fact does not change its nature or intrinsic reparability, and the fact that it is not coexistent with charity is not the result of venial sin, but of mortal sin. It is <i>per accidens</i>, for an extrinsic reason, that venial sin in this case is irreparable, and is punished in hell. That venial sin may appear in its true nature as essentially different from mortal sin it is considered as <i>de facto</i> coexisting with charity (1 Corinthians 3:8-15). Venial sins do not need the grace of absolution. They can be remitted by prayer, contrition, fervent communion, and other pious works. Nevertheless it is laudable to confess them (Denz.-Bann., 1539).<br />
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<h2 id="v">
Permission of sin and remedies</h2>
Since it is of faith that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and all good it is difficult to account for sin in His creation. The existence of evil is the underlying problem in all theology. Various explanations to account for its existence have been offered, differing according to the philosophical principles and religious tenets of their authors. Any Catholic explanation must take into account the defined truths of the omnipotence, omniscience, and goodness of God; free will on the part of man; and the fact that suffering is the penalty of sin. Of metaphysical evil, the negation of a greater good, God is the cause inasmuch as he has created beings with limited forms. Of physical evil (<i>malum pænæ</i>) He is also the cause. Physical evil, considered as it proceeds from God and is inflicted in punishment of sin in accordance with the decrees of Divine justice, is good, compensating for the violation of order by sin. It is only in the subject affected by it that it is evil.<br />
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Of moral evil (<i>malum culpæ</i>) God is not the cause (Council of Trent, sess. VI, can. vi), either directly or indirectly. Sin is a violation of order, and God orders all things to Himself, as an ultimate end, consequently He cannot be the direct cause of sin. God's withdrawal of grace which would prevent the sin does not make Him the indirect cause of sin inasmuch as this withdrawal is affected according to the decrees of His Divine wisdom and justice in punishment of previous sin. He is under no obligation of impeding the sin, consequently it cannot be imputed to Him as a cause (I-II:79:1). When we read in Scripture and the Fathers that God inclines men to sin the sense is, either that in His just judgment He permits men to fall into sin by a punitive permission, exercising His justice in punishment of past sin; or that He directly causes, not sin, but certain exterior works, good in themselves, which are so abused by the evil wills of men that here and now they commit evil; or that He gives them the power of accomplishing their evil designs. Of the physical act in sin God is the cause inasmuch as it is an entity and good. Of the malice of sin man's evil will is the sufficient cause. God could not be impeded in the creation of man by the fact that He foresaw his fall. This would mean the limiting of His omnipotence by a creature, and would be destructive of Him. He was free to create man even though He foresaw his fall, and He created him, endowed him with free will, and gave him sufficient means of persevering in good had he so willed. We must sum up our ignorance of the permission of evil by saying in the words of St. Augustine, that God would not have permitted evil had He not been powerful enough to bring good out of evil. God's end in creating this universe is Himself, not the good of man, and somehow or other good and evil serve His ends, and there shall finally be a restoration of violated order by Divine justice. No sin shall be without its punishment. The evil men do must be atoned for either in this world by penance (see PENANCE) or in the world to come in purgatory or hell, according as the sin that stains the soul, and is not repented of, is mortal or venial, and merits eternal or temporal punishment. (See EVIL.) God has provided a remedy for sin and manifested His love and goodness in the face of man's ingratitude by the Incarnation of His Divine Son (see INCARNATION); by the institution of His Church to guide men and interpret to them His law, and administer to them the sacraments, seven channels of grace, which, rightly used, furnish an adequate remedy for sin and a means to union with God in heaven, which is the end of His law.<br />
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<h2 id="vi">
Sense of sin</h2>
The understanding of sin, as far as it can be understood by our finite intelligence, serves to unite man more closely to God. It impresses him with a salutary fear, a fear of his own powers, a fear, if left to himself, of falling from grace; with the necessity he lies under of seeking God's help and grace to stand firm in the fear and love of God, and make progress in the spiritual life. Without the acknowledgment that the present moral state of man is not that in which God created him, that his powers are weakened; that he has a supernatural end to attain, which is impossible of attainment by his own unaided efforts, without grace there being no proportion between the end and the means; that the world, the flesh, and the devil are in reality active agents fighting against him and leading him to serve them instead of God, sin cannot be understood. The evolutionary hypothesis would have it that physical evolution accounts for the physical origin of man, that science knows no condition of man in which man exhibited the characteristics of the state of original justice, no state of sinlessness. The fall of man in this hypothesis is in reality a rise to a higher grade of being. "A fall it might seem, just as a vicious man sometimes seems degraded below the beasts, but in promise and potency, a rise it really was" (Sir O. Lodge, "Life and Matter", p. 79). This teaching is destructive of the notion of sin as taught by the Catholic Church. Sin is not a phase of an upward struggle, it is rather a deliberate, wilful refusal to struggle. If there has been no fall from a higher to a lower state, then the teaching of Scripture in regard to Redemption and the necessity of a baptismal regeneration is unintelligible. The Catholic teaching is the one that places sin in its true light, that justifies the condemnation of sin we find in Scripture.<br />
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The Church strives continually to impress her children with a sense of the awfulness of sin that they may fear it and avoid it. We are fallen creatures, and our spiritual life on earth is a warfare. Sin is our enemy, and while of our own strength we cannot avoid sin, with God's grace we can. If we but place no obstacle to the workings of grace we can avoid all deliberate sin. If we have the misfortune to sin, and seek God's grace and pardon with a contrite and humble heart, He will not repel us. Sin has its remedy in grace, which is given us by God, through the merits of His only-begotten Son, Who has redeemed us, restoring by His passion and death the order violated by the sin of our first parents, and making us once again children of God and heirs of heaven. Where sin is looked on as a necessary and unavoidable condition of things human, where inability to avoid sin is conceived as necessary, discouragement naturally follows. Where the Catholic doctrine of the creation of man in a superior state, his fall by a wilful transgression, the effects of which fall are by Divine decree transmitted to his posterity, destroying the balance of the human faculties and leaving man inclined to evil; where the dogmas of redemption and grace in reparation of sin are kept in mind, there is no discouragement. Left to ourselves we fall, by keeping close to God and continually seeking His help we can stand and struggle against sin, and if faithful in the battle we must wage shall be crowned in heaven. (See CONSCIENCE; JUSTIFICATION; SCANDAL.) <br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References:</span></h2>
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<b>Ecclesiastical approbation.</b> <span id="nihil"><i>Nihil Obstat.</i> July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><i>Imprimatur.</i> +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></div>
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<li><span id="mlaauthor">O'Neil, Arthur Charles.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Sin."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 14.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1912.</span> <span id="mladate">22 Apr. 2018</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm>.</span></li>
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<li><span id="mlaurl">DOGMATIC WORKS: ST. THOMAS, <i>Summa theol.</i>, I-II, QQ. lxxi-lxxxix; IDEM, <i>Contra gentes</i>, tr. RICKABY, <i>Of God and His Creatures</i> (London, 1905); IDEM, <i>Quaest. disputatae: De malo</i> in <i>Opera omnia</i> (Paris, 1875); BILLUART, <i>De peccatis</i> (Paris, 1867-72); SUAREZ, <i>De pecc.</i> in <i>Opera omnia</i> (Paris, 1878); SALMANTICENSES, <i>De pecc.</i> in <i>Curs. theol.</i> (Paris, 1877); GONET, <i>Clypeus theol. thom.</i> (Venice, 1772); JOHN OF ST. THOMAS, <i>De pecc.</i> in <i>Curs. theol.</i> (Paris, 1886); SYLVIUS, <i>De pecc.</i> (Antwerp, 1698); <i>Catechismus Romanus</i>, tr. DONOVAN, <i>Catechism of the Council of Trent</i> (Dublin, 1829); SCHEEBEN, <i>Handbuch d. kath. Dogmatik</i> (Freiburg, 1873-87); MANNING, <i>Sin and its Consequences</i> (New York, 1904); SHARPE, <i>Principles of Christianity</i> (London, 1904); IDEM, <i>Evil, its Nature and Cause</i> (London, 1906); BILLOT, <i>De nat. et rat. peccati personalis</i> (Rome, 1900); TANQUEREY, <i>Synopsis theol.</i>, I (New York, 1907). </span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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</div>
The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 11</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE RESURRECTION</span></h2>
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The fullness of wisdom in the soul of our great Queen and Lady amid all her sorrows permitted no defect or remissness in noticing and attending to all the duties of each occasion and at all times. By this heavenly foresight She met her obligations and practiced the highest and most eminent of all the virtues. As I have said, the Queen retired, after the burial of Christ, to the house of the Cenacle. Remaining in the hall of the last Supper in the company of saint John, the Marys, and the other women who had followed Christ from Galilee, She spoke to them and the Apostle, thanking them in profound humility and abundant tears for persevering with Her up to this time throughout the Passion of her beloved Son and promising them in his name the reward of having followed Him with so much constancy and devotion. At the same time She offered Herself as a servant and as a friend to those holy women. All of them with Saint John acknowledged this great favor, kissed her hands and asked for her blessing. They also begged her to take some rest and some bodily refreshment. But the Queen answered: “My rest and my consolation shall be to see my Son and Lord arisen from the dead. Do you, my dearest friends, satisfy our wants according to your necessities, while I retire alone with my Son.” In her retirement during this evening the great Lady contemplated the doings of the most holy soul of her Son after it left the sacred body. For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race. By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long–deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works.” Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity. Some of them, obeying the command of their Queen and Mistress, had gathered the relics of the sacred blood shed by her divine Son, the particles of flesh scattered about, the hair torn from his divine face and head, and all else that belonged to the perfection and integrity of his most sacred humanity. On these the Mother of prudence lavished her solicitous care. The angels took charge</span> <span lang="en-US">of these relics, each one filled with joy at being privileged to</span> <span lang="en-US">hold the particles, which he was able to secure. Before any change was made, the body of the Redeemer was shown to the holy Fathers, in the same wounded, lacerated and disfigured state in which it was left by the cruelty of the Jews. Beholding Him thus disfigured in death, the Patriarchs and Prophets and other saints adored Him and again confessed Him as the incarnate Word, who had truly taken upon Himself our infirmities and sorrows (Is. 53, 4) and paid abundantly our debts, satisfying in his innocence and guiltlessness for what we ourselves owed to the justice of the eternal Father. There did our first parents Adam and Eve see the havoc wrought by their disobedience, the priceless remedy it necessitated, the immense goodness and mercy of the Redeemer. As they felt the effects of his copious Redemption in the glory of their souls, they praised anew the Omnipotent and Saints of saints, who had with such marvelous wisdom wrought such a salvation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Then, in the presence of all those saints, through the ministry of those angels, were united to the sacred body all the relics, which they had gathered, restoring it to its natural perfection and integrity. In the same moment the most holy soul reunited with the body, giving it immortal life and glory. Instead of the winding–sheets and the ointments, in which it had been buried, it was clothed with the four gifts of glory, namely: with clearness, impassibility, agility and</span> <span lang="en-US">subtility (John 19, 40). These gifts overflowed from the immense glory of the soul of Christ into the sacred body. Although these gifts were due to it as a natural inheritance and participation from the instant of its conception, because from that very moment his soul was glorified and his whole humanity was united to the Divinity; yet they had been suspended in their effects upon the purest body, in order to permit it to remain passable and capable of meriting for us our own glory. In the Resurrection these gifts were justly called into activity in the proper degree corresponding to the glory of his soul and to his union with the Divinity. As the glory of the most holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal would be obscure. The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far exceeds that of the others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light of one star; and all the beauty of</span> <span lang="en-US">creatures, if it were joined, would appear ugliness in</span> <span lang="en-US">comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to</span> <span lang="en-US">It in all creation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The excellence of these gifts in the Resurrection were far beyond the glory of his Transfiguration or that manifested on other occasions of the kind men mentioned in this history. For on these occasions He received it transitorily and for special purposes, while now He received it in plenitude and forever. Through impassibility his body became invincible to all created power, since no power can ever move or change Him. By subtility the gross and earthly matter was so purified, that it could now penetrate other matter like a pure spirit.</span> <span lang="en-US">Accordingly He penetrated through the rocks of the sepulchre without removing or displacing them, as He had issued forth from the womb of his most blessed Mother. Agility so freed Him from the weight and slowness of matter, that it exceeded the agility of the immaterial angels, while He himself could move about more quickly than they, as shown in his apparitions to the Apostles and on other occasions. The sacred wounds, which had disfigured his body, now shone forth from his hands and feet and side so refulgent and brilliant, that they added a most entrancing beauty and charm. In all this glory and heavenly adornment the Savior</span> <span lang="en-US">now arose from the grave; and in the presence of the</span> <span lang="en-US">saints and Patriarchs He promised universal resurrection in their own flesh and body to all men, and that they moreover, as an effect of his own Resurrection, should be similarly glorified. As an earnest and as a pledge of the universal resurrection, the Lord commanded the souls of many saints there present to reunite with their bodies and rise up to immortal life. Immediately this divine command was executed, and their bodies arose, as is mentioned by saint Matthew, in anticipation of this mystery (Matthew 27, 52). Among them were saint Anne, saint Joseph and saint Joachim, and others of the ancient Fathers and Patriarchs, who had distinguished themselves in the faith and hope of the Incarnation, and had desired and prayed for it with greater earnestness to the Lord. As a reward for their zeal, the resurrection and glory of</span> <span lang="en-US">their bodies was now anticipated.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Of all these mysteries the great Queen of heaven was aware and She participated in them from her retreat in the Cenacle. In the same instant in which the most holy soul of Christ entered and gave life to his body the joy of her immaculate soul, which I mentioned in the foregoing chapter as being restrained and, as it were, withheld, overflowed into her immaculate body. And this overflow was so exquisite in its effects, that She was transformed from sorrow to joy, from pain to delight from grief to ineffable jubilation and rest. It happened that just at this time the Evangelist John, as he had</span> <span lang="en-US">done on the previous morning, stepped in to visit and console Her in her bitter solitude, and thus unexpectedly, in the midst of splendor and glory, met Her whom he had before scarcely recognized on account of her overwhelming sorrow. The Apostle now beheld Her with wonder and deepest reverence and concluded that the Lord had risen, since his blessed Mother was thus transfigured with joy.</span></div>
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In this new joy and under the divine influences of her supernatural vision the great Lady began to prepare herself for the visit of the Lord, which was near at hand. While eliciting acts of praise, and in her canticles and prayers, She immediately felt within Her a new kind of jubilation and celestial delight, reaching far beyond the first joy, and corresponding in a wonderful manner to the sorrows and tribulations She had undergone in the Passion; and this new favor was different and much more exalted than the joys overflowing naturally from her soul into her body. Moreover She perceived within Herself another third and still more different effect, implying new divine favors.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The blessed Mary being thus prepared, Christ our Savior, arisen and glorious, in the company of all Saints and Patriarchs, made his appearance. The ever humble Queen prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored her divine Son; and the Lord raised Her and drew Her to Himself. In this contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit. Although it was not the greatest of the favors She attained on this occasion, yet She could not have received it without failing of her faculties, if She had not been previously strengthened by the angels and by the Lord himself. This favor was, that the glorious body of the Son so closely united itself to that of his purest Mother, that He penetrated into it or She into his, as when, for instance, a crystal globe takes up within itself the light of the sun and is saturated with the splendor and beauty of its light. In the same way the body of the most holy Mary entered into that of her divine Son by this heavenly embrace; it was, as it were, the portal of her intimate knowledge concerning the glory of the holy soul and body of her Lord. As a consequence of these favors, constituting higher and higher degrees of ineffable gifts, the spirit of the Virgin Mother rose to the knowledge of the most hidden sacraments. In the midst of them She heard a voice saying to Her: “My beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 18, 10). By the power of these words She was entirely transformed and saw the Divinity clearly and intuitively, wherein She found complete, though only temporary, rest and reward for all her sorrows and labors. Silence alone here is proper, since reason and language are entirely inadequate to</span> <span lang="en-US">comprehend or express what passed in the blessed Mary during this beatific vision, the highest She had until then enjoyed. Let us celebrate this day in wonder and</span> <span lang="en-US">praise, with congratulations and loving and humble thanks for what She then merited for us, and for her exaltation and joy.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">For some hours the heavenly Princess continued to enjoy the essence of God with her divine Son, participating now in his triumph as She had in his torments. Then by similar degrees She again descended from this vision and found Herself in the end reclining on the right arm of the most sacred humanity and regaled in</span> <span lang="en-US">other ways by the right hand of his Divinity (Cant. 2, 6). She held sweetest converse with her Son concerning the mysteries of his Passion and of his glory. In these conferences She was again inebriated with the wine of</span> <span lang="en-US">love and charity, which now She drank unmeasured from the original fount. All that a mere creature can receive was conferred upon the blessed Mary on this occasion; for, according to our way of conceiving such things, the divine equity wished to compensate the injury (thus I must call it, because I cannot find a more proper word), which a Creature so pure and immaculate had undergone in suffering the sorrows and torments of the Passion. For, as I have mentioned many times before, She suffered the same pains as her Son, and now in this mystery She was inundated with a proportionate joy and delight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962848"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">Each of these gifts are correspondingly augmented in him who in the state of grace performs the least meritorious work, even if it be no more than removing a straw or giving a cup of water for the love of God (Matth. 10, 42). For each of the most insignificant works the creature gains an increase of these gifts; an increase of clearness exceeding many times the sunlight and added to its state of blessedness an increase of impassibility, by which man recedes from human and earthly corruption farther than what all created efforts and strength could ever effect in resistance separating itself from such infirmity or changefulness; an increase of subtility, by which he advances beyond all that could offer it resistance and gains new power of penetration; an increase of agility, surpassing all the activity of birds, of winds, and all other active creatures, such as fire and the elements tending to their centre. From this increase of the gifts of the body merited by good works, thou wilt understand the augmentation of the gifts of the soul; for those of the body are derived from those of the soul and correspond with them. In the beatific vision each merit secures greater clearness and insight into the divine attributes and perfections than that acquired by all the doctors and enlightened members of the Church. Likewise the gift of apprehension, or possession of the divine Object, is augmented; for the security of the possession of the highest and infinite Good makes the tranquility and rest of its enjoyment more estimable than if the soul possessed all that is precious and rich, desirable and worthy of attainment in all creation, even if possessed all at one time. Fruition, the third gift of the soul, on account of the love with which man performs the smallest acts, so exalts the degrees of functional love, that the greatest love of men here on earth can never be compared thereto; nor can the delight resulting therefrom ever be</span> <span lang="en-US">compared with all the delights of this mortal life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 12</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST</span></h2>
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A few days before the Ascension of the Lord while the blessed Mary was engaged in the one of the above–mentioned exercises, the eternal Father and the Holy Ghost appeared in the Cenacle upon a throne of ineffable splendor surrounded by the choirs of angels and saints there present and other heavenly spirits, which had now come with the divine Persons. Then the incarnate Word ascended the throne and seated Himself with the other Two. The ever humble Mother of the Most High, prostrate in a corner of a room, in deepest reverence adored the most blessed Trinity, and in it her own incarnate Son. The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will. She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence. Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne, humbling herself anew. The eternal Father said to Her: “Beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 14, 10). As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons. New admiration was caused in the saints to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity. Being made to understand the sanctity and equity of the works of the Most High, they gave new glory and praise proclaiming Him immense, Just, Holy and Admirable in all his counsels.<br />
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<span lang="en-US">The Father then spoke to the blessed Mary saying: “My Daughter, to Thee do I entrust the Church founded by my Onlybegotten, the new law of grace He established in the world, and the people, which He redeemed: to Thee do I consign them all.” Thereupon also the Holy Ghost spoke to Her: “My Spouse, chosen from all creatures, I communicate to Thee my wisdom and grace together with which shall be deposited in thy heart the mysteries, the works and teachings and all that the incarnate Word has accomplished in the world.” And the Son also said: “My most beloved Mother, I go to my Father and in my stead I shall leave Thee and I charge Thee with the care of my Church; to Thee do I commend its children and my brethren, as the Father has consigned them to Me.” Then the three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, said: “This is the Queen of all created things in heaven and earth; She is the Protectress of the Church, the Mistress of creatures, the Mother of piety, the Intercessor of the faithful, the Advocate of sinners, the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 24, 24); She is mighty in drawing our will to mercy and clemency. In Her shall be deposited the treasures of our grace and her most faithful heart shall the tablet whereon shall be written and engraved our holy law. In her are contained the mysteries of our Omnipotence for the salvation of mankind. She is the perfect work of our hands, through whom the plenitude of our desires shall be communicated and satisfied without hindrance in the currents of our divine perfections. Whoever shall call upon Her from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life. What She asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.”</span> <span lang="en-US">The most blessed Mary, hearing Herself thus exalted, humiliated Herself so much the deeper the more highly She was raised by the right hand of the Most High above all the human and angelic creatures. As if She were the least of all, She adored the Lord and offered Herself, in the most prudent terms and in the most ardent love, to work as a faithful servant in the Church and obey promptly all the biddings of the divine will. From that day on She took upon Herself anew the care of the evangelical Church, as a loving Mother of all children; She renewed all the petitions She had until then made, so that during the whole further course of her life they were most fervent and incessant, as we shall see in the third part, where will appear more clearly what the Church owes to this great Queen and Lady, and what blessings She gained and merited for it.</span></div>
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On that same day, by divine dispensation, while the Lord was at table with the eleven Apostles, other disciples and pious women gathered at the Cenacle to the number of one hundred and twenty; for the divine Master wished them to be present at his Ascension. Moreover, just as He had instructed the Apostles, so He now wanted to instruct these faithful respectively in what each was to know before his leaving them and ascending into heaven. All of them being thus gathered and united in peace and charity within those walls in the hall of the last Supper, the Author of life manifested Himself to them as a kind and loving Father and said to them:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men. I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things. Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; he who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me. All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, so shall also your successors. She shall answer doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now, although you do not understand how.” This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on. The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew: “I am with you to the consummation of the world” (Matth. 28, 20). The Lord added and said: “You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest. Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross.” The Lord then looked upon his most beloved Mother, who was there present and intimated his desire of expressly commanding that whole congregation to worship and reverence Her in a manner suited to the dignity of Mother of God, and of leaving this command under form of a precept for the whole Church. But the most humble Lady besought her Onlybegotten to be pleased not to secure Her more honor than was absolutely necessary for executing all that He had charged Her with; and that the new children of the Church should not be induced to show Her greater honor than they had shown until then. On contrary, She desired to divert all the sacred worship of the Church immediately upon the Lord himself and to make the propagation of the Gospel redound entirely to the exaltation of his holy name. Christ our Savior yielded to this most prudent petition of his Mother, reserving to Himself the duty of spreading the knowledge of Her at a more convenient and opportune time yet in secret He conferred upon Her new extraordinary favors, as shall appear in the rest of this history.</span></div>
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In considering the loving exhortations of their Divine Master, the mysteries which He had revealed them, and the prospect of his leaving them, that whole congregation was moved to their inmost hearts; for He had enkindled in them the divine love by the vivid faith of his Divinity and humanity. Reviving within them the memory of his words and his teachings of eternal life, the delights of his most loving companionship, and sorrowfully realizing, that they were now all at once to be deprived of these blessings, they wept most tenderly and sighed from their inmost souls. They longed to detain Him, although they could not, because they saw it was not befitting; words of parting rose to their lips, but they could not bring themselves to utter them; each one felt sentiments of sorrow arising amid feelings both of joy and yet also of pious regret. How shall we live without such a Master? they thought. Who can ever speak to us such words of life and consolation as He? Who will receive us so lovingly and kindly? Who shall be our Father and protector? We shall be helpless children and orphans in this world. Some of them broke their silence and exclaimed: “O most loving Lord and Father! O joy and life of our souls! Now that we know Thee as our Redeemer, Thou departest and leavest us! Take us along with Thee, O Lord; banish us not from thy sight. Our blessed Hope, what shall we do without thy presence? Whither shall we turn, if thou goest away? Whither shall we direct our steps, if cannot follow Thee, our Father, our Chief, and our Teacher?” To these and other pleadings the Lord answered by bidding them not to leave Jerusalem and to persevere in prayer until He should send the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, as promised by the Father and as already foretold to the Apostles at the last Supper. Thereupon happened, what I shall relate in the next chapter.</div>
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The most auspicious hour, in which the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, after descending from heaven in order to assume human flesh, was to ascend by his own power and in a most wonderful manner to the right hand of God, the Inheritor of his eternities, one and equal with Him in nature and infinite glory. He was to ascend, also, because He had previously descended to the lowest regions of the earth, as the Apostle says (Ephes. 4, 9), having fulfilled all that had been written and prophesied concerning his coming into the world, his Life, Death and the Redemption of man, and having penetrated, as the Lord of all, to the very centre of the earth. By this Ascension he sealed all the mysteries and hastened the fulfillment of his promise, according to which He was, with the Father, to send the Paraclete upon his Church after He himself should have ascended into heaven (John 16, 7). In order to celebrate this festive and mysterious day, Christ our Lord selected as witnesses the hundred and twenty persons, to whom, as related in the foregoing chapter, He had spoken in the Cenacle. They were the most holy Mary, the eleven Apostles, the seventy–two disciples, Mary Magdalen, Lazarus their brother, the other Marys and the faithful men and women making up the above–mentioned number of one hundred and twenty.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">With this little flock our divine Shepherd Jesus left the Cenacle, and, with his most blessed Mother at his side, He conducted them all through the streets of Jerusalem. The Apostles and all the rest in order, proceeded in the direction of Bethany, which was less than half a league over the brow of mount Olivet. The company of angels and saints from limbo and purgatory followed the Victor with new songs of praise, although Mary alone was privileged to see them. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was already divulged throughout Jerusalem and Palestine. Although the perfidious and malicious princes and priests had spread about the false testimony of his being stolen by disciples, yet many would not accept their testimony nor give it any credit. It was divinely provided, that none of the inhabitants of the city, and none of the unbelievers or doubters, should pay any attention to</span> <span lang="en-US">this holy procession, or hinder it on its way from the Cenacle. All, except the one hundred and twenty just, who were chosen by the Lord to witness his Ascension into heaven, were justly punished by being prevented from noticing this wonderful mystery, and the Chieftain and Head of this procession remained invisible to them.</span></div>
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The Lord having thus secured them this privacy, they all ascended mount Olivet to its highest point. There they formed three choirs, one of the angels, another of the saints, and a third of the Apostles and faithful, which again divided into two bands, while Christ the Savior presided. Then the most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son worshipping Him with admirable humility, She adored Him as the true God and as the Redeemer of the world, asking his last blessing. All the faithful there present imitated Her and did the same. Weeping and sighing, they asked the Lord, whether He was now to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1, 6). The Lord answered, that this was a secret of the eternal Father and not to be made known to them; but, for the present, it was necessary and befitting, that they receive the Holy Ghost and preach, in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in all the world, the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.</div>
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Jesus, having taken leave of this holy and fortunate gathering of the faithful, his countenance beaming forth peace and majesty, joined his hands and, by his own power, began to raise himself from the earth, leaving thereon the impression of his sacred feet. In gentlest motion He was wafted toward the aerial regions, drawing after Him the eyes and the hearts of those first–born children, who amid sighs and tears vented their affection. And as, at the moving of the first Cause of all motion, it is proper that also the nether spheres should be set in motion, so the Savior Jesus drew after Him also the celestial choirs of the angels, the holy Patriarchs and the rest of the glorified saints, some of them with body and soul, others only as to their soul. All of them in heavenly order were raised up together from the earth, accompanying and following their King, their Chief and Head. The new and mysterious sacrament, which the right hand of the Most High wrought on this occasion for his most holy Mother, was that He raised Her up with Him in order to put Her in possession of the glory, which He had assigned to Her as his true Mother and which She had by her merits prepared and earned for Herself. Of this favor the great Queen was capable even before it happened; for her divine Son had offered it to Her during the forty days which He spent in her company after his Resurrection. In order that this sacrament might be kept secret from all other living creatures at that time, and in order that the heavenly Mistress might be present in the gathering of the Apostles and the faithful in their prayerful waiting upon the coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1, 14), the divine power enabled the blessed Mother miraculously to be in two places at once; remaining with the children of the Church for their comfort during their stay in the Cenacle and at the time ascending with the Redeemer of the world to His heavenly throne, where She remained for three days. There She enjoyed the perfect use of all her powers and faculties, whereas She was more restricted in the use of them during that time in the Cenacle.</div>
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Amidst this jubilee and other rejoicings exceeding all our conceptions that new divinely arranged procession approached the empyrean heavens. Between the two choirs of angels and saints, Christ and his most blessed Mother made their entry. All in their order gave supreme honor to Each respectively and to Both together, breaking forth in hymns of praise in honor of the Authors of grace and of life. Then the eternal Father placed upon the throne of his Divinity at His right hand, the incarnate Word, and in such glory and majesty, that He filled with new admiration and reverential fear all the inhabitants of heaven. In clear and intuitive vision they recognized the infinite glory and perfection of the Divinity inseparably and substantially united in one personality to the most holy humanity, beautified and exalted by the pre–eminence and glory due to this union, such as eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor ever has entered into the thoughts of creatures (Is. 54, 4).</div>
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On this occasion the humility and wisdom of our most prudent Queen reached their highest point; for, overwhelmed by such divine and admirable favors, She hovered at the footstool of the royal throne, annihilated in the consciousness of being a mere earthly creature. Prostrate She adored the Father and broke out in new canticles of praise for the glory communicated to his Son and for elevating in Him the deified humanity to such greatness and splendor. Again the angels and saints were filled with admiration and joy to see the most prudent humility of their Queen, whose living example of virtue, as exhibited on that occasion, they emulated among themselves in copying. Then the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying: “My Daughter, ascend higher!” Her divine Son also called Her, saying: “My Mother rise up and take possession of the place, which I owe Thee for having followed and imitated Me. The Holy Ghost said: “My Spouse and Beloved, come to my eternal embraces!” Immediately was proclaimed to all the blessed the decree of the most holy Trinity, by which the most blessed Mother, for having furnished her own life–blood toward the Incarnation and for having nourished, served, imitated and followed Him with all the perfection possible to a creature, was exalted and placed at the right hand of her Son for all eternity. None other of the human creatures should ever hold that place or position, nor rival Her in the unfailing glory connected with it; but it was to be reserved to the Queen and to be her possession by right after her earthly life, as of one who pre–eminently excelled all the rest of the saints.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In fulfillment of this decree, the most blessed Mary was raised to the throne of the holy Trinity at the right hand of her Son. At the same time She, with all the saints, was informed, that She was given possession of this throne not only for all the ages of eternity, but that it was left to her choice to remain there even now and without returning to the earth. For it was the conditional will of the divine Persons, that as far as they were concerned, She should now remain in that state. In order that She might make her own choice, She was shown anew the state of the Church upon earth, the orphaned and necessitous condition of the faithful, whom She was left free to assist. This admirable proceeding of the divine Providence was to afford the Mother of mercy an occasion of going beyond, so to say, even her own Self in doing good and in obliging the human race with an act of love similar to that of her Son in assuming a passible state and in suspending the glory due to his body during and for our Redemption. The most blessed Mother imitated Him also in this respect, so that She might be in all things like the incarnate Word. The great Lady therefore, having clearly before her eyes all the sacrifices included in this proposition, left the throne and, prostrating Herself at the feet of the Three Persons, said: “Eternal and almighty God, my Lord, to accept at once this reward, which thy condescending kindness offers me, would be to secure my rest; but to return to the world and continue to labor in mortal life for the good of the children of Adam and the faithful of thy holy Church, would be to the glory and according to the pleasure of thy Majesty and would benefit my sojourning and banished children on earth. I accept this labor and renounce for the present the peace and joy of thy presence. Well do I know, what I possess and receive, but I will sacrifice it to further the love Thou hast for men. Accept, Lord and Master of all my being, this sacrifice and let thy divine strength govern in the undertaking confided to me. Let faith in Thee be spread, let thy holy name be exalted, let thy holy Church be enlarged, for Thou hast acquired it by the blood of thy Onlybegotten and mine; I offer myself anew</span> <span lang="en-US">to labor for thy glory and for the conquest of the souls, as far as I am able.”</span><br />
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Such was the sacrifice made by the most loving Mother and Queen, one greater than ever was conceived by creature, and it was so pleasing to the Lord, that He immediately rewarded it by operating in Her those purifications and enlightenments, which I have at other times mentioned as necessary to the intuitive vision of the Divinity; for so far She had on this occasion seen only by abstractive vision. Thus elevated She partook of the beatific vision and was filled with splendor and celestial gifts, altogether beyond the power of man describe or conceive in mortal life.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In order to finish this chapter, and with it this second part, I return to the congregation of the faithful, whom we left so sorrowful on mount Olivet. The most holy Mary did not forget them in the midst of her glory;</span> <span lang="en-US">as they stood weeping and lost in grief and, as it were, absorbed in looking into the aerial regions, into which their Redeemer and Master had disappeared, She turned her eyes upon them from the cloud on which She had ascended, in order to send them her assistance. Moved by their sorrow, She besought Jesus lovingly to console these little children, whom He had left as orphans upon the earth. Moved by the prayers of his Mother, the Redeemer of the human race sent down two angels in white and resplendent garments, who appeared to all the disciples and the faithful and spoke to them: “Ye men of Galilee, do not look up to heaven in so great astonishment, for this Lord Jesus, who departed from you and has ascended into heaven, shall again return with the same glory and majesty in which you have just seen him” (Acts 1, 11). By such words and others which they added they consoled the Apostles and disciples and all the rest, so that they might not grow faint, but in their retirement hope for the coming and the consolation of the Holy Ghost promised by their divine Master.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962850"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, thou wilt appropriately close this second part of my life by remembering the lesson concerning the most efficacious sweetness of the divine love and the immense liberality of God with those souls, that do not hinder its flowing. It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than grieve them. But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most high such consolations, delights and</span> <span lang="en-US">rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings. The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments. Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and</span> <span lang="en-US">softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet interactions with the highest Good. Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.</span></div>
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I counted for little all that I endured, when I saw the reward which the divine Goodness had prepared for me; and therefore He ordained, in his admirable Providence that I should return to the militant Church of my own free will and choice. This I knew would redound to my greater glory and to the exaltation of his holy name, while it would provide assistance to his Church and to his children in an admirable and holy manner (I Tim. 1, 17). It seemed to me a sacred duty, that I deprive myself of the eternal felicity of which I was in possession and, returning from heaven to earth, gain new fruits of labor and love for the Almighty; this I owed to the divine Goodness, which had raised me up from the dust. Learn therefore, my beloved, from my example, and excite thyself to imitate me most eagerly during these times, in which the holy Church so disconsolate and overwhelmed by tribulations and in which there are none of her children to console her. In this cause I desire that thou labor strenuously, ready to suffer in prayer and supplication, and crying from the bottom of thy heart to the Omnipotent. And if it were necessary thou shouldst be willing to give thy life. I assure thee, my daughter, thy solicitude shall be very pleasing in the eyes of my divine Son and in mine.</div>
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Let it all be for the glory and honor of the Most high, the King of the ages, the Immortal and Invisible (I Tim. 1, 17), and for that of his Mother, the most blessed Mary, through all the eternities!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <span class="text4"><b> PROLOGUE</b> </span> <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text">"FATHER, . . . this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."<sup>1</sup> "God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."<sup>2</sup> "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"<sup>3</sup> - than the name of JESUS. </span><br />
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<span class="text"><b>I. THE LIFE OF MAN - TO KNOW AND LOVE GOD</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><b>1</b> God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a><b>2</b> So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."<sup>4</sup> Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it."<sup>5</sup><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="3"></a><b>3</b> Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.<sup>6</sup></span><br />
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<b>II. HANDING ON THE FAITH: CATECHESIS</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="4"></a><b>4</b> Quite early on, the name <i>catechesis </i>was given to the totality of the Church's efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ.<sup>7</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="5"></a><b>5</b> "Catechesis is an <i>education in the faith</i> of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life."<sup>8\</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="6"></a><b>6</b> While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church's pastoral mission which have a catechetical aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it. They are: the initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and missionary witness.<sup>9</sup> </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="7"></a><b>7</b> "Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church's life. Not only her geographical extension and numerical increase, but even more her inner growth and correspondence with God's plan depend essentially on catechesis."<sup>10</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="8"></a><b>8</b> <span class="text1">Periods of renewal in the Church are also intense moments of catechesis. In the great era of the Fathers of the Church, saintly bishops devoted an important part of their ministry to catechesis. St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, and many other Fathers wrote catechetical works that remain models for us.<sup>11</sup></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="9"></a><b>9</b> <span class="text1">"The ministry of catechesis draws ever fresh energy from the councils. The Council of Trent is a noteworthy example of this. It gave catechesis priority in its constitutions and decrees. It lies at the origin of the <i>Roman Catechism</i>, which is also known by the name of that council and which is a work of the first rank as a summary of Christian teaching. . . ."<sup>12</sup> The Council of Trent initiated a remarkable organization of the Church's catechesis. Thanks to the work of holy bishops and theologians such as St. Peter Canisius, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo or St. Robert Bellarmine, it occasioned the publication of numerous catechisms.</span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="10"></a><b>10</b> <span class="text1">It is therefore no surprise that catechesis in the Church has again attracted attention in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope Paul VI considered the great catechism of modern times. The General Catechetical Directory (1971) the sessions of the Synod of Bishops devoted to evangelization (1974) and catechesis (1977), the apostolic exhortations <i>Evangelii nuntiandi</i> (1975) and <i>Catechesi tradendae</i> (1979), attest to this. The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 asked "that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed"<sup>13</sup> The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, made the Synod's wish his own, acknowledging that "this desire wholly corresponds to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches."<sup>14</sup> He set in motion everything needed to carry out the Synod Fathers' wish.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span> <br />
<b>III. THE AIM AND INTENDED READERSHIP OF THE CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="11"></a><b>11</b> This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the Church's Magisterium. It is intended to serve "as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed in the various countries".<sup>15</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="12"></a><b>12</b> This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful.</span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>IV. STRUCTURE OF THIS CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="13"></a><b>13</b> The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the <i>Creed</i>), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the <i>Commandments</i>), and the prayer of the believer (the <i>Lord's Prayer</i>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="14"></a><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>14</b> Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (<i>Section One</i>). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty <i>Father</i>, the Creator; his <i>Son </i>Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the <i>Holy Spirit</i>, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (<i>Section Two</i>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="15"></a><b>Part Two: <i>The Sacraments of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>15</b> The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (<i>Section One</i>), especially in the seven sacraments (<i>Section Two</i>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="16"></a><b>Part Three: <i>The Life of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>16</b> The third part of the Catechism deals with the final end of man created in the image of God: beatitude, and the ways of reaching it - through right conduct freely chosen, with the help of God's law and grace (<i>Section One</i>), and through conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God's Ten Commandments (<i>Section Two</i>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="17"></a><b>Part Four: <i>Prayer in the Life of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>17</b> The last part of the Catechism deals with the meaning and importance of prayer in the life of believers (<i>Section One</i>). It concludes with a brief commentary on the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer (<i>Section Two</i>), for indeed we find in these the sum of all the good things which we must hope for, and which our heavenly Father wants to grant us.<br />
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<b>V. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR USING THIS CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="18"></a><b>18</b> This catechism is conceived as <i>an organic presentation</i> of the Catholic faith in its entirety. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole. Numerous cross-references in the margin of the text (numbers found at the end of a sentence referring to other paragraphs that deal with the same theme), as well as the analytical index at the end of the volume, allow the reader to view each theme in its relationship with the entirety of the faith. </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="19"></a><b>19</b> The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely indicated by a reference (<b>cf.</b>). For a deeper understanding of such passages, the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts themselves. Such Biblical references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis. </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="20"></a><b>20</b> <span class="text1">The use of <b>small print</b> in certain passages indicates observations of an historical or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations.</span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="21"></a><b>21</b> <span class="text1">The <b>quotations</b>, also in small print, from patristic, liturgical, magisterial or hagiographical sources, are intended to enrich the doctrinal presentations. These texts have often been chosen with a view to direct catechetical use.</span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="22"></a><b>22</b> <span class="text1">At the end of each thematic unit, a series of brief texts in small italics sums up the essentials of that unit's teaching in condensed formula. These <b>IN BRIEF</b> summaries may suggest to local catechists brief summary formula that could be memorized.</span><br />
<span class="text1"><br />
</span> <br />
<b>VI. NECESSARY ADAPTATIONS</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="23"></a><b>23</b> The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented towards the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in personal conduct.<sup>17</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="24"></a><b>24</b> By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful: <br />
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<dt><br />
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<dd>Whoever teaches must become "all things to all men" (<i>1 Cor</i> 9:22), to win everyone to Christ. . . . Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers. . . . Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.<sup>18</sup> </dd><dd></dd></span></dl>
<span class="text"> </span> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="25"></a><b>Above all - Charity</b> <br />
<b>25</b> To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle stated by the <i>Roman Catechism</i>: <br />
<span class="text1"> </span><br />
<dl>
<dt><br />
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<dd>The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.<sup>19</sup> </dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="text1"> 1 <i>Jn</i> 17 3.<br />
2 <i>1 Tim</i> 2:3-4.<br />
3 <i>Acts</i> 4:12.<br />
4 <i>Mt</i> 28:19-20.<br />
5 <i>Mk</i> 16:20.<br />
6 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 2:42.<br />
7 Cf. John Paul II, <i>Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae</i> 1; 2.<br />
8 <i>CT</i> 18.<br />
9 <i>CT</i> 18.<br />
10 <i>CT</i> 13.<br />
11 Cf. <i>CT</i> 12.<br />
12 <i>CT</i> 13.<br />
13 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, <i>Final Report</i>, II B a, 4.<br />
14 John Paul II, Discourse at the Closing Of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985: AAS 78, (1986).<br />
15 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, <i>Final Report</i> II B a, 4.<br />
16 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 10:32; <i>Rom</i> 10:9.<br />
17 Cf. <i>CT</i> 20-22; 25.<br />
18 <i>Roman Catechism</i>, Preface II; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 9:22; <i>1 Pt</i> 2:2.<br />
19 <i>Roman Catechism</i>, Preface 10; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 13:8. </span> <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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<b></b>Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-43150047989867367982018-04-08T12:57:00.001-05:002018-04-08T13:07:39.919-05:00Divine Mercy Sunday April 8, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: Piety; Reading 1, Acts 4:32-35; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Reading 2, First John 5:1-6 Gospel : John 20:19:31; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Direction For Our Times Messages; Divine Mercy; History of Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 10-12 Jesus Christ's Victory over Hell, His Resurrection, and His Ascension; Catholic Catechism - Begins from the start today: Apostolic Letter, Apostolic Constitution and Prologue of Part I ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Divine Mercy Sunday April 8,, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Piety</i><i>;</i><i> Reading 1, <i>Acts 4:32-35</i>; Responsorial Psalm, <i>Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24</i>; Reading 2, <i>First John 5:1-6</i> Gospel : John 20:19:31; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Direction For Our Times Messages; Divine Mercy; History of Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 10-12 Jesus Christ's Victory over Hell, His Resurrection, and His Ascension; Catholic Catechism - Begins from the start today: Apostolic Letter, Apostolic Constitution and Prologue of Part I ; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Divine Mercy Sunday </b><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
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in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>April 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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"Dear children, Through the great love of the Heavenly Father I am beside you as your mother and you are beside me as my children, as apostles of my love whom I ceaselessly gather around me. My children, you are those who, along with prayer, need to completely surrender to my Son so that you may no longer live but my Son may live in you - so that all those who do not know my Son may see Him in you and come to desire<span class="text_exposed_show"> to know Him. Pray that in you they may see resolute humility and goodness, a readiness to serve others; that in you they may see that you live your vocation in the world with the heart, in communion with my Son; that in you they may see meekness, tenderness and love for my Son as well as for all brothers and sisters. Apostles of my love, you must pray much and cleanse your hearts so that you may be the first to walk on the way of my Son, that you may be the just who are united with the justice of my Son. My children, as apostles of my love, you must be united in the communion which emanates from my Son, so that my children who do not know my Son may recognize the communion of love and may come to desire to walk on the way of life, the way of unity with my Son. Thank you." ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus, Queen Of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje, Mount Carmel, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's Direction For Our Times Messages</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Jesus's 2018 messages to the World through lucution apparition </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018</span><br />
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<b>April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:</b></div>
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"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for peopl<span class="text_exposed_show">e who recognise My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realised through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Reference </b>: Direction For Our Times, https//:www.directionforourtimes.org</span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope Francis points out that the verb “to see” is repeated over and over in the Gospel text (John 20:19-31). Although the disciples <i>see </i>the Lord, the Gospel “does not describe <i>how</i> they saw him,” the Pope said. By mentioning the detail “he showed them his hands and his side” (v. 20), the Gospel seems “to tell us that <i>that</i> is how the disciples,” and Thomas, “recognized Jesus: through his wounds.”<br />
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“Seeing” for ourselves</h2>
Thomas wanted to “<i>see inside</i>,” Pope Francis continued. He wanted to touch “with his hand the Lord’s wounds, the signs of his love.” This is how Thomas is our twin, because so often we need to know for ourselves that God exists rather than taking others’ word for it. “No, we too need to ‘see God,’ to touch him with our hands and to know that he is risen for us,” the Pope said.<br />
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A Love Story</h2>
Pope Francis tells us that it is by seeing Jesus’ wounds that the disciples of all time know that we have been forgiven because we “contemplate the boundless love flowing from his heart” –a heart that beats for each person. When Thomas touched the Lord’s wounds, Jesus became “My Lord and my God.” Pope Francis describes the appropriation of God as <i>mine </i>as a “love story.” The uncertain, wavering disciple then falls in love with the Lord telling him: “You became man <i>for me</i>, you died and rose <i>for me</i> and thus you are not only God; you are <i>my God</i>, you are <i>my life</i>. In you I have found the love that I was looking for, and much more than I could ever have imagined,” Pope Francis said.<br />
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Savouring this love</h2>
The Pope says we can begin to savor this newfound love through the same gift Jesus granted on the evening of his Resurrection: the <i>forgiveness of sins</i>. Before forgiveness we may hide behind the doors of shame, resignation and sin.<br />
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Grace helps us understand <i>shame</i> as the “first step towards an encounter” and as a “secret invitation of the soul that needs the Lord to overcome evil,” Pope Francis said.</div>
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<i>Resignation</i> tempts us to believe that nothing changes when we find ourselves lapsing, like the disheartened disciples after the “ ‘Jesus chapter’ of their lives seemed finished.” At a certain point, Pope Francis says that “we discover that the power of life is to receive God’s forgiveness and to go forward from forgiveness to forgiveness.”</div>
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The last closed door to open is sin. Pope Francis reminds us that Jesus “loves to enter precisely ‘through closed doors,’ when every entrance seems barred.” When we go to confession, we will learn that the very thing we believe separates us from God – sin – instead “becomes the place where we encounter him. There the God who is wounded by love comes to meet our wounds.”</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 04/08/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - piety </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">payh-tee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1275-1325;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">piete</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">French</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">pietās,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">pi(us</span></span>) + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">-etās,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">variant</span> <span class="oneClick-link">(after</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">i</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">-itās;</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">see</span> pious, -ity <br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"> <span class="dbox-pg">noun</span>, <span class="dbox-pg">plural </span><span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="pi·e·ties.">pieties.</span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1.</span> reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">a prayer full of piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> the quality or state of being pious: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> saintly piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> filial piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">4.</span> a pious act, remark, belief, or the like: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Acts 4:32-35</i></h2>
<sup>32</sup> The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common.<br />
<sup>33</sup> The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all accorded great respect.<br />
<sup>34</sup> None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them,<br />
<sup>35</sup> to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any who might be in need.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24</i></h2>
<sup>2</sup> Let the House of Israel say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'<br />
<sup>3</sup> Let the House of Aaron say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'<br />
<sup>4</sup> Let those who fear Yahweh say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'<br />
<sup>13</sup> I was pushed hard, to make me fall, but Yahweh came to my help.<br />
<sup>14</sup> Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my Saviour.<br />
<sup>15</sup> Shouts of joy and salvation, in the tents of the upright, 'Yahweh's right hand is triumphant,<br />
<sup>22</sup> The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;<br />
<sup>23</sup> This is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it.<br />
<sup>24</sup> This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> -</i> <i>First John 5:1-6</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and whoever loves the father loves the son.<br />
<sup>2</sup> In this way we know that we love God's children, when we love God and keep his commandments.<br />
<sup>3</sup> This is what the love of God is: keeping his commandments. Nor are his commandments burdensome,<br />
<sup>4</sup> because every child of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith.<br />
<sup>5</sup> Who can overcome the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?<br />
<sup>6</sup> He it is who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water alone but with water and blood, and it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is Truth.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span> John 18:19-31</h2>
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<b>The mission of the disciples and <br />
the witness of Thomas the apostle<br />
John 20:19-31</b></div>
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</b>Father, who on the Lord’s day gather your people to celebrate the One who is the First and the Last, the living One who conquered death, grant us the strength of your Spirit so that, having broken the chains of evil, calmed our fears and indecisions, we may render the free service of our obedience and love, to reign in glory with Christ.</div>
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<b>2. LECTIO</b></div>
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<b>a) A key to the reading</b></div>
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We are in the so-called “book of the resurrection” where we are told, in a not-so-logical sequence, several matters concerning the risen Christ and the facts that prove it. In the fourth Gospel, these facts take place in the morning (20:1-18) and evening of the first day after the Saturday and eight days later, in the same place and on the same day of the week. We are before an event that is the most important in the history of humanity, an event that challenges us personally. “If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless… and you are still in your sins” (1Cor 15:14,17) says Paul the apostle who had not known Jesus before his resurrection, but who zealously preached him all his life. Jesus is the sent of the Father. He also sends us. Our willingness to “go” comes from the depth of the faith we have in the Risen One. Are we prepared to accept his “mandate” and to give our lives for his Kingdom? This passage is not just about the faith of those who have not seen (the witness of Thomas), but also about the mission entrusted to the Church by Christ.</div>
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<b>b) A suggested division of the text to facilitate its reading </b></div>
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20:19-20: appearance to the disciples and showing of the wounds <br />
20:21-23: gift of the Spirit for the mission<br />
20:24-26: special appearance to Thomas eight days later <br />
20:27-29: dialogue with Thomas<br />
20:30-31: the aim of the Gospel according to John</div>
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<b>c) The Gospel:</b></div>
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19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."<br />
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."<br />
<b></b>26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."<br />
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.</div>
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<b>3. A moment of silence </b></div>
to allow the Word to enter into our hearts<br />
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<b>4. MEDITATIO</b></div>
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<b>a) A few questions to help in our meditation:</b></div>
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Who or what drew my interest and wonder in the reading? Is it possible for someone to profess being Christian and yet not believe in the Resurrection of Jesus? Is it so important to believe in the resurrection? What would be different if we stopped at his teaching and witness of life? What does the gift of the Spirit for the mission mean to me? How does Jesus’ mission in the world continue after the Resurrection? What is the content of the missionary proclamation? What value has Thomas’ witness for me? What are, if any, my doubts concerning the faith? How do I meet them and still carry on? Am I able to give reasons for my faith?</div>
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<b>b) Comment:</b></div>
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<i>In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week</i>: the disciples are living through an extraordinary day. For the community, at the time of the writing of the fourth Gospel, the day after the Sabbath is already “the Lord’s day” (Ap 1:10), Dies Domini (Sunday) and is more important than the Sabbath was in the tradition of the Jews.</div>
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<i>The doors were closed</i>: a detail which shows that the body of the risen Jesus, even though recognisable, is not subject to the ordinary laws of human life.</div>
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<i>Peace be with you</i>: this is not just a wish, but the actual peace promised to them when they were saddened by his departure (Jn 14:27; 2Thes 3:16; Rom 5:3), the messianic peace, the fulfilment of the promises made by God, freedom from all fear, victory over sin and death, reconciliation with God, fruit of his passion, free gift of God. This peace is repeated three times in this passage as well as in the introduction (20:19) further on (20:26) in the exact same way.</div>
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<i>He showed them his hands and his side</i>: Jesus provides evident and tangible proof that he is the one who was crucified. Only John records the detail of the wound in the side caused by the spear of a Roman soldier, whereas Luke mentions the wound of the feet (Lk 24:39). In showing his wounds, Jesus wants to say that the peace he gives comes from the cross (2Tim 2:1-13). They are part of his identity as the risen One (Ap 5:6).</div>
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<i>The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord</i>: This is the same joy expressed by the prophet Isaiah when he describes the divine banquet (Is 25:8-9), the eschatological joy foreshadowed in the farewell speech and that no one can take away (Jn 16:22; 20:27). Cfr. also Lk 24:39-40; Mt 28:8; Lk 24:41.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>As the Father sent me, so am I sending you</i>: Jesus is the first missionary, “the apostle and high priest of the faith we profess” (Ap 3:1). After the experience of the cross and the resurrection, Jesus’ prayer to the Father comes true (Jn 13:20; 17:18; 21:15,17). This is not a new mission, but the mission of Jesus extended to those who are his disciples, bound to him like branches are bound to the vine (15:9), so also they are bound to his Church (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-18; Lk 24:47-49). The eternal Son of God was sent so that “the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17) and the whole of his earthly existence, fully identified with the saving will of the Father, is a constant manifestation of that divine will that all may be saved. He leaves as an inheritance this historical project to the whole Church and, especially to ordained ministers within that Church.</div>
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<i>He breathed on them</i>: this action recalling the life-giving breath of God on man (Gen 2:7), does not occur anywhere else in the New Testament. It marks the beginning of a new creation.</div>
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<i>Receive the Holy Spirit</i>: after Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit was bestowed (Jn 7:39). Here the Spirit is transmitted for a special mission, whereas at Pentecost (Acts 2) the Holy Spirit comes down on the whole people of God.</div>
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<i>For those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained</i>: we find the power to forgive or not forgive sins also in Matthew in a more juridical form (Mt 16:19; 18:18). According to the Scribes and Pharisees (Mk 2:7), and according to tradition (Is 43:25), God has the power to forgive sins. Jesus gives this power (Lk 5:24) and passes it on to his Church. In our meditation, it is better not to dwell on this text’s theological development in church tradition and the consequent theological controversies. In the fourth Gospel the expression may be taken in a wide sense. Here it is a matter of the power of forgiving sins in the Church as salvation community and those especially endowed with this power are those who share in the apostolic charism by succession and mission. In this general power is included the power to forgive sins also after baptism, what we call “the sacrament of reconciliation” expressed in various forms throughout the history of the Church.</div>
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<i>Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve</i>: Thomas is one of the main characters of the fourth Gospel and his doubting character, easily discouraged, is emphasised (11:16; 14:5). “One of the twelve” is by now a stereotyped expression (6:71), because in fact they were only eleven. “Didimus” means “the Twin”, and we could be his “twins” through our difficulty in believing in Jesus, Son of God who died and rose again.</div>
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<i>We have seen the Lord!</i> When Andrew, John and Philip had found the Messiah, they had already run to announce the news to others (Jn 1:41-45). Now there is the official proclamation by eye-witnesses (Jn 20:18).</div>
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<i>Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe</i>: Thomas cannot believe the eye-witnesses. He wants to experience the event himself. The fourth Gospel is aware of the difficulty that some may have in believing in the Resurrection (Lk 24; 34-40; MK 16:11; 1Cor 15:5-8), especially those who have not seen the risen One. Thomas is their (and our) interpreter. He is willing to believe, but he wants to resolve personally any doubt, for fear of being wrong. Jesus does not see in Thomas an indifferent sceptic, but a man in search of truth and satisfies him fully. This is, however, an occasion to express an appreciation of future believers (verse 29).</div>
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<i>Put your finger here, look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe!</i> Jesus repeats the words of Thomas and enters into a dialogue with him. He understands Thomas’ doubts and wishes to help him. Jesus knows that Thomas loves him and therefore has compassion for him because Thomas does not yet enjoy the peace that comes from faith. Jesus helps him to grow in faith. In order to enter deeper into this theme, see the parallels in: 1Jn 1-2; Ps 78:38; 103:13-14; Rom 5:20; 1Tim 1:14-16.</div>
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<i>My Lord and my God!</i> This is a profession of faith in the risen One and in his divinity as is also proclaimed in the beginning of John’s Gospel (1:1). In the Old Testament “Lord” and “God” correspond respectively to “Yahweh” and “Elohim” (Ps 35:23-24; Ap 4:11). It is the fullest and most direct paschal profession of faith in the divinity of Jesus. In Jewish circles these terms had greater value because they applied to Jesus texts concerning God. Jesus does not correct the words of Thomas as he corrected the words of the Jews who accused him of wanting to be “equal to God” (Jn 5:18ff) thus approving the acknowledgement of his divinity.</div>
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<i>You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!</i> Jesus cannot stand those who look for signs and miracles in order to believe (Jn 4:48) and he seems to take Thomas to task. Here we must remember another passage concerning a more authentic faith, a “way of perfection” towards a faith to which we must aspire without the demands of Thomas, a faith received as gift and as an act of trust, like the exemplary faith of our ancestors (Ap 11) and of Mary (Lk 1:45). We, who are two thousand years after the coming of Jesus, are told that, although we have not seen him, yet we can love him and believing in him we can exult with “an indescribable and glorious joy” (1Pt 1:8).</div>
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<i>These (signs) are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.</i> The fourth Gospel, like the other Gospels, does not mean to write a complete biography of Jesus, but only to show that Jesus was the Christ, the awaited Messiah, the Liberator, and that he was the Son of God. Believing in him means that we possess eternal life. If Jesus is not God, then our faith is in vain!</div>
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<b>5. ORATIO</b></div>
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<b>Psalm 118 (117)</b></div>
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O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; <br />
his steadfast love endures for ever! <br />
Let Israel say,<br />
"His steadfast love endures for ever." <br />
Let the house of Aaron say, <br />
"His steadfast love endures for ever." <br />
Let those who fear the LORD say, <br />
"His steadfast love endures for ever."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, <br />
but the Lord helped me. <br />
The Lord is my strength and my song; <br />
he has become my salvation. <br />
Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The stone which the builders rejected <br />
has become the head of the corner. <br />
This is the Lord's doing; <br />
it is marvellous in our eyes. <br />
This is the day which the Lord has made; <br />
let us rejoice and be glad in it. <br />
Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord! O Lord, <br />
we beseech thee, give us success!</div>
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<b>6. CONTEMPLATIO</b></div>
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<b>Closing prayer</b></div>
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I thank you Jesus, my Lord and my God, that you have loved me and called me, made me worthy to be your disciple, that you have given me the Spirit, the One sent to proclaim and witness to your resurrection, to the mercy of the Father, to salvation and pardon for all men and women in the world. You truly are the way, the truth and the life, the dawn without a setting, the sun of justice and peace. Grant that I may dwell in your love, bound to you like a branch to its vine. Grant me your peace so that I may overcome my weaknesses, face my doubts and respond to your call and live fully the mission you entrusted to me, praising you forever. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<b>Feast Day: Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>First Sunday after Easter</b></div>
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<b>Patron Saint</b>:<i> n/a</i><i> </i></div>
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<b>Attributes</b>: n/a</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEYuUWupS5y2n2_u0cEIN0-LWJNBXKSyjkl6SPgbdz60tT714dYHtMavc677Jd4OcUvoFJwDnZK5wUmJ9E301g0JAX7S67RgS4oztW6kA8QyhexmcEqqK9TCq7Yjeg8nEwQ2xfwSyjupf/s1600/Divine+Mercy+2013+Logo+GLD+592x752.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEYuUWupS5y2n2_u0cEIN0-LWJNBXKSyjkl6SPgbdz60tT714dYHtMavc677Jd4OcUvoFJwDnZK5wUmJ9E301g0JAX7S67RgS4oztW6kA8QyhexmcEqqK9TCq7Yjeg8nEwQ2xfwSyjupf/s1600/Divine+Mercy+2013+Logo+GLD+592x752.jpg" title="Divine Mercy" width="251" /></a></div>
<b>Divine Mercy Sunday</b> is a Roman Catholic solemnity celebrated on the Sunday after Easter, the Octave of Easter. It is originally based on the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus, and is associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Church.<br />
<br />
This feast of Divine Mercy, as recorded in the diary of Saint Faustina, receives from Jesus himself the biggest promises of Grace related to the Devotion of Divine Mercy.<br />
<br />
In specific Jesus states that the soul that goes to Sacramental Confession (the confession may take place some days before), and receives Holy Eucharistic Communion on that day, shall obtain the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment.<br />
<br />
Additionally, the Roman Catholic Church grants a plenary indulgence (observing the usual rules) with the recitation of some simple prayers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_3-0">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Decree_4-0">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball174_5-0">[5]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Devotion_to_the_Divine_Mercy">Devotion to the Divine Mercy</span></h2>
Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun reported visions and visitations from Jesus and conversations with Him. He asked her to paint the vision of his Merciful Divinity being poured from his sacred heart and specifically asked for a feast of Divine Mercy to be established on the first Sunday after Easter so mankind would take refuge in Him:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake89_6-0">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell66_7-0">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<b>“I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.”</b> (Jesus' words, <i>Diary</i> 341)<br />
<br />
"Sunday, April 28, 1935. Low Sunday; that is, the Feast of The Divine Mercy, the conclusion of the Jubilee of Redemption. When we went to take part in the celebrations, my heart leapt with joy that the two solemnities were so closely united." (Faustina's words, <i>Diary</i> 420)<br />
<br />
<b>“This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it.”</b> (Jesus' words, <i>Diary</i> 420)<br />
<br />
"Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it." (<i>Diary</i> 742)<br />
<br />
In several entries in her diary, Faustina recorded promises of Grace and Mercy associated to the Feast of Divine Mercy on Mercy Sunday. Jesus Stated:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Divine_Mercy_Sunday_Information_8-0">[8]</sup><br />
<br />
<b>"The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”</b>(Diary 699)<br />
<br />
<b>“I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.”</b>(Diary 1109)<br />
<br />
On March 23, 1937, Faustina wrote in her diary (Notebook III, item 1044) that she had a vision that the feast of Divine Mercy would be celebrated in her local chapel, and would be attended by large crowds, and that the same celebration would be held in Rome attended by the Pope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_3-1">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball174_5-1">[5]</sup> She wrote: “The crowd was so enormous that the eye could not take it all in. Everyone was participating in the celebrations.“<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_3-2">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
Divine Mercy Sunday is also the day after the culmination of the novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNDMNV_9-0">[9]</sup> Faustina wrote Jesus instructed her that the Feast of Mercy (the Sunday after Easter) be preceded by a Divine Mercy Novena which would begin on Good Friday.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNDMNV_9-1">[9]</sup><br />
<br />
The first Mass during which the <i>Divine Mercy image</i> was displayed was on April 28, 1935, the first Sunday after Easter (the Feast of Divine Mercy) and was attended by Sr. Faustina. (Diary of St. Faustina, item 420).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell102_10-0">[10]</sup> April 28, 1935 was also the celebration of the end of the <i>Jubilee of the Redemption</i> by Pope Pius XI.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell102_10-1">[10]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup> Father Michael Sopocko (Faustina's confessor) celebrated the Mass that Sunday and obtained permission to place the image within the Gate of Dawn church in Vilnius during the Mass.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell102_10-2">[10]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Vatican_approval">Vatican approval</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="293" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Divine_Mercy_Sanctuary_in_Vilnius4.JPG/220px-Divine_Mercy_Sanctuary_in_Vilnius4.JPG" width="220" /> <br />
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The first Divine Mercy painting by Kazimierowski (1934) at the Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Vilnius)</div>
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The devotion was actively promoted by Pope John Paul II who, On 30 April 2000, canonized Faustina Kowalska, and officially designated the Sunday after Easter as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy (Dominica II Paschae seu de divina misericordia) in the General Roman Calendar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto_13-0">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup> A year after establishing Divine Mercy Sunday, on April 22, 2001 Pope John Paul II re-emphasized its message in the resurrection context of Easter:<br />
<blockquote>
Jesus said to Sr Faustina one day: "Humanity will never find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy". Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup></blockquote>
The devotion to Divine Mercy Sunday grew rapidly after its designation by Pope John Paul II and is now widely celebrated by Catholics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sourcebook_16-0">[16]</sup> The <i>Divine Mercy image</i> is often carried in processions on Divine Mercy Sunday, and is placed in a location in the church so that it can be venerated by those who attended the Mass.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sourcebook_16-1">[16]</sup><br />
<br />
The liturgical celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday reflects the devotional elements of Divine Mercy - the first prayer of that Mass beginning with:<br />
<blockquote>
"Heavenly Father and God of Mercy, We no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for He is alive and has become the Lord of Life".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto58_17-0">[17]</sup></blockquote>
This opening prayer refers to Divine Mercy as the key element in the plan of God for salvation and emphasizes the belief that it was through mercy that God gave his only son for the redemption of mankind, after the fall of Adam.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto58_17-1">[17]</sup><br />
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John Paul II, who died in April 2005 on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, was himself beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011, by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Plenary_Indulgence">Plenary Indulgence</span></h3>
In June 2002 John Paul II granted indulgences to Catholics who recite specific prayers on that day, which were then formally decreed by the Apostolic Penitentiary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Decree_4-1">[4]</sup> The priests are also ordered in that day to lead the prayers in honor of Divine Mercy, inform the parishioners about the Divine Mercy, and hear confessions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Decree_4-2">[4]</sup><br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Conditions">Conditions</span></h4>
This Plenary Indulgence is obtained by observing the usual dispositions that are on place for the granting of this grace through the Intercession of the Catholic Church, that is: Sacramental Confession (the confession may take place some days before), Holy Eucharistic Communion, to pray for the intentions of the pope (an Our Father and Hail Mary is minimum requirement), when the faithful detached from any sin, even venial, either:<br />
<ul>
<li>- In any church or chapel take part in the prayers and devotions in honor of the Divine Mercy.</li>
<li>- In the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, say an Our Father and Creed.</li>
</ul>
In both cases adding a devout prayer to the Merciful Lord (i.e. Merciful Jesus, I Trust in you)<br />
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<h4>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Special_dispositions">Special dispositions</span></h4>
Additionally, to the faithful who, for a justified reason beyond control, cannot go to a church or chapel, only with the recitation of one Our Father and Creed before a devout image of Jesus, adding "Merciful Jesus, I Trust in you", they will obtain the plenary indulgence that day with the condition of fulfilling the usual sacramental requirements later.<br />
<br />
And even if the above is impossible to do, the Indulgence is granted if with spiritual intention they unite themselves to the ones carrying on the prescribed practices with the intention of fulfilling the requirements as soon as it is possible.<br />
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<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span></h2>
<ul>
<li><i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i> by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7 </li>
<li><i>Pope Benedict's Divine Mercy Mandate</i> by David Came 2009 ISBN 978-1-59614-203-9</li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CNS News May 2, 2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Daily Telegraph</i> May 1, 2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Drake85-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Saints of the Jubilee</i> by Tim Drake 2002 ISBN 978-1-4033-1009-5 pages 85-95</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Decree-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on Divine Mercy Indulgences</i> 29 June 2002 at the Vatican web site</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ball174-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^</span><span class="reference-text"><i>Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices</i> ISBN 0-87973-910-X pages 174-175</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Drake89-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Tim Drake, 2002, Saints of the Jubilee, ISBN 978-1-4033-1009-5 pages 89-90</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-odell66-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Faustina: The Apostle of Divine Mercy</i> by Catherine M. Odell 1998 ISBN 0-87973-923-1 page 66</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Divine_Mercy_Sunday_Information-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://divinemercysunday.com/packet.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-EWTNDMNV-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">EWTN on the Divine Mercy Novena</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-odell102-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Faustina: The Apostle of Divine Mercy</i> by Catherine M. Odell 1998 ISBN 0-87973-923-1 pages 102-103</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miravalle, Mark <i>Introduction to Mary</i> 1993, ISBN 978-1-882972-06-7, page 122</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 page 16</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Torretto-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 pages 188-190</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican website: Canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, April 30, 2000</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Divine Mercy Sunday Homily, April 22, 2001, Vatican website</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Sourcebook-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^</span><span class="reference-text">'<i>Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons, and Weekdays 2011: The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy</i> by Corinna Laughlin 2010 ISBN 1-56854-871-0 page 195</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Torretto58-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 pages 58-59</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news">"Pope paves way to beatification of John Paul II". <i>bbc.news.co.uk</i>. January 14, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-01-14</span>.</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span dir="auto"> </span><span style="color: #990000;">The Hour of Divine Mercy</span></span></h2>
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Jesus asked Saint Faustina, and through her us, to celebrate this Hour of Great Mercy, 3 o'clock,<br />
promising tremendous graces to those who would, both for themselves and on behalf of others.<br />
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<i>At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. (Diary 1320).</i></blockquote>
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<i>As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice.</i> </blockquote>
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The three o'clock hour has always held a special significance for us in our faith. It is the hour Our Lord gave His precious life up for our sins. It is the hour that witnessed the greatest miracle the world will ever see - the offering of the Son of God for the salvation of the world. <br />
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"Good Friday. At three o'clock, I saw the Lord Jesus, crucified, who looked at me and said, <span class="ji">I thirst</span>. Then I saw two rays issue from His side, just as they appear in the image. I then felt in my soul the desire to save souls and empty myself for the sake of poor sinners. I offered myself, together with the dying Jesus, to the Eternal Father, for the salvation of the whole world. With Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus is my communion with You, Eternal Father. On Good Friday, Jesus suffered in His soul in a way which was different from [His suffering on]Holy Thursday." (Diary, 648). </blockquote>
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On the cross, blood and water flowed from His side, an image intentionally reflected in the Divine Mercy image. Now, a fountain of mercy flows over us. Jesus gave St. Faustina special instructions for this hour...<br />
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<span class="ji"><span class="ji">"At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for poor sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion... " </span>(Diary, 1320)</span></blockquote>
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How did Jesus instruct St. Faustina to pray in this hour?...<br />
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<span class="ji">"My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration for My mercy from every creature, but above all from you , since it is to you that I have given the most profound understanding of this mystery." (Diary, 1572)</span></blockquote>
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Few of us will find ourselves near the Blessed Sacrament everyday at 3 pm. However, many of us do have the opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at this time and most of us can take a moment, even just a few seconds, to reflect on Our Lord's sacrifice and His great Love and Mercy towards us.<br />
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<b>Three O'clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy:</b><br />
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<b>You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You. Amen.</b><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Works of Mercy</span></h2>
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Corporal Works of Mercy</h3>
Feed the Hungry<br />
Give Drink to the Thirsty<br />
Clothe the Naked<br />
Shelter the Homeless<br />
Visit the Sick<br />
Ransom the Captive<br />
Bury the Dead</div>
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Spiritual Works of Mercy</h3>
Admonish the Sinner<br />
Instruct the Ignorant<br />
Counsel the Doubtful<br />
Comfort the Sorrowful<br />
Bear Wrongs Patiently<br />
Forgive Injuries<br />
Pray for the Living and the Dead<br />
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In St. Faustina's diary, Christ spoke to her about the importance of mercy - not just celebrating the feast, but living God's Mercy in our lives...<br />
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<i><span class="ji">"<span class="ji">...Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.</span>" (Diary, 742)</span> </i></blockquote>
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<i><span class="ji">"My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.(Diary, 742)</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span class="ji">I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works."</span> (Diary, 742) </i></blockquote>
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Later, St. Faustina describes her understanding of Christ's words to her...<br />
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"The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it all comes down to one:<br />
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<i><b>The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God's throne and beg for mercy for the whole world.</b>.. and by their entreaties they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.</i><br />
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</i> <i><b>The second is prayer joined to the act of mercy. In particular, they will defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil.</b> Prayer and merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls, and even the poorest persons can be admitted to their number. And in this egoistic world they will try to rouse up love, the mercy of Jesus.</i><br />
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</i> <i><b>The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking vows.</b> But by doing this, these persons will have a share in all the merits and privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world can belong to this group.</i> <i>A member of this group ought to perform at least one act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest.</i> </blockquote>
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<i><b>For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict."</b> (Diary 1155-1158) </i></blockquote>
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But it wasn't just in honor of the Feast that Christ spoke about His desire for acts of mercy...<br />
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"October 1, 1937. <span class="ji">Daughter, I need sacrifice lovingly accomplished, because that alone has meaning for Me. Enormous indeed are the debts of the world which are due to Me; pure souls can pay them by their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit.</span><br />
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<i>I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: <span class="ji">I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.</span>" (Diary, 1316-7)</i></blockquote>
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References</h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="citation book"><i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i> by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7 </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="citation book">Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. http://www.sisterfaustina.org/</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Snippet II:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #660000;">History of Divine Mercy</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqggDDc8gLwGBLbidniVEXuhk2kOntNALMQjI8ayI1PCx8Bvc3OQz8zaV7h88RlJQYYR2Dgu0TX6tmuNcJbUc5D1q7n97fIxG4Bl3UTqEgGZeJ6GDYPyY_GurqHWFKDbyZvtu95anmCf6E/s1600/divine+mercy+18.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqggDDc8gLwGBLbidniVEXuhk2kOntNALMQjI8ayI1PCx8Bvc3OQz8zaV7h88RlJQYYR2Dgu0TX6tmuNcJbUc5D1q7n97fIxG4Bl3UTqEgGZeJ6GDYPyY_GurqHWFKDbyZvtu95anmCf6E/s320/divine+mercy+18.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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The <b>Divine Mercy</b> is a Roman Catholic devotion to the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one's own heart towards those in need of it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball175_3-0">[3]</sup> The devotion is due to the apparitions of Jesus received by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), who is known as the <i>Apostle of Mercy</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_4-0">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Butler_5-0">[5]</sup></div>
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Faustina Kowalska reported a number of apparitions, visions and conversations with Jesus which she wrote in her diary, later published as the book <i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_4-1">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Butler_5-1">[5]</sup> The three main themes of the devotion are to ask for and obtain the mercy of God, to trust in Christ's abundant mercy, and finally to show mercy to others and act as a conduit for God's mercy towards them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_4-2">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNCDM_6-0">[6]</sup></div>
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The devotion places emphasis on the veneration of the <i>Divine Mercy image</i> which Faustina reported as a vision of Jesus while she was in her cell in the convent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Butler_5-2">[5]</sup> The image is displayed and venerated by Catholics on its own, and is solemnly blessed during Divine Mercy Sunday.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto187_7-0">[7]</sup> The devotion includes specific prayers such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.</div>
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The Divine Mercy devotion is followed by over 100 million Catholics,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Withyou_8-0">[8]</sup> and is also recognised and celebrated in the Anglican Communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_devotion">The Devotion</span></h2>
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Faustina's chapel at her resting place, the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Łagiewniki.</div>
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<tr> <td style="color: #b2b7f2; font-family: serif; font-size: 40px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: left;" valign="top" width="20">“</td> <td style="padding: 4px 10px;" valign="top"><i>Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God.</i><br />
— Words attributed to Jesus by Faustina in her diary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mauriello149_10-0">[10]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></td> <td style="color: #b2b7f2; font-family: serif; font-size: 40px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 10px; text-align: right;" valign="bottom" width="20">”</td> </tr>
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The primary focus of the Divine Mercy devotion is the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one's own heart towards those in need of it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball175_3-1">[3]</sup> As he dedicated the Shrine of Divine Mercy, Pope John Paul II referred to this when he said: "Apart from the mercy of God there is no other source of hope for mankind".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup></div>
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As in the prayers that form the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, there are three main themes to the Divine Mercy devotion: to ask for and obtain the mercy of God, to trust in Christ's abundant mercy, and finally to show mercy to others and act as a conduit for God's mercy towards them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_4-3">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNCDM_6-1">[6]</sup></div>
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The first and second elements relate to the signature "Jesus I trust in You" on the Divine Mercy image and Faustina stated that on April 28, 1935, the day the first Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated, Jesus told her: "Every soul believing and trusting in My Mercy will obtain it".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup></div>
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The third component is reflected in the statement "Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners" attributed to Jesus in Faustina's diary (Notebook I, items 186-187).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto137_14-0">[14]</sup> This statement is followed in the diary by a specific short prayer: "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You." which Faustina also recommended for the Hour of Divine Mercy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto137_14-1">[14]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> In her diary (Notebook II, item 742) Faustina wrote that Jesus told her: "I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me." and that he explained that there are three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mauriello149_10-1">[10]</sup></div>
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The Divine Mercy devotion views mercy as the key element in the plan of God for salvation and emphasizes the belief that it was through mercy that God gave his only son for the redemption of mankind, after the fall of Adam.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto58_16-0">[16]</sup> The opening prayer for Divine Mercy Sunday Mass refers to this and begins: "Heavenly Father and God of Mercy, We no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for He is alive and has become the Lord of Life".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto58_16-1">[16]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_image">The Image</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tntzl5Q9-Q7jRmgsueGWXccdgfDn-up778z3FXhGBoiq3KJ6ye84t4itjUnifz4riOZgys4l028lL0FFVLSkkSAY4CWkJ_rSr-OnZtyDgfL2lrbOk3ewwEECt0veGM_5OKF2CbYhZWte/s1600/DivMrcy1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tntzl5Q9-Q7jRmgsueGWXccdgfDn-up778z3FXhGBoiq3KJ6ye84t4itjUnifz4riOZgys4l028lL0FFVLSkkSAY4CWkJ_rSr-OnZtyDgfL2lrbOk3ewwEECt0veGM_5OKF2CbYhZWte/s320/DivMrcy1.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
"<i>Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You… I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.</i>"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_One_True_Image_17-0">[17]</sup></div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_One_True_Image_17-0"> </sup> </div>
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The chaplet is associated with the paintings of the image as in Faustina's diary. The most widely used is a Polish image painted by Adolf Hyla. Hyla painted the image in thanksgiving for having survived World War II.</div>
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In the image, Jesus stands with one hand outstretched in blessing, the other clutching the side wounded by the spear, from which proceed beams of falling light, red and white in colour. An explanation of these colors was given to Saint Faustina by Jesus himself saying, "<i>The two rays represent blood and water.</i>"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup> These colors of the rays refer to the "<i>blood and water</i>" referenced in the Gospel of John, (John 19:34) and which is also mentioned in the optional prayer of the Chaplet. The words “Jesus I Trust in Thee” usually accompany the image, (“Jezu Ufam Tobie” in Polish).</div>
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The original Divine Mercy image was painted by Eugene Kazimierowski in Vilnius, Lithuania under St. Faustina's direction. However, according to her diary, she cried upon seeing that the finished picture was not as beautiful as the vision she had received, but Jesus comforted her saying, "<i>Not in the beauty of the colour, nor of the brush is the greatness of this image, but in My grace.</i>"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-The_One_True_Image_17-1">[17]</sup> The picture was widely used during the early years of the devotion, and is still in circulation within the movement, but the Hyla image remains one of the most reproduced renderings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Butler_5-3">[5]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Chaplet_and_novena">Chaplet and novena</span></h2>
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Though the origins of the chaplet and its use of rosary beads are distinctly Catholic in nature, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be said by non - Roman Catholics as well. Rosary beads are, indeed, used to say the prayer.</div>
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As a complement to the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a prayer can be said at 3p.m. This is the hour of Jesus' death as he died in the ninth hour.</div>
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"Jesus who died but the source of life flowed out for souls and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O fount of life, immeasurable Divine Mercy,cover the whole world and empty yourself out upon us. O blood and water which flowed out as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in you. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy on us and on the whole world (repeat thrice) Jesus, King of mercy, I trust in you!"</blockquote>
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The Chaplet may be said alone or as part of a Novena. Faustina wrote that in her visions Jesus instructed her that the Feast of the Divine Mercy (the Sunday after Easter) be preceded by a Divine Mercy Novena which would begin on Good Friday and conclude on Divine Mercy Sunday.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNDMNV_19-0">[19]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Hour_of_Divine_Mercy">Hour of Divine Mercy</span></h2>
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In her diary Faustina wrote that Jesus specified three o'clock each afternoon as the hour at which mercy was best received, and asked her to pray the Chaplet of Mercy and venerate the Divine Mercy image at that hour.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell137_20-0">[20]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cleary75_21-0">[21]</sup> On October 10, 1937, in her diary (Notebook V, item 1320) Faustina attributed the following statement to Jesus:</div>
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As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup></blockquote>
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Three o'clock in the afternoon corresponds to the hour at which Jesus died on the cross.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cleary75_21-1">[21]</sup> This hour is called the "hour of Divine Mercy" or the "hour of great mercy".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-odell137_20-1">[20]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Divine_Mercy_Sunday">Divine Mercy Sunday</span></h2>
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The feast of Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted by Pope John Paul II and is celebrated the Sunday after Easter on the General Roman Calendar, and is associated with specific indulgences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Drake85_4-4">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto187_7-1">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Decree_23-0">[23]</sup></div>
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In an entry in her diary, Faustina stated that anyone who participates in the Mass and receives the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist on this day is assured by Jesus of full remission of their sins and punishments.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Torretto187_7-2">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-EWTNDMNV_19-1">[19]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Churches_and_shrines">Churches and shrines</span></h2>
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Interior of the sanctuary of the Fathers of Mercy</div>
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A number of Marian churches and shrines have been dedicated to Divine Mercy. </div>
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The <b>Divine Mercy Sanctuary</b> in <b>Kraków</b>, Poland is a Roman Catholic basilica dedicated to the <i>Divine Mercy devotion</i>, as the resting place of Saint Faustina Kowalska, canonized on April 30, 2000. The new basilica was built between 1999–2002, and is located in the District of Łagiewniki at ul. św. Faustyny street. Two Popes have visited the shrine and millions of pilgrims from around the world continue to visit it every year.</div>
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The <b>Divine Mercy Sanctuary</b> in <b>Vilnius</b>, Lithuania (Lithuanian: <span lang="lt"><i>Vilniaus Dievo Gailestingumo šventovė</i></span>) is a Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion, originated by Saint Faustina Kowalska.<br />
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Divine_Mercy_Christ_-_1.JPG/220px-Divine_Mercy_Christ_-_1.JPG" width="220" /> <br />
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The 50 foot <i>Divine Mercy Christ</i> statue at the Divine Mercy Shrine (Misamis Oriental), Mindanao, Philippines.</div>
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The <b>Divine Mercy Shrine</b> in El Salvador City Misamis Oriental, Philippines is located in <i>Divine Mercy Hills</i>, overlooking Macajalar Bay on the Mindanao island, southern part of the Philippines. The nine-hectare land for the Shrine was purchased for a nominal amount and the shrine was constructed by donations. The shrine was completed in 2008 and is noted for having a 15.24 metre (50-feet) statue of the Divine Mercy Jesus. It serves as a pilgrimage site for Divine Mercy devotees.</div>
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The <b>Divine Mercy Sanctuary</b> in <b>Plock</b>, Poland is a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion, originated by Saint Faustina Kowalska. Plock is where Faustina reported some of her early visions. The chapel is located at the Old Market in Plock. In 2009 plans were made for the expansion of the sanctuary to a larger church.</div>
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The <b>National Shrine of The Divine Mercy</b> is a Roman Catholic shrine located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The priests and brothers of the Congregation of Marians of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary have resided on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, since June 1944. Father Walter Pelczynski, MIC, with the assistance of local clergy and friends of the Marian community, initially purchased 50 of the 370 acres (1.5 km<sup>2</sup>) that constituted the "Eden Hill" estate in November, 1943. The house was to serve as the novitiate for a newly formed province. An image of the "The Divine Mercy" was enshrined in one of the small chapels where the members of the community prayed daily a perpetual novena to the Divine Mercy.<span style="color: black;"> </span>Pilgrims began to arrive the very next spring to celebrate the Feast of The Divine Mercy (just after Easter). By the end of World War II in 1945, pilgrims in growing numbers came to offer thanksgiving for graces received through the Divine Mercy message and devotion. They urged the Marians to build a shrine to Jesus, The Divine Mercy, as a votive of thanks. The Fathers decided to accede to the requests since there was also a need for a larger chapel to accommodate a growing community. The construction of the present Shrine began in 1950 and was completed and solemnly dedicated by Springfield Bishop Christopher Weldon in 1960. In 1996, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared it a National Shrine in accord with Church law. The National Shrine has drawn thousands of pilgrims from around the world.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Orders_and_institutions">Orders and institutions</span></h2>
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A number or Roman Catholic orders and institutions are devoted to Divine Mercy. The John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy is managed by the Congregation of Marian Fathers.</div>
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The Marians of the Immaculate Conception take an active role in promoting the Divine Mercy message.</div>
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The first <i>World Apostolic Congress on Mercy</i> was held in Rome in April 2008 and was inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mauriello149_10-2">[10]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup> Other international congresses on mercy have taken place since.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ol>
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">CNS News May 2, 2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Daily Telegraph</i> May 1, 2011</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ball175-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span> <span class="reference-text">Ann Ball, 2003 <i>Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices</i> ISBN 0-87973-910-X page 175</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Drake85-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Saints of the Jubilee</i> by Tim Drake 2002 ISBN 978-1-4033-1009-5 pages 85-95</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Butler-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Butler's lives of the saints: the third millennium</i> by Paul Burns, Alban Butler 2001 ISBN 978-0-86012-383-5 page 252</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-EWTNCDM-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">EWTN on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Torretto187-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span> <span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 pages 187-190</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Withyou-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Am With You Always</i> by Benedict Groeschel 2010 ISBN 978-1-58617-257-2 page 548</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Divine Mercy Society</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Mauriello149-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>Mercies Remembered</i> by Matthew R Mauriello 2011 ISBN 1-61215-005-5 page 149-160</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i> by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7 Notebok 1, item 301 [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican website dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy, August 2002</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catherine M. Odell, 1998, <i>Faustina: Apostle of Divine Mercy</i> OSV Press ISBN</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="reference-text">978-0-87973-923-2 page 105</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Torretto137-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^</span><span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 pages 137-140</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Mercies Remembered</i> by Matthew R Mauriello 2011 ISBN 1-61215-005-5 page 326</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Torretto58-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^</span><span class="reference-text"><i>A Divine Mercy Resource</i> by Richard Torretto 2010 ISBN 1-4502-3236-1 pages 58-59</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-The_One_True_Image-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">The One True Image</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Canonization Homily of Pope John Paul II</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-EWTNDMNV-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span> <span class="reference-text">EWTN on the Divine Mercy Novena</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-odell137-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">Catherine M. Odell, 1998, <i>Faustina: Apostle of Divine Mercy</i> OSV Press ISBN 978-0-87973-923-2 page 137</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Cleary75-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text"><i>15 Days of Prayer with Saint Faustina Kowalska</i> by John J. Cleary 2010 ISBN 1-56548-350-2 page 75</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">EWTN on the Hour of Mercy</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Decree-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on Divine Mercy Indulgences</i>, 29 June 2002, at the Vatican web site</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Zenit April 2, 2008</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic News Service, APril 3, 2008</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Asian Apostolic Congress on Mercy</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
The Miraculous Medal</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s1600/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s320/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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<blockquote>
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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</div>
The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 10</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE VICTORY OF CHRIST OVER HELL</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The hidden and venerable mysteries of this chapter correspond to many others scattered through the whole extent of this history. One of them is, that Lucifer and his demons in the course of the life and miracles our Savior, never could ascertain fully whether the Lord was true God and Redeemer of the world, and consequently what was the dignity of the most holy Mary. This was so disposed by divine Providence, in order that the whole mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption of the human race might be more fittingly accomplished. Lucifer, although knowing that God was to assume human flesh, nevertheless knew nothing of the manner and the circumstances of the Incarnation. As he was permitted to form an opinion of this mystery in accordance with his pride, he was full of hallucinations, sometimes believing Christ to be God on account of his miracles, sometimes rejecting such an opinion on account of seeing Him poor, humiliated, afflicted and fatigued. Harassed by these contradicting evidences, he remained in doubt and continued his inquiries until the predestined hour of Christ’s Death on the Cross, where, in virtue of the Passion and Death of the sacred humanity, which he had himself brought about, he was to be undeceived and vanquished by the full solution of these mysteries.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">Lucifer and his demons, as soon as they saw the Lord taking the Cross upon his sacred shoulders, wished to fly and cast themselves into hell; for at that moment they began to feel with greater force the operations of his divine power. By divine intervention this new torment made them aware that the Death of this innocent Man, whose destruction they had plotted and who could not be a mere man, threatened great ruin to themselves. They therefore</span> <span lang="en-US">desired to withdraw and they ceased to incite the Jews and the executioners, as they had done hitherto. But the command of the most blessed Mary, enforced by the divine power, detained them and, enchained like fiercest dragons, compelled them to accompany Christ to Calvary. The ends of the mysterious chain that bound them were placed into the hands of Mary, the great Queen who, by the power of her divine Son, held them all in subjection and bondage. Although they many times sought to break away and raged in helpless fury, they could not overcome the power of the heavenly Lady. She forced them to come to Calvary and stand around the Cross, where She commanded them to remain</span> <span lang="en-US">motionless and witness the end of the great mysteries there enacted for the salvation of men and the ruin of themselves.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Lucifer and his infernal hosts were so overwhelmed with pains and torments by the presence of the Lord and his blessed Mother, and with the fear of their impending ruin, that they would have felt greatly relieved to be allowed to cast themselves into the darkness of</span> <span lang="en-US">hell. As this was not permitted them, they fell upon one another and furiously fought with each other like hornets disturbed in their nest, or like a brood of vermin confusedly seeking some dark shelter. But their rabid fury was not that of animals, but that of demons more cruel than dragons.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The time had now come for this ancient dragon to</span> <span lang="en-US">be vanquished by the Master of life. As this was to be</span> <span lang="en-US">the hour of his disillusionment, and as this poisonous asp was not to escape it by stopping his ears to the voice of the Enchanter (Ps. 57, 5), the Lord began to speak the seven words from his Cross, at the same time providing that Lucifer and his demons should understand the mysteries therein contained. For it was by this disclosure that the Lord wished to triumph over them, over sin and death, and despoil them of their tyrannous power over the human race. The Savior then pronounced the first word: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23, 34). By these words the princes of darkness came to the full conviction, that Christ our Lord was speaking to the eternal Father, that He was his natural Son and the true God with Him and the Holy Ghost, that He had permitted death in his most sacred and perfect humanity, united to the Divinity for the salvation of the whole human race; that now He offered his infinitely precious merits for the pardon of the sins of all those children of Adam, who should avail themselves thereof for their rescue, not excepting even the wretches that crucified Him. At this discovery Lucifer and his demons were thrown into such fury and despair that they instantly wished to hurl themselves impetuously to the depths of hell and strained all their powers to accomplish it in spite of the powerful Queen.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In the second word spoken by the Lord to the fortunate thief: “Amen I say to thee, today thou shalt be with Me in paradise,” the demons understood that the fruits of the Redemption in the justification of sinners ended in the glorification of the just. They were made aware that from this hour the merits of Christ would commence to act with a new force and strength, that through them should be opened the gates of Paradise, which had been closed by the first sin</span> <span lang="en-US">and that from now on men would enter upon eternal happiness and occupy their destined heavenly seats, which until now had been impossible for them. They perceived the power Christ to call sinners, justify and beautify them, and they felt the triumphs gained over themselves by the exalted virtues, the humility, patience, meekness and all the virtues of his life. The confusion and torment of Lucifer at seeing this cannot be explained by human tongue; but it was so great, that he humiliated himself so far as to beg the most blessed Virgin to permit them descend into hell and be cast out from her presence; but the great Queen would not consent, as the time had not yet arrived.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">At the third word spoken by the Lord to his Mother: “Woman,</span> <span lang="en-US">behold thy son!” the demons discovered that this heavenly Lady was the true Mother of the Godman, the same Woman whose likeness and prophetic sign had been shown to them in the heavens at their creation, and who was to crush their head as announced by the Lord in the terrestrial paradise. They were informed of the dignity and excellence of this great Lady over all creatures, and of her power which they were even now experiencing. As they had from the beginning of the world and from the creation of the first woman, used all their astuteness to find out who this great woman that was announced in the heavens could be, and as they now discovered Her in Mary, whom they had until now overlooked, these dragons were seized with inexpressible fury; their having been thus mistaken crushed their arrogance beyond all their other torments, and in their fury they raged against their own selves like bloodthirsty lions, while their helpless wrath against the heavenly Lady was increased a thousandfold. Moreover, they discerned that saint John was appointed by Christ our Lord as the angel guardian of his Mother, endowed with the powers of the priesthood. This they understood to be in the nature of a threat against their own wrath, which was well known to saint John. Lucifer saw not only the power of the Evangelist, but that given to all the priests in virtue of their participation in the dignity and power of our Redeemer; and that the rest of the just, even though no priests, were placed under the special protection of the Lord and made powerful against hell. All this paralyzed the strength of Lucifer and his demons.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The fourth word of Christ was addressed to the eternal Father: “God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The evil spirits discovered in these words that the charity of God toward men was boundless and everlasting; that, in order to satisfy it, He had mysteriously suspended the influence of the Divinity over his most sacred humanity, thus permitting his sufferings to reach the highest degree and to draw from them the most abundant fruits; that He was aware and lovingly complained of his being deprived of the salvation of a part of the human race; how ready He was to suffer</span> <span lang="en-US">more, if such would be ordained by the eternal Father. Man’s good fortune in being so beloved by God increased the envy of Lucifer and his demons, and they foresaw the divine Omnipotence following out this immense love without limitation. This knowledge crushed the haughty malice of the enemies and they were made well aware of their own weakness and helplessness in opposing this love, if men themselves should not choose to neglect its influence.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The fifth word of Christ, “I thirst,” confirmed Christ’s triumph over the devil and his followers; they were filled with wrath and fury because the Lord clearly let them see their total overthrow. By these words they understood Him to say to them: If what I suffer for men my love for them seem great to you, be assured that my love</span> <span lang="en-US">for them is still unsatiated, that it continues to long for their eternal salvation, and that the mighty waters of torments and sufferings have not extinguished it (Cant. 8, 7). Much more would I suffer for them, if it were</span> <span lang="en-US">necessary, in order to deliver them from your tyranny and make them powerful and strong against malice and pride.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">In the sixth word of the Lord: “It is consummated!” Lucifer and his hordes were informed that the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption was now accomplished and entirely perfected according to the decree of divine wisdom. For they were made to feel that Christ our Redeemer had obediently fulfilled the will of the eternal Father; that He had accomplished all the promises and prophecies made to the world by the ancient Fathers; that his humility and obedience had compensated for their own pride and disobedience in heaven in having not subjected themselves and acknowledged Him as their Superior in human flesh; and that they were now through the wisdom of God justly humbled and vanquished by the very Lord whom they despised. The great dignity and the infinite merits of Christ demanded that in this very hour He should exercise his office and power of Judge over angels and men, such as had been conceded to him by the eternal Father. He now applied this power by hurling this sentence at Lucifer and all his followers, that, being condemned to eternal fire, they instantly depart into the deepest dungeons of hell. This very sentence was included in the pronouncing of the seventh word: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” (Luke</span> <span lang="en-US">23, 46.) The mighty Queen and Mother</span> <span lang="en-US">concurred with the will of her Son Jesus and united with his her command that Lucifer and all demons depart to the infernal depths. In virtue of these decree of the supreme King and of the Queen, the evil spirits were routed from Calvary and precipitated to deepest hell more violently and suddenly than a flash of light through the riven clouds.</span></div>
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The rout of Lucifer and his angels from Calvary to the abyss of hell was more violent and disastrous than their first expulsion from heaven. Though, as holy Job says (Job 10, 21), that place is a land of darkness, covered with the shades of death, full of gloomy disorder, misery, torments and confusion; yet on this occasion the chaos and disorder was a thousandfold increased; because the damned were made to feel new horror and additional punishments at the sudden meeting of the ferocious demons in their rabid fury. It is certain that the devils have not the power of assigning the damned to a place of greater or lesser torment; for all their torments are decreed by divine justice according to the measure of the demerits of each of the condemned.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">As soon as Lucifer was permitted to proceed in these matters and arise from the consternation in which he remained for some time, he set about proposing to his fellow–demons new plans of his pride. For this purpose he called them all together and placing himself in an elevated position, he spoke to them: “To you, who have for so many ages followed and still follow my standards for the vengeance of my wrongs, is known the injury which I have now sustained at the hands of this Mangod, and how for thirty–three years He has led me about in deceit, hiding his Divinity and concealing the operations of his soul, and how He has now triumphed over us by the very Death which we have brought upon Him. Before He assumed flesh I hated Him and refused to acknowledge Him as being more worthy than I to be adored by the rest of creation. Although on account of this resistance I was cast out from heaven with you and was degraded to this abominable condition so unworthy of my greatness and former beauty, I am even more</span> <span lang="en-US">tormented to see myself thus vanquished and oppressed by this Man and by his Mother. From the day on which the first man was created I have sleeplessly sought to find Them and destroy Them; or if I should not be able to destroy Them, I at least wished to bring destruction upon all his creatures and induce them not to acknowledge Him as their God, and that none of them should ever draw any benefit from his works. This has been my intent, to this all my solicitude and efforts were directed. But in vain, since He has overcome me by his humility and poverty, crushed me by his patience, and at last has despoiled me of the sovereignty of the world by his Passion and frightful Death. This causes me such an excruciating pain, that, even if I succeeded in hurling Him from the right hand of his Father, where He sits triumphant, and if I should draw all the souls redeemed down into this hell, my wrath would not be satiated or my fury placated.”</span></div>
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“<span lang="en-US">Is it possible that the human nature, so inferior to my own, shall be exalted above all the creatures! That it should be so loved and favored, as to be united to the Creator in the person of the eternal Word! That He should first make war upon me before executing this work, and afterwards overwhelm me with such confusion! From the beginning I have held this humanity as my greatest enemy; it has always filled me with intolerable abhorrence. O men, so favored and gifted by your God whom I abhor, and so ardently loved by Him! How shall I hinder your good fortune? How shall I bring upon you my unhappiness, since I cannot destroy the existence you have received? What shall we now begin, O my followers? How shall we restore our reign? How shall we recover our power over men? How shall we overcome them? For if men from now on shall not be most senseless and ungrateful, if they are not worse disposed than we ourselves toward this Godman, who has redeemed them with so much love, it is clear that all of them will eagerly follow Him; none will take notice of our deceits; they will abhor the honors which we insidiously offer them, and will love contempt; they will seek the mortification of the flesh and will discover the danger of carnal pleasure and ease; they will despise riches and treasures, and love the poverty so much honored by their Master; and all that we can offer to their appetites they will abhor in imitation of their true Redeemer. Thus will our reign be destroyed, since no one will be added to our number in this place of confusion and torments; all will reach the happiness which we have lost, all will humiliate themselves to the dust and suffer with patience; and my wrath and haughtiness will avail me nothing.”</span></div>
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“<span lang="en-US">Ah, woe is me, what torment does this mistake cause me! When I tempted Him in the desert, the only result was to afford him a chance to leave the example of this victory, by following which men can overcome so much the more easily. My persecutions only brought out more clearly his doctrine of humility and patience. In persuading Judas to betray Him, and the Jews subject Him to the deadly torture of the Cross, I merely hastened my ruin and the salvation of men, while the doctrine I sought to blot out was only the more firmly implanted. How could One who is God humiliate Himself to such an extent? How could He bear so much from men who are evil? How could I myself have been led to assist so much in making this salvation so copious and wonderful? O how godlike is the power of that Man which could torment and weaken me so? And can this Woman, his Mother and my Enemy, be so mighty and invincible in her opposition to me? New is such power in a mere creature, and no doubt She derived it from the divine Word, whom She clothed in human flesh. Through this Woman the Almighty has ceaselessly waged war against me, though I have hated Her in my pride from the moment I recognized Her in her image or heavenly sign. But if my proud indignation is not to be assuaged, I benefit nothing by my perpetual war against this Redeemer, against his Mother and against men. Now then, ye demons who follow me, now is the time to give way to our wrath against God. Come all of ye to take counsel what we are to do; for I desire to hear your opinions.”</span></div>
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Some of the principal demons gave their answers to this dreadful proposal, encouraging Lucifer by suggesting diverse schemes for hindering the fruit of the Redemption among men. They all agreed that it was not possible to injure the person of Christ, to diminish the immense value of his merits, to destroy the efficacy of the Sacraments, to falsify or abolish the doctrine which Christ had preached; yet they resolved that, in accordance with the new order of assistance and favor established by God for the salvation of men, they should now seek new ways of hindering and preventing the work of God by much the greater deceits and temptations. In reference to these plans some of the astute and malicious demons said “It is true, that men now have at their disposal a new and very powerful doctrine and law, new and efficacious Sacraments, a new Model and Instructor of virtues, a powerful Intercessor and Advocate in this Woman; yet the natural inclinations and passions of the flesh remain just the same, and the sensible and delectable creatures have not changed their nature. Let us then, making use of this situation with increased astuteness, foil as far as in us lies the effects of what this Godman has wrought for men. Let us begin strenuous warfare against mankind by suggesting new attractions, exciting them to follow their passions in forgetfulness of all else. Thus men, being taken up with these dangerous things, cannot attend to the contrary.”</div>
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<span lang="en-US">Acting upon this counsel they redistributed the spheres of work among themselves, in order that each squadron of demons might, with a specialized astuteness tempt men to different vices. They resolved to continue to propagate idolatry in the world, so that men might not</span> <span lang="en-US">come to the knowledge of the true God and the Redemption. Wherever idolatry would fail, they concluded to establish sects and heresies, for which they would select the most perverse and depraved of the human race as leaders and teachers of error. Then and there was concocted among these malignant spirits the sect of Mahomet, the heresies of Arius, Pelagius, Nestorius, and whatever other heresies have been started in the world from the first ages of the Church until now, together with those which they have in readiness, but which it is neither necessary nor proper to mention here. Lucifer showed himself content with these infernal counsels as being opposed to divine truth and destructive of the very foundation of man’s rescue, namely divine faith. He lavished flattering praise and high offices upon those demons, who showed themselves willing and who undertook to find the impious originators of these errors.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Some of the devils charged themselves with perverting the inclinations of children at their conception and birth; others to induce parents to be negligent in the education and instruction of their children, either through an inordinate love or aversion, and to cause a hatred of parents among the children. Some offered to create hatred between husbands and wives, to place them in the way of adultery, or to think little of the fidelity promised to their conjugal partners. All agreed to sow among men the seeds of discord, hatred and vengeance, proud and sensual thoughts, desire of riches or honors, and by suggesting sophistical reasons against all the virtues Christ has taught; above all they intended to weaken the remembrance of his Passion and Death, of the</span> <span lang="en-US">means of salvation, and of the eternal pains of hell. By these means the demons hoped to burden all the powers and the faculties of men with solicitude for earthly affairs and sensual pleasures, leaving them little time for spiritual thoughts and their own salvation.</span></div>
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Lucifer heard these different suggestions of the demons, and answering them, he said: “I am much beholden to you for your opinions: I approve of them and adopt them all; it will be easy to put them into practice with those, who do not profess the law given by this Redeemer to men, though with those who accept and embrace these laws, it will be a difficult enterprise. But against this law and against those that follow it, I intend to direct all my wrath and fury and I shall most bitterly persecute those who hear the doctrine of this Redeemer and become his disciples; against these must our most relentless battle be waged to the end of the world. In this new Church I must strive to sow my cockle (Matth. 14, 25), the ambitions, the avarice, the sensuality, and the deadly hatreds, with all the other vices, of which I am the head. For if once these sins multiply and increase among the faithful, they will, with their concomitant malice and ingratitude, irritate God and justly deprive men of the helps of grace left to them by the merits of the Redeemer. If once they have thus despoiled themselves of these means of salvation, we shall have assured victory over them. We must also exert ourselves to weaken piety and all that is spiritual and divine; so that they do not realize the power the Sacraments and receive them in mortal sin, or at least without fervor and devotion. For since these Sacraments are spiritual, it is necessary to receive them with well–disposed will, in order to reap their fruits. If once they despise the medicine, they shall languish in their sickness and be less able to withstand our temptations; they will not see through our deceits, they will let the memory of their Redeemer and of the intercession of his Mother slip from their minds. Thus will their foul ingratitude make them unworthy of grace and so irritate their God and Savior, as to deprive them of his helps. In all this I wish, that all of you assist me strenuously, losing neither time nor occasion for executing my commands.’’</div>
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<span lang="en-US">It is not possible to rehearse all the schemes of this dragon and his allies concocted at that time against the holy Church and her children, in order that these waters of Jordan might be swallowed up in his throat (Job 40, 18). It is enough to state that they spent nearly a full year after the Death of Christ conferring and considering among themselves the state of the world up to that time and the changes wrought by Christ our God and Master through his Death and after having manifested the light of his faith by so many miracles, blessings and examples of holy men. If all these labors have not sufficed to draw all men to the way of salvation, it can be easily understood, that Lucifer should have prevailed and that his wrath should be so great, as to cause us justly to say with saint John: “Woe to the earth, for satan is come down to you full of wrath and fury!’’ But alas! that truths so infallible and so much to be dreaded and avoided by men, should in our days be blotted from the minds of mortals to the irreparable danger of the whole world! Our enemy is astute, cruel and watchful: we sleepy, lukewarm and careless! What wonder that Lucifer has intrenched himself so firmly in the world, when so many listen to him, accept and follow his deceits, so few resist him, and entirely forget the eternal death, which he so furiously and maliciously seeks to draw upon them? I beseech those, who read this, not to forget this dreadful danger. If they are not convinced of this danger through the evil condition of the world and through the evils each one experiences himself, let them at least learn this danger by the vast and powerful remedies and helps, which the Savior thought it necessary to leave behind</span> <span lang="en-US">in his Church. For He would not have provided such antidotes if our ailment and danger of eternal death were not so great and formidable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962846"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">This close imitation and living reproduction of Christ, confronting the demons in the first children of the Church, they feared so much, that they dared not approach and they precipitously fled from the Apostles and the just ones imbued with the doctrines of my divine Son. In them were offered up to the Almighty the first fruits of grace, and of Redemption. What is</span> <span lang="en-US">seen in the saints and in perfect Christians in those times, would happen in the present times with all the Catholics if they would accept grace and work with it instead of permitting it to go to waste, and if they would seek the way of the Cross; for Lucifer fears it as much now as in the times thou hast been writing of. But soon the charity, zeal and devotion in many of faithful began to grow cold and they forgot the blessings of the Redemption; they yielded to their carnal inclinations and desires, they loved vanity and avarice and permitted themselves to be fascinated and deceived by the false pretenses of Lucifer, obscuring the glory of their Savior and inveigling them into the meshes of their mortal enemies. This foul ingratitude has thrown the world into the present state and has encouraged the demons to rise up in their pride against God, audaciously presuming to possess themselves of all the children of Adam on account of this forgetfulness and carelessness of Catholics. They presume to plot the destruction the whole Church by the perversion of so many who</span> <span lang="en-US">have fallen away from it; and by inducing those who are in it, to think little of it, or by hindering them from producing the fruits of the blood and death of their Redeemer. The greatest misfortune is, that many Catholics fail to recognize this great damage and do not seriously think of a remedy, although they can presume that the times, of which Jesus forewarned the women of Jerusalem, have arrived; namely, those in which the sterile should be happy, and in which many would call upon the mountains and the hills to cover and fall upon them, in order not to see the devastation of wickedness cutting down the sons of perdition, the dried trees, barren of all the fruits of virtue.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 11</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE RESURRECTION</span></h2>
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The fullness of wisdom in the soul of our great Queen and Lady amid all her sorrows permitted no defect or remissness in noticing and attending to all the duties of each occasion and at all times. By this heavenly foresight She met her obligations and practiced the highest and most eminent of all the virtues. As I have said, the Queen retired, after the burial of Christ, to the house of the Cenacle. Remaining in the hall of the last Supper in the company of saint John, the Marys, and the other women who had followed Christ from Galilee, She spoke to them and the Apostle, thanking them in profound humility and abundant tears for persevering with Her up to this time throughout the Passion of her beloved Son and promising them in his name the reward of having followed Him with so much constancy and devotion. At the same time She offered Herself as a servant and as a friend to those holy women. All of them with Saint John acknowledged this great favor, kissed her hands and asked for her blessing. They also begged her to take some rest and some bodily refreshment. But the Queen answered: “My rest and my consolation shall be to see my Son and Lord arisen from the dead. Do you, my dearest friends, satisfy our wants according to your necessities, while I retire alone with my Son.” In her retirement during this evening the great Lady contemplated the doings of the most holy soul of her Son after it left the sacred body. For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race. By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long–deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works.” Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity. Some of them, obeying the command of their Queen and Mistress, had gathered the relics of the sacred blood shed by her divine Son, the particles of flesh scattered about, the hair torn from his divine face and head, and all else that belonged to the perfection and integrity of his most sacred humanity. On these the Mother of prudence lavished her solicitous care. The angels took charge</span> <span lang="en-US">of these relics, each one filled with joy at being privileged to</span> <span lang="en-US">hold the particles, which he was able to secure. Before any change was made, the body of the Redeemer was shown to the holy Fathers, in the same wounded, lacerated and disfigured state in which it was left by the cruelty of the Jews. Beholding Him thus disfigured in death, the Patriarchs and Prophets and other saints adored Him and again confessed Him as the incarnate Word, who had truly taken upon Himself our infirmities and sorrows (Is. 53, 4) and paid abundantly our debts, satisfying in his innocence and guiltlessness for what we ourselves owed to the justice of the eternal Father. There did our first parents Adam and Eve see the havoc wrought by their disobedience, the priceless remedy it necessitated, the immense goodness and mercy of the Redeemer. As they felt the effects of his copious Redemption in the glory of their souls, they praised anew the Omnipotent and Saints of saints, who had with such marvelous wisdom wrought such a salvation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Then, in the presence of all those saints, through the ministry of those angels, were united to the sacred body all the relics, which they had gathered, restoring it to its natural perfection and integrity. In the same moment the most holy soul reunited with the body, giving it immortal life and glory. Instead of the winding–sheets and the ointments, in which it had been buried, it was clothed with the four gifts of glory, namely: with clearness, impassibility, agility and</span> <span lang="en-US">subtility (John 19, 40). These gifts overflowed from the immense glory of the soul of Christ into the sacred body. Although these gifts were due to it as a natural inheritance and participation from the instant of its conception, because from that very moment his soul was glorified and his whole humanity was united to the Divinity; yet they had been suspended in their effects upon the purest body, in order to permit it to remain passable and capable of meriting for us our own glory. In the Resurrection these gifts were justly called into activity in the proper degree corresponding to the glory of his soul and to his union with the Divinity. As the glory of the most holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal would be obscure. The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far exceeds that of the others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light of one star; and all the beauty of</span> <span lang="en-US">creatures, if it were joined, would appear ugliness in</span> <span lang="en-US">comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to</span> <span lang="en-US">It in all creation.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">The excellence of these gifts in the Resurrection were far beyond the glory of his Transfiguration or that manifested on other occasions of the kind men mentioned in this history. For on these occasions He received it transitorily and for special purposes, while now He received it in plenitude and forever. Through impassibility his body became invincible to all created power, since no power can ever move or change Him. By subtility the gross and earthly matter was so purified, that it could now penetrate other matter like a pure spirit.</span> <span lang="en-US">Accordingly He penetrated through the rocks of the sepulchre without removing or displacing them, as He had issued forth from the womb of his most blessed Mother. Agility so freed Him from the weight and slowness of matter, that it exceeded the agility of the immaterial angels, while He himself could move about more quickly than they, as shown in his apparitions to the Apostles and on other occasions. The sacred wounds, which had disfigured his body, now shone forth from his hands and feet and side so refulgent and brilliant, that they added a most entrancing beauty and charm. In all this glory and heavenly adornment the Savior</span> <span lang="en-US">now arose from the grave; and in the presence of the</span> <span lang="en-US">saints and Patriarchs He promised universal resurrection in their own flesh and body to all men, and that they moreover, as an effect of his own Resurrection, should be similarly glorified. As an earnest and as a pledge of the universal resurrection, the Lord commanded the souls of many saints there present to reunite with their bodies and rise up to immortal life. Immediately this divine command was executed, and their bodies arose, as is mentioned by saint Matthew, in anticipation of this mystery (Matthew 27, 52). Among them were saint Anne, saint Joseph and saint Joachim, and others of the ancient Fathers and Patriarchs, who had distinguished themselves in the faith and hope of the Incarnation, and had desired and prayed for it with greater earnestness to the Lord. As a reward for their zeal, the resurrection and glory of</span> <span lang="en-US">their bodies was now anticipated.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Of all these mysteries the great Queen of heaven was aware and She participated in them from her retreat in the Cenacle. In the same instant in which the most holy soul of Christ entered and gave life to his body the joy of her immaculate soul, which I mentioned in the foregoing chapter as being restrained and, as it were, withheld, overflowed into her immaculate body. And this overflow was so exquisite in its effects, that She was transformed from sorrow to joy, from pain to delight from grief to ineffable jubilation and rest. It happened that just at this time the Evangelist John, as he had</span> <span lang="en-US">done on the previous morning, stepped in to visit and console Her in her bitter solitude, and thus unexpectedly, in the midst of splendor and glory, met Her whom he had before scarcely recognized on account of her overwhelming sorrow. The Apostle now beheld Her with wonder and deepest reverence and concluded that the Lord had risen, since his blessed Mother was thus transfigured with joy.</span></div>
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In this new joy and under the divine influences of her supernatural vision the great Lady began to prepare herself for the visit of the Lord, which was near at hand. While eliciting acts of praise, and in her canticles and prayers, She immediately felt within Her a new kind of jubilation and celestial delight, reaching far beyond the first joy, and corresponding in a wonderful manner to the sorrows and tribulations She had undergone in the Passion; and this new favor was different and much more exalted than the joys overflowing naturally from her soul into her body. Moreover She perceived within Herself another third and still more different effect, implying new divine favors.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The blessed Mary being thus prepared, Christ our Savior, arisen and glorious, in the company of all Saints and Patriarchs, made his appearance. The ever humble Queen prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored her divine Son; and the Lord raised Her and drew Her to Himself. In this contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit. Although it was not the greatest of the favors She attained on this occasion, yet She could not have received it without failing of her faculties, if She had not been previously strengthened by the angels and by the Lord himself. This favor was, that the glorious body of the Son so closely united itself to that of his purest Mother, that He penetrated into it or She into his, as when, for instance, a crystal globe takes up within itself the light of the sun and is saturated with the splendor and beauty of its light. In the same way the body of the most holy Mary entered into that of her divine Son by this heavenly embrace; it was, as it were, the portal of her intimate knowledge concerning the glory of the holy soul and body of her Lord. As a consequence of these favors, constituting higher and higher degrees of ineffable gifts, the spirit of the Virgin Mother rose to the knowledge of the most hidden sacraments. In the midst of them She heard a voice saying to Her: “My beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 18, 10). By the power of these words She was entirely transformed and saw the Divinity clearly and intuitively, wherein She found complete, though only temporary, rest and reward for all her sorrows and labors. Silence alone here is proper, since reason and language are entirely inadequate to</span> <span lang="en-US">comprehend or express what passed in the blessed Mary during this beatific vision, the highest She had until then enjoyed. Let us celebrate this day in wonder and</span> <span lang="en-US">praise, with congratulations and loving and humble thanks for what She then merited for us, and for her exaltation and joy.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">For some hours the heavenly Princess continued to enjoy the essence of God with her divine Son, participating now in his triumph as She had in his torments. Then by similar degrees She again descended from this vision and found Herself in the end reclining on the right arm of the most sacred humanity and regaled in</span> <span lang="en-US">other ways by the right hand of his Divinity (Cant. 2, 6). She held sweetest converse with her Son concerning the mysteries of his Passion and of his glory. In these conferences She was again inebriated with the wine of</span> <span lang="en-US">love and charity, which now She drank unmeasured from the original fount. All that a mere creature can receive was conferred upon the blessed Mary on this occasion; for, according to our way of conceiving such things, the divine equity wished to compensate the injury (thus I must call it, because I cannot find a more proper word), which a Creature so pure and immaculate had undergone in suffering the sorrows and torments of the Passion. For, as I have mentioned many times before, She suffered the same pains as her Son, and now in this mystery She was inundated with a proportionate joy and delight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962848"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">Each of these gifts are correspondingly augmented in him who in the state of grace performs the least meritorious work, even if it be no more than removing a straw or giving a cup of water for the love of God (Matth. 10, 42). For each of the most insignificant works the creature gains an increase of these gifts; an increase of clearness exceeding many times the sunlight and added to its state of blessedness an increase of impassibility, by which man recedes from human and earthly corruption farther than what all created efforts and strength could ever effect in resistance separating itself from such infirmity or changefulness; an increase of subtility, by which he advances beyond all that could offer it resistance and gains new power of penetration; an increase of agility, surpassing all the activity of birds, of winds, and all other active creatures, such as fire and the elements tending to their centre. From this increase of the gifts of the body merited by good works, thou wilt understand the augmentation of the gifts of the soul; for those of the body are derived from those of the soul and correspond with them. In the beatific vision each merit secures greater clearness and insight into the divine attributes and perfections than that acquired by all the doctors and enlightened members of the Church. Likewise the gift of apprehension, or possession of the divine Object, is augmented; for the security of the possession of the highest and infinite Good makes the tranquility and rest of its enjoyment more estimable than if the soul possessed all that is precious and rich, desirable and worthy of attainment in all creation, even if possessed all at one time. Fruition, the third gift of the soul, on account of the love with which man performs the smallest acts, so exalts the degrees of functional love, that the greatest love of men here on earth can never be compared thereto; nor can the delight resulting therefrom ever be</span> <span lang="en-US">compared with all the delights of this mortal life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962849"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 12</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST</span></h2>
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A few days before the Ascension of the Lord while the blessed Mary was engaged in the one of the above–mentioned exercises, the eternal Father and the Holy Ghost appeared in the Cenacle upon a throne of ineffable splendor surrounded by the choirs of angels and saints there present and other heavenly spirits, which had now come with the divine Persons. Then the incarnate Word ascended the throne and seated Himself with the other Two. The ever humble Mother of the Most High, prostrate in a corner of a room, in deepest reverence adored the most blessed Trinity, and in it her own incarnate Son. The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will. She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence. Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne, humbling herself anew. The eternal Father said to Her: “Beloved, ascend higher!” (Luke 14, 10). As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons. New admiration was caused in the saints to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity. Being made to understand the sanctity and equity of the works of the Most High, they gave new glory and praise proclaiming Him immense, Just, Holy and Admirable in all his counsels.<br />
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<span lang="en-US">The Father then spoke to the blessed Mary saying: “My Daughter, to Thee do I entrust the Church founded by my Onlybegotten, the new law of grace He established in the world, and the people, which He redeemed: to Thee do I consign them all.” Thereupon also the Holy Ghost spoke to Her: “My Spouse, chosen from all creatures, I communicate to Thee my wisdom and grace together with which shall be deposited in thy heart the mysteries, the works and teachings and all that the incarnate Word has accomplished in the world.” And the Son also said: “My most beloved Mother, I go to my Father and in my stead I shall leave Thee and I charge Thee with the care of my Church; to Thee do I commend its children and my brethren, as the Father has consigned them to Me.” Then the three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, said: “This is the Queen of all created things in heaven and earth; She is the Protectress of the Church, the Mistress of creatures, the Mother of piety, the Intercessor of the faithful, the Advocate of sinners, the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 24, 24); She is mighty in drawing our will to mercy and clemency. In Her shall be deposited the treasures of our grace and her most faithful heart shall the tablet whereon shall be written and engraved our holy law. In her are contained the mysteries of our Omnipotence for the salvation of mankind. She is the perfect work of our hands, through whom the plenitude of our desires shall be communicated and satisfied without hindrance in the currents of our divine perfections. Whoever shall call upon Her from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life. What She asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.”</span> <span lang="en-US">The most blessed Mary, hearing Herself thus exalted, humiliated Herself so much the deeper the more highly She was raised by the right hand of the Most High above all the human and angelic creatures. As if She were the least of all, She adored the Lord and offered Herself, in the most prudent terms and in the most ardent love, to work as a faithful servant in the Church and obey promptly all the biddings of the divine will. From that day on She took upon Herself anew the care of the evangelical Church, as a loving Mother of all children; She renewed all the petitions She had until then made, so that during the whole further course of her life they were most fervent and incessant, as we shall see in the third part, where will appear more clearly what the Church owes to this great Queen and Lady, and what blessings She gained and merited for it.</span></div>
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On that same day, by divine dispensation, while the Lord was at table with the eleven Apostles, other disciples and pious women gathered at the Cenacle to the number of one hundred and twenty; for the divine Master wished them to be present at his Ascension. Moreover, just as He had instructed the Apostles, so He now wanted to instruct these faithful respectively in what each was to know before his leaving them and ascending into heaven. All of them being thus gathered and united in peace and charity within those walls in the hall of the last Supper, the Author of life manifested Himself to them as a kind and loving Father and said to them:</div>
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“<span lang="en-US">My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men. I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things. Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; he who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me. All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, so shall also your successors. She shall answer doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now, although you do not understand how.” This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on. The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew: “I am with you to the consummation of the world” (Matth. 28, 20). The Lord added and said: “You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest. Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross.” The Lord then looked upon his most beloved Mother, who was there present and intimated his desire of expressly commanding that whole congregation to worship and reverence Her in a manner suited to the dignity of Mother of God, and of leaving this command under form of a precept for the whole Church. But the most humble Lady besought her Onlybegotten to be pleased not to secure Her more honor than was absolutely necessary for executing all that He had charged Her with; and that the new children of the Church should not be induced to show Her greater honor than they had shown until then. On contrary, She desired to divert all the sacred worship of the Church immediately upon the Lord himself and to make the propagation of the Gospel redound entirely to the exaltation of his holy name. Christ our Savior yielded to this most prudent petition of his Mother, reserving to Himself the duty of spreading the knowledge of Her at a more convenient and opportune time yet in secret He conferred upon Her new extraordinary favors, as shall appear in the rest of this history.</span></div>
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In considering the loving exhortations of their Divine Master, the mysteries which He had revealed them, and the prospect of his leaving them, that whole congregation was moved to their inmost hearts; for He had enkindled in them the divine love by the vivid faith of his Divinity and humanity. Reviving within them the memory of his words and his teachings of eternal life, the delights of his most loving companionship, and sorrowfully realizing, that they were now all at once to be deprived of these blessings, they wept most tenderly and sighed from their inmost souls. They longed to detain Him, although they could not, because they saw it was not befitting; words of parting rose to their lips, but they could not bring themselves to utter them; each one felt sentiments of sorrow arising amid feelings both of joy and yet also of pious regret. How shall we live without such a Master? they thought. Who can ever speak to us such words of life and consolation as He? Who will receive us so lovingly and kindly? Who shall be our Father and protector? We shall be helpless children and orphans in this world. Some of them broke their silence and exclaimed: “O most loving Lord and Father! O joy and life of our souls! Now that we know Thee as our Redeemer, Thou departest and leavest us! Take us along with Thee, O Lord; banish us not from thy sight. Our blessed Hope, what shall we do without thy presence? Whither shall we turn, if thou goest away? Whither shall we direct our steps, if cannot follow Thee, our Father, our Chief, and our Teacher?” To these and other pleadings the Lord answered by bidding them not to leave Jerusalem and to persevere in prayer until He should send the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, as promised by the Father and as already foretold to the Apostles at the last Supper. Thereupon happened, what I shall relate in the next chapter.</div>
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The most auspicious hour, in which the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, after descending from heaven in order to assume human flesh, was to ascend by his own power and in a most wonderful manner to the right hand of God, the Inheritor of his eternities, one and equal with Him in nature and infinite glory. He was to ascend, also, because He had previously descended to the lowest regions of the earth, as the Apostle says (Ephes. 4, 9), having fulfilled all that had been written and prophesied concerning his coming into the world, his Life, Death and the Redemption of man, and having penetrated, as the Lord of all, to the very centre of the earth. By this Ascension he sealed all the mysteries and hastened the fulfillment of his promise, according to which He was, with the Father, to send the Paraclete upon his Church after He himself should have ascended into heaven (John 16, 7). In order to celebrate this festive and mysterious day, Christ our Lord selected as witnesses the hundred and twenty persons, to whom, as related in the foregoing chapter, He had spoken in the Cenacle. They were the most holy Mary, the eleven Apostles, the seventy–two disciples, Mary Magdalen, Lazarus their brother, the other Marys and the faithful men and women making up the above–mentioned number of one hundred and twenty.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">With this little flock our divine Shepherd Jesus left the Cenacle, and, with his most blessed Mother at his side, He conducted them all through the streets of Jerusalem. The Apostles and all the rest in order, proceeded in the direction of Bethany, which was less than half a league over the brow of mount Olivet. The company of angels and saints from limbo and purgatory followed the Victor with new songs of praise, although Mary alone was privileged to see them. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was already divulged throughout Jerusalem and Palestine. Although the perfidious and malicious princes and priests had spread about the false testimony of his being stolen by disciples, yet many would not accept their testimony nor give it any credit. It was divinely provided, that none of the inhabitants of the city, and none of the unbelievers or doubters, should pay any attention to</span> <span lang="en-US">this holy procession, or hinder it on its way from the Cenacle. All, except the one hundred and twenty just, who were chosen by the Lord to witness his Ascension into heaven, were justly punished by being prevented from noticing this wonderful mystery, and the Chieftain and Head of this procession remained invisible to them.</span></div>
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The Lord having thus secured them this privacy, they all ascended mount Olivet to its highest point. There they formed three choirs, one of the angels, another of the saints, and a third of the Apostles and faithful, which again divided into two bands, while Christ the Savior presided. Then the most prudent Mother prostrated Herself at the feet of her Son worshipping Him with admirable humility, She adored Him as the true God and as the Redeemer of the world, asking his last blessing. All the faithful there present imitated Her and did the same. Weeping and sighing, they asked the Lord, whether He was now to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1, 6). The Lord answered, that this was a secret of the eternal Father and not to be made known to them; but, for the present, it was necessary and befitting, that they receive the Holy Ghost and preach, in Jerusalem, in Samaria and in all the world, the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.</div>
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Jesus, having taken leave of this holy and fortunate gathering of the faithful, his countenance beaming forth peace and majesty, joined his hands and, by his own power, began to raise himself from the earth, leaving thereon the impression of his sacred feet. In gentlest motion He was wafted toward the aerial regions, drawing after Him the eyes and the hearts of those first–born children, who amid sighs and tears vented their affection. And as, at the moving of the first Cause of all motion, it is proper that also the nether spheres should be set in motion, so the Savior Jesus drew after Him also the celestial choirs of the angels, the holy Patriarchs and the rest of the glorified saints, some of them with body and soul, others only as to their soul. All of them in heavenly order were raised up together from the earth, accompanying and following their King, their Chief and Head. The new and mysterious sacrament, which the right hand of the Most High wrought on this occasion for his most holy Mother, was that He raised Her up with Him in order to put Her in possession of the glory, which He had assigned to Her as his true Mother and which She had by her merits prepared and earned for Herself. Of this favor the great Queen was capable even before it happened; for her divine Son had offered it to Her during the forty days which He spent in her company after his Resurrection. In order that this sacrament might be kept secret from all other living creatures at that time, and in order that the heavenly Mistress might be present in the gathering of the Apostles and the faithful in their prayerful waiting upon the coming of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1, 14), the divine power enabled the blessed Mother miraculously to be in two places at once; remaining with the children of the Church for their comfort during their stay in the Cenacle and at the time ascending with the Redeemer of the world to His heavenly throne, where She remained for three days. There She enjoyed the perfect use of all her powers and faculties, whereas She was more restricted in the use of them during that time in the Cenacle.</div>
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Amidst this jubilee and other rejoicings exceeding all our conceptions that new divinely arranged procession approached the empyrean heavens. Between the two choirs of angels and saints, Christ and his most blessed Mother made their entry. All in their order gave supreme honor to Each respectively and to Both together, breaking forth in hymns of praise in honor of the Authors of grace and of life. Then the eternal Father placed upon the throne of his Divinity at His right hand, the incarnate Word, and in such glory and majesty, that He filled with new admiration and reverential fear all the inhabitants of heaven. In clear and intuitive vision they recognized the infinite glory and perfection of the Divinity inseparably and substantially united in one personality to the most holy humanity, beautified and exalted by the pre–eminence and glory due to this union, such as eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor ever has entered into the thoughts of creatures (Is. 54, 4).</div>
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On this occasion the humility and wisdom of our most prudent Queen reached their highest point; for, overwhelmed by such divine and admirable favors, She hovered at the footstool of the royal throne, annihilated in the consciousness of being a mere earthly creature. Prostrate She adored the Father and broke out in new canticles of praise for the glory communicated to his Son and for elevating in Him the deified humanity to such greatness and splendor. Again the angels and saints were filled with admiration and joy to see the most prudent humility of their Queen, whose living example of virtue, as exhibited on that occasion, they emulated among themselves in copying. Then the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying: “My Daughter, ascend higher!” Her divine Son also called Her, saying: “My Mother rise up and take possession of the place, which I owe Thee for having followed and imitated Me. The Holy Ghost said: “My Spouse and Beloved, come to my eternal embraces!” Immediately was proclaimed to all the blessed the decree of the most holy Trinity, by which the most blessed Mother, for having furnished her own life–blood toward the Incarnation and for having nourished, served, imitated and followed Him with all the perfection possible to a creature, was exalted and placed at the right hand of her Son for all eternity. None other of the human creatures should ever hold that place or position, nor rival Her in the unfailing glory connected with it; but it was to be reserved to the Queen and to be her possession by right after her earthly life, as of one who pre–eminently excelled all the rest of the saints.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In fulfillment of this decree, the most blessed Mary was raised to the throne of the holy Trinity at the right hand of her Son. At the same time She, with all the saints, was informed, that She was given possession of this throne not only for all the ages of eternity, but that it was left to her choice to remain there even now and without returning to the earth. For it was the conditional will of the divine Persons, that as far as they were concerned, She should now remain in that state. In order that She might make her own choice, She was shown anew the state of the Church upon earth, the orphaned and necessitous condition of the faithful, whom She was left free to assist. This admirable proceeding of the divine Providence was to afford the Mother of mercy an occasion of going beyond, so to say, even her own Self in doing good and in obliging the human race with an act of love similar to that of her Son in assuming a passible state and in suspending the glory due to his body during and for our Redemption. The most blessed Mother imitated Him also in this respect, so that She might be in all things like the incarnate Word. The great Lady therefore, having clearly before her eyes all the sacrifices included in this proposition, left the throne and, prostrating Herself at the feet of the Three Persons, said: “Eternal and almighty God, my Lord, to accept at once this reward, which thy condescending kindness offers me, would be to secure my rest; but to return to the world and continue to labor in mortal life for the good of the children of Adam and the faithful of thy holy Church, would be to the glory and according to the pleasure of thy Majesty and would benefit my sojourning and banished children on earth. I accept this labor and renounce for the present the peace and joy of thy presence. Well do I know, what I possess and receive, but I will sacrifice it to further the love Thou hast for men. Accept, Lord and Master of all my being, this sacrifice and let thy divine strength govern in the undertaking confided to me. Let faith in Thee be spread, let thy holy name be exalted, let thy holy Church be enlarged, for Thou hast acquired it by the blood of thy Onlybegotten and mine; I offer myself anew</span> <span lang="en-US">to labor for thy glory and for the conquest of the souls, as far as I am able.”</span></div>
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Such was the sacrifice made by the most loving Mother and Queen, one greater than ever was conceived by creature, and it was so pleasing to the Lord, that He immediately rewarded it by operating in Her those purifications and enlightenments, which I have at other times mentioned as necessary to the intuitive vision of the Divinity; for so far She had on this occasion seen only by abstractive vision. Thus elevated She partook of the beatific vision and was filled with splendor and celestial gifts, altogether beyond the power of man describe or conceive in mortal life.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">In order to finish this chapter, and with it this second part, I return to the congregation of the faithful, whom we left so sorrowful on mount Olivet. The most holy Mary did not forget them in the midst of her glory;</span> <span lang="en-US">as they stood weeping and lost in grief and, as it were, absorbed in looking into the aerial regions, into which their Redeemer and Master had disappeared, She turned her eyes upon them from the cloud on which She had ascended, in order to send them her assistance. Moved by their sorrow, She besought Jesus lovingly to console these little children, whom He had left as orphans upon the earth. Moved by the prayers of his Mother, the Redeemer of the human race sent down two angels in white and resplendent garments, who appeared to all the disciples and the faithful and spoke to them: “Ye men of Galilee, do not look up to heaven in so great astonishment, for this Lord Jesus, who departed from you and has ascended into heaven, shall again return with the same glory and majesty in which you have just seen him” (Acts 1, 11). By such words and others which they added they consoled the Apostles and disciples and all the rest, so that they might not grow faint, but in their retirement hope for the coming and the consolation of the Holy Ghost promised by their divine Master.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962850"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">My daughter, thou wilt appropriately close this second part of my life by remembering the lesson concerning the most efficacious sweetness of the divine love and the immense liberality of God with those souls, that do not hinder its flowing. It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than grieve them. But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most high such consolations, delights and</span> <span lang="en-US">rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings. The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments. Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and</span> <span lang="en-US">softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet interactions with the highest Good. Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.</span></div>
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I counted for little all that I endured, when I saw the reward which the divine Goodness had prepared for me; and therefore He ordained, in his admirable Providence that I should return to the militant Church of my own free will and choice. This I knew would redound to my greater glory and to the exaltation of his holy name, while it would provide assistance to his Church and to his children in an admirable and holy manner (I Tim. 1, 17). It seemed to me a sacred duty, that I deprive myself of the eternal felicity of which I was in possession and, returning from heaven to earth, gain new fruits of labor and love for the Almighty; this I owed to the divine Goodness, which had raised me up from the dust. Learn therefore, my beloved, from my example, and excite thyself to imitate me most eagerly during these times, in which the holy Church so disconsolate and overwhelmed by tribulations and in which there are none of her children to console her. In this cause I desire that thou labor strenuously, ready to suffer in prayer and supplication, and crying from the bottom of thy heart to the Omnipotent. And if it were necessary thou shouldst be willing to give thy life. I assure thee, my daughter, thy solicitude shall be very pleasing in the eyes of my divine Son and in mine.</div>
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Let it all be for the glory and honor of the Most high, the King of the ages, the Immortal and Invisible (I Tim. 1, 17), and for that of his Mother, the most blessed Mary, through all the eternities!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART ONE</b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"><b><i> </i></b> </span></span></b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <i>(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).) </i></span></span> </b></span></b></span></h4>
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<span class="text4"><b> APOSTOLIC LETTER<br />
<i>LAETAMUR MAGNOPERE</i></b></span> <br />
<span class="text3">IN WHICH THE LATIN TYPICAL EDITION OF THE </span><br />
<b>CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH</b> <br />
IS APPROVED AND PROMULGATED <br />
<b> JOHN PAUL, BISHOP<br />
SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD<br />
FOR EVERLASTING MEMORY<br />
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<i>To my Venerable Brothers the cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and to all the People of God.</i><br />
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<dd><span class="text">IT IS A CAUSE FOR GREAT JOY THAT THE LATIN TYPICAL EDITION OF THE <i>CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH</i> IS BEING PUBLISHED. It is approved and promulgated by me in this Apostolic Letter and thus becomes the definitive text of the aforementioned <i>Catechism</i>. This is occurring about five years after the Apostolic Constitution <i>Fidei Depositum</i> of October 11, 1992, which, on the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, accompanied the publication of the first, French-language text of the <i>Catechism</i>.</span></dd></div>
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</span></dd><dd><span class="text">We have all been able to note with pleasure the broad positive reception and wide dissemination of the Catechism in these years, especially in the particular Churches, which have had it translated into their respective languages, thus making it as accessible as possible to the various linguistic communities of the world. This fact confirms how fitting was the request submitted to me in 1985 by the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding faith and morals be composed.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">Drawn up by the special Commission of Cardinals and Bishops established in 1986, the <i>Catechism</i> was approved and promulgated by me in the aforementioned Apostolic Constitution, which today retains all its validity and timeliness, and finds its definitive achievement in this Latin typical edition.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">This edition was prepared by an Interdicasterial Commission which I appointed for this purpose in 1993. Presided over by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, this Commission worked diligently to fulfill the mandate it received. It devoted particular attention to a study of the many suggested changes to the contents of the text, which in these years had come from around the world and from various parts of the ecclesial community.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">In this regard one can certainly understand that such a remarkable number of suggested improvements shows the extraordinary interest that the <i>Catechism</i> has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life. At the same time it draws attention to the eager desire of all to make their contribution so that the Christian faith, whose essential and necessary elements are summarized in the <i>Catechism</i>, can be presented to the people of our day in the most suitable way possible. Furthermore, this collaboration of the various members of the Church will once again achieve what I wrote in the Apostolic Constitution <i>Fidei Depositum</i>: "The harmony of so many voices truly expresses what could be called the 'symphony' of the faith" (no. 2).</span></dd><dd><span class="text">For these reasons too, the Commission seriously considered the suggestions offered, carefully examined them at various levels and submitted its conclusions for my approval. These conclusions, insofar as they allow for a better expression of the <i>Catechism's</i> contents regarding the deposit of the Catholic faith, or enable certain truths of this faith to be formulated in a way more suited to the requirements of contemporary catechetical instruction, have been approved by me and thus have been incorporated into this Latin typical edition. Therefore it faithfully repeats the doctrinal content which I officially presented to the Church and to the world in December 1992.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">With today's promulgation of the Latin typical edition, therefore, the task of composing the <i>Catechism</i>, begun in 1986, is brought to a close and the desire of the aforementioned Extraordinary Synod of Bishops is happily fulfilled. The Church now has at her disposal this new, authoritative exposition of the one and perennial apostolic faith, and it will serve as a "valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion" and as a "sure norm for teaching the faith," as well as a "sure and authentic reference text" for preparing local catechisms (cf. Apostolic Constitution <i>Fidei Depositum</i>, no. 4).</span></dd><dd><span class="text">Catechesis will find in this genuine, systematic presentation of the faith and of Catholic doctrine a totally reliable way to present, with renewed fervor, each and every part of the Christian message to the people of our time. This text will provide every catechist with sound help for communicating the one, perennial deposit of faith within the local Church, while seeking, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to link the wondrous unity of the Christian mystery with the varied needs and conditions of those to whom this message is addressed. All catechetical activity will be able to experience a new, widespread impetus among the People of God, if it can properly use and appreciate this post-conciliar <i>Catechism</i>.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">All this seems even more important today with the approach of the third millennium. For an extraordinary commitment to evangelization is urgently needed so that everyone can know and receive the Gospel message and thus grow "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (<i>Eph</i> 4:13).</span></dd><dd><span class="text">I therefore strongly urge my Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, for whom the <i>Catechism</i> is primarily intended, to take the excellent opportunity afforded by the promulgation of this Latin edition to intensify their efforts to disseminate the text more widely and to ensure that it is well received as an outstanding gift for the communities entrusted to them, which will thus be able to rediscover the inexhaustible riches of the faith.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">Through the harmonious and complementary efforts of all the ranks of the People of God, may this <i>Catechism</i> be known and shared by everyone, so that the unity in faith whose supreme model and origin is found in the Unity of the Trinity may be strengthened and extended to the ends of the earth.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">To Mary, Mother of Christ, whose Assumption body and soul into heaven we celebrate today, I entrust these wishes so that they may be brought to fulfillment for the spiritual good of all humanity.</span></dd><dd><span class="text">From Castel Gandolfo, August 15, 1997, the nineteenth year of the Pontificate. </span><br />
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<span class="text"><br />
</span> <span class="text"><span class="text4"><b> APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION<br />
<i>FIDEI DEPOSITUM</i></b></span> </span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text3">ON THE PUBLICATION OF THE </span></span><br />
<span class="text"><b>CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH</b> </span><br />
<span class="text">PREPARED FOLLOWING THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL </span><br />
<span class="text"><b> JOHN PAUL, BISHOP<br />
SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD<br />
FOR EVERLASTING MEMORY<br />
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<span class="text"><i>To my Venerable Brothers the cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and to all the People of God.</i></span><br />
<span class="text"><i> </i> </span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text"></span></span></dd><dd><span class="text">GUARDING THE DEPOSIT OF FAITH IS THE MISSION WHICH THE LORD ENTRUSTED TO HIS CHURCH, and which she fulfills in every age. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, which was opened 30 years ago by my predecessor Pope John XXIII, of happy memory, had as its intention and purpose to highlight the Church's apostolic and pastoral mission, and by making the truth of the Gospel shine forth to lead all people to seek and receive Christ's love which surpasses all knowledge (cf. <i>Eph </i>3:19). </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The principal task entrusted to the Council by Pope John XXIII was to guard and present better the precious deposit of Christian doctrine in order to make it more accessible to the Christian faithful and to all people of good will. For this reason the Council was not first of all to condemn the errors of the time, but above all to strive calmly to show the strength and beauty of the doctrine of the faith. </span><br />
<span class="text">"Illumined by the light of this Council", the Pope said, "the Church. . . will become greater in spiritual riches and gaining the strength of new energies therefrom, she will look to the future without fear. . . Our duty is to dedicate ourselves with an earnest will and without fear to that work which our era demands of us, thus pursuing the path which the Church has followed for 20 centuries."<sup>1</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">With the help of God, the Council Fathers in four years of work were able to produce a considerable number of doctrinal statements and pastoral norms which were presented to the whole Church. There the Pastors and Christian faithful find directives for that "renewal of thought, action, practices and moral virtue, of joy and hope, which was the very purpose of the Council".<sup>2</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">After its conclusion, the Council did not cease to inspire the Church's life. In 1985 I was able to assert, "For me, then - who had the special grace of participating in it and actively collaborating in its development - Vatican II has always been, and especially during these years of my Pontificate, the constant reference point of my every pastoral action, in the conscious commitment to implement its directives concretely and faithfully at the level of each Church and the whole Church."<sup>3</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">In this spirit, on 25 January 1985, I convoked an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the 20th anniversary of the close of the Council. The purpose of this assembly was to celebrate the graces and spiritual fruits of Vatican II, to study its teaching in greater depth in order that all the Christian faithful might better adhere to it, and to promote knowledge and application of it. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">On that occasion the Synod Fathers stated: "Very many have expressed the desire that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed, that it might be, as it were, a point of reference for the catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions. The presentation of doctrine must be biblical and liturgical. It must be sound doctrine suited to the present life of Christians."<sup>4</sup> After the Synod ended, I made this desire my own, considering it as "fully responding to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches".<sup>5</sup></span><br />
<span class="text"><sup> </sup> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">For this reason we thank the Lord wholeheartedly on this day when we can offer the entire Church this "reference text" entitled the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, for a catechesis renewed at the living sources of the faith! </span></dd><dd><span class="text">Following the renewal of the Liturgy and the new codification of the canon law of the Latin Church and that of the Oriental Catholic Churches, this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church, as desired and begun by the Second Vatican </span><br />
<span class="text">Council. <b> </b></span><br />
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<span class="text"><b>1. The Process and Spirit of Drafting the Text</b> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the result of very extensive collaboration; it was prepared over six years of intense work done in a spirit of complete openness and fervent zeal. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">In 1986, I entrusted a commission of twelve Cardinals and Bishops, chaired by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, with the task of preparing a draft of the catechism requested by the Synod Fathers. An editorial committee of seven diocesan Bishops, experts in theology and catechesis, assisted the commission in its work. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The commission, charged with giving directives and with overseeing the course of the work, attentively followed all the stages in editing the nine subsequent drafts. The editorial committee, for its part, assumed responsibility for writing the text, making the emendations requested by the commission and examining the observations of numerous theologians, exegetes and catechists, and above all, of the Bishops of the whole world, in order to produce a better text. In the committee various opinions were compared with great profit, and thus a richer text has resulted whose unity and coherence are assured. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The project was the object of extensive consultation among all Catholic Bishops, their Episcopal Conferences or Synods, and theological and catechetical institutes. As a whole, it received a broadly favorable acceptance on the part of the Episcopate. It can be said that this Catechism is the result of the collaboration of the whole Episcopate of the Catholic Church, who generously accepted my invitation to share responsibility for an enterprise which directly concerns the life of the Church. This response elicits in me a deep feeling of joy, because the harmony of so many voices truly expresses what could be called the "symphony" of the faith. The achievement of this Catechism thus reflects the collegial nature of the Episcopate; it testifies to the Church's catholicity. <b> </b></span><br />
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<span class="text"><b>2. Arrangement of the Material</b> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition in the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers, Doctors and saints of the Church, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God. It should take into account the doctrinal statements which down the centuries the Holy Spirit has intimated to his Church. It should also help to illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">This catechism will thus contain both the new and the old (cf. <i>Mt </i>13:52), because the faith is always the same yet the source of ever new light. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">To respond to this twofold demand, the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> on the one hand repeats the "old", traditional order already followed by the Catechism of St. Pius V, arranging the material in four parts: the <i>Creed</i>, the <i>Sacred Liturgy</i>, with pride of place given to the sacraments, the <i>Christian way of life</i>, explained beginning with the Ten Commandments, and finally, <i>Christian prayer</i>. At the same time, however, the contents are often presented in a "new" way in order to respond to the questions of our age. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The four parts are related one to another: the Christian mystery is the object of faith (first part); it is celebrated and communicated in liturgical actions (second part); it is present to enlighten and sustain the children of God in their actions (third part); it is the basis for our prayer, the privileged expression of which is the <i>Our Father</i>, and it represents the object of our supplication, our praise and our intercession (fourth part). </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The Liturgy itself is prayer; the confession of faith finds its proper place in the celebration of worship. Grace, the fruit of the sacraments, is the irreplaceable condition for Christian living, just as participation in the Church's Liturgy requires faith. If faith is not expressed in works, it is dead (cf. <i>Jas </i>2:14-16) and cannot bear fruit unto eternal life. In reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church we can perceive the wonderful unity of the mystery of God, his saving will, as well as the central place of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, sent by the Father, made man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be our Savior. Having died and risen, Christ is always present in his Church, especially in the sacraments; he is the source of our faith, the model of Christian conduct and the Teacher of our prayer. </span><br />
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<span class="text"> <b> 3. The Doctrinal Value of the Text</b> </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion. May it serve the renewal to which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly calls the Church of God, the Body of Christ, on her pilgrimage to the undiminished light of the Kingdom! </span></dd><dd><span class="text">The approval and publication of the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> represent a service which the Successor of Peter wishes to offer to the Holy Catholic Church, to all the particular Churches in peace and communion with the Apostolic See: the service, that is, of supporting and confirming the faith of all the Lord Jesus' disciples (cf. <i>Lk </i>22:32 as well as of strengthening the bonds of unity in the same apostolic faith. Therefore, I ask all the Church's Pastors and the Christian faithful to receive this catechism in a spirit of communion and to use it assiduously in fulfilling their mission of proclaiming the faith and calling people to the Gospel life. This catechism is given to them that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms. It is also offered to all the faithful who wish to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation (cf. <i>Eph </i>3:8). It is meant to support ecumenical efforts that are moved by the holy desire for the unity of all Christians, showing carefully the content and wondrous harmony of the catholic faith. The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, lastly, is offered to every individual who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us (cf. <i>1 Pt</i> 3:15) and who wants to know what the Catholic Church believes. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">This catechism is not intended to replace the local catechisms duly approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, the diocesan Bishops and the Episcopal Conferences, especially if they have been approved by the Apostolic See. It is meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms, which take into account various situations and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to catholic doctrine. </span></dd><dd><span class="text">At the conclusion of this document presenting the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, I beseech the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word and Mother of the Church, to support with her powerful intercession the catechetical work of the entire Church on every level, at this time when she is called to a new effort of evangelization. May the light of the true faith free humanity from the ignorance and slavery of sin in order to lead it to the only freedom worthy of the name (cf. <i>Jn </i>8:32): that of life in Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, here below and in the Kingdom of heaven, in the fullness of the blessed vision of God face to face (cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 13:12; <i>2 Cor</i> 5:6-8)! </span></dd><dd><span class="text">Given 11 October 1992, the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, in the fourteenth year of my Pontificate. </span><br />
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<span class="text"><span class="text1"> 1 John XXIII, Discourse at the Opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 11 October 1962: AAS 54 (1962), 788-91. <br />
2 Paul VI, Discourse at the Closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 7 December 1965: AAS 58 (1966), 7-8. <br />
3 John Paul II, Discourse of 25 January 1985:<i> L'Osservatore Romano</i>, 27 January 1985. <br />
4 <i>Final Report</i> of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985: the <i>Enchiridion Vaticanum</i> vol. 9, II B a, n. 4:p. 1758, n. 1797. <br />
5 John Paul II, Discourse at the of Closing of Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985, n. 6: AAS 78 (1986), 435.<br />
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<span class="text4"><b> PROLOGUE</b> </span> <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">"FATHER, . . . this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."<sup>1</sup> "God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."<sup>2</sup> "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"<sup>3</sup> - than the name of JESUS. </span></span>
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<span class="text"><span class="text1"> <b>I. THE LIFE OF MAN - TO KNOW AND LOVE GOD</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><b>1</b> God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. </span></span></dd></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a><b>2</b> So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."<sup>4</sup> Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it."<sup>5</sup></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="3"></a><b>3</b> Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.<sup>6</sup></span></span></dd></div>
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<b>II. HANDING ON THE FAITH: CATECHESIS</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="4"></a><b>4</b> Quite early on, the name <i>catechesis </i>was given to the totality of the Church's efforts to make disciples, to help men believe that Jesus is the Son of God so that believing they might have life in his name, and to educate and instruct them in this life, thus building up the body of Christ.<sup>7</sup></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="5"></a><b>5</b> "Catechesis is an <i>education in the faith</i> of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life."<sup>8</sup></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="6"></a><b>6</b> While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church's pastoral mission which have a catechetical aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it. They are: the initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and missionary witness.<sup>9</sup></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="7"></a><b>7</b> "Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church's life. Not only her geographical extension and numerical increase, but even more her inner growth and correspondence with God's plan depend essentially on catechesis."<sup>10</sup></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="8"></a><b>8</b> <span class="text1">Periods of renewal in the Church are also intense moments of catechesis. In the great era of the Fathers of the Church, saintly bishops devoted an important part of their ministry to catechesis. St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, and many other Fathers wrote catechetical works that remain models for us.<sup>11</sup></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text"><span class="text1"><span class="text1"><sup> </sup></span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="9"></a><b>9</b> <span class="text1">"The ministry of catechesis draws ever fresh energy from the councils. The Council of Trent is a noteworthy example of this. It gave catechesis priority in its constitutions and decrees. It lies at the origin of the <i>Roman Catechism</i>, which is also known by the name of that council and which is a work of the first rank as a summary of Christian teaching. . . ."<sup>12</sup> The Council of Trent initiated a remarkable organization of the Church's catechesis. Thanks to the work of holy bishops and theologians such as St. Peter Canisius, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo or St. Robert Bellarmine, it occasioned the publication of numerous catechisms.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="10"></a><b>10</b> <span class="text1">It is therefore no surprise that catechesis in the Church has again attracted attention in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope Paul VI considered the great catechism of modern times. The General Catechetical Directory (1971) the sessions of the Synod of Bishops devoted to evangelization (1974) and catechesis (1977), the apostolic exhortations <i>Evangelii nuntiandi</i> (1975) and <i>Catechesi tradendae</i> (1979), attest to this. The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 asked "that a catechism or compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and morals be composed"<sup>13</sup> The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, made the Synod's wish his own, acknowledging that "this desire wholly corresponds to a real need of the universal Church and of the particular Churches."<sup>14</sup> He set in motion everything needed to carry out the Synod Fathers' wish.</span></span></span></dd></div>
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<b>III. THE AIM AND INTENDED READERSHIP OF THE CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="11"></a><b>11</b> This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. Its principal sources are the Sacred Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the Church's Magisterium. It is intended to serve "as a point of reference for the catechisms or compendia that are composed in the various countries".<sup>15</sup></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="12"></a><b>12</b> This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful.</span></span></dd></div>
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<b>IV. STRUCTURE OF THIS CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="13"></a><b>13</b> The plan of this catechism is inspired by the great tradition of catechisms which build catechesis on four pillars: the baptismal profession of faith (the <i>Creed</i>), the sacraments of faith, the life of faith (the <i>Commandments</i>), and the prayer of the believer (the <i>Lord's Prayer</i>). </span></span></dd></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="14"></a><b>Part One: <i>The Profession of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>14</b> Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.<sup>16</sup> First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (<i>Section One</i>). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty <i>Father</i>, the Creator; his <i>Son </i>Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the <i>Holy Spirit</i>, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (<i>Section Two</i>). </span></span></dd></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="15"></a><b>Part Two: <i>The Sacraments of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>15</b> The second part of the Catechism explains how God's salvation, accomplished once for all through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church's liturgy (<i>Section One</i>), especially in the seven sacraments (<i>Section Two</i>). </span></span></dd></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="16"></a><b>Part Three: <i>The Life of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>16</b> The third part of the Catechism deals with the final end of man created in the image of God: beatitude, and the ways of reaching it - through right conduct freely chosen, with the help of God's law and grace (<i>Section One</i>), and through conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God's Ten Commandments (<i>Section Two</i>). </span></span></dd></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="17"></a><b>Part Four: <i>Prayer in the Life of Faith</i></b> <br />
<b>17</b> The last part of the Catechism deals with the meaning and importance of prayer in the life of believers (<i>Section One</i>). It concludes with a brief commentary on the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer (<i>Section Two</i>), for indeed we find in these the sum of all the good things which we must hope for, and which our heavenly Father wants to grant us. </span></span><br />
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<b>V. PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR USING THIS CATECHISM</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="18"></a><b>18</b> This catechism is conceived as <i>an organic presentation</i> of the Catholic faith in its entirety. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole. Numerous cross-references in the margin of the text (numbers found at the end of a sentence referring to other paragraphs that deal with the same theme), as well as the analytical index at the end of the volume, allow the reader to view each theme in its relationship with the entirety of the faith. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="19"></a><b>19</b> The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely indicated by a reference (<b>cf.</b>). For a deeper understanding of such passages, the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts themselves. Such Biblical references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="20"></a><b>20</b> <span class="text1">The use of <b>small print</b> in certain passages indicates observations of an historical or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="21"></a><b>21</b> <span class="text1">The <b>quotations</b>, also in small print, from patristic, liturgical, magisterial or hagiographical sources, are intended to enrich the doctrinal presentations. These texts have often been chosen with a view to direct catechetical use.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="22"></a><b>22</b> <span class="text1">At the end of each thematic unit, a series of brief texts in small italics sums up the essentials of that unit's teaching in condensed formula. These <b>IN BRIEF</b> summaries may suggest to local catechists brief summary formula that could be memorized.</span></span></span></dd></div>
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<b>VI. NECESSARY ADAPTATIONS</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="23"></a><b>23</b> The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented towards the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in personal conduct.<sup>17</sup> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="24"></a><b>24</b> By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful: <br />
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<dl><span class="text"><span class="text1"> <dd>Whoever teaches must become "all things to all men" (<i>1 Cor</i> 9:22), to win everyone to Christ. . . . Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers. . . . Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.<sup>18</sup></dd></span></span></dl>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="25"></a><b>Above all - Charity</b> <br />
<b>25</b> To conclude this Prologue, it is fitting to recall this pastoral principle stated by the <i>Roman Catechism</i>: <br />
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<dl><span class="text"><dd>The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.<sup>19</sup>
<sup> </sup> </dd></span></dl>
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<span class="text"><span class="text1"> 1 <i>Jn</i> 17 3.<br />
2 <i>1 Tim</i> 2:3-4.<br />
3 <i>Acts</i> 4:12.<br />
4 <i>Mt</i> 28:19-20.<br />
5 <i>Mk</i> 16:20.<br />
6 Cf. <i>Acts</i> 2:42.<br />
7 Cf. John Paul II, <i>Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae</i> 1; 2.<br />
8 <i>CT</i> 18.<br />
9 <i>CT</i> 18.<br />
10 <i>CT</i> 13.<br />
11 Cf. <i>CT</i> 12.<br />
12 <i>CT</i> 13.<br />
13 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, <i>Final Report</i>, II B a, 4.<br />
14 John Paul II, Discourse at the Closing Of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, 7 December 1985: AAS 78, (1986).<br />
15 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops 1985, <i>Final Report</i> II B a, 4.<br />
16 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 10:32; <i>Rom</i> 10:9.<br />
17 Cf. <i>CT</i> 20-22; 25.<br />
18 <i>Roman Catechism</i>, Preface II; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 9:22; <i>1 Pt</i> 2:2.<br />
19 <i>Roman Catechism</i>, Preface 10; cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 13:8. </span> <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-39314881572983967582018-03-30T07:59:00.000-05:002018-03-30T07:59:31.402-05:00Pascal Triduum Good Friday March 30, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: Mercy; Reading 1: Isaiah 52:13--53:12; Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 31:2- 25; Reading 2: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Gospel : John 18:1 – 19:42; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Good Friday; Way of the Cross: Divine Mercy Nine day Novena form Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 6-9 The Passion and Crucifixion; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 4 The Final Doxology; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Pascal Triduum Good Friday March 30, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Mercy; </i><i>Reading 1: Isaiah 52:13--53:12; Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 31:2- 25; Reading 2: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Gospel : John 18:1 – 19:42; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Good Friday; Way of the Cross: Divine Mercy Nine day Novena form Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 6-9 The Passion and Crucifixion; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 4 The Final Doxology; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Palm Sunday </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>March 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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"Dear children! I am calling you to be with me in prayer in this time of grace when darkness is fighting against the light. Pray, little children, confess and begin a new life in grace. Decide for God and He will lead you towards holiness; and the cross will be a sign of victory and hope for you. Be proud that you are baptized and grateful in your heart that you are a part of God’s plan. Thank you for having responded to my call." ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Most Holy Mother of Jesus, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje,<br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's General Audience</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
<br />Pope Francis in his catechesis at the Wednesday General Audience
reflected on the Paschal Triduum, calling it the center “of our faith
and vocation in the world”.<br />
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The Triduum, or “three days”, begins with the Mass of the Lord’s
Supper on Thursday evening and ends on Easter Sunday. The Holy Father
said Christians are called to live the mystery of Jesus’ death and
resurrection as “the matrix of their personal and communitarian lives”.<br />
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<b>Climax at Easter kerygma</b></h2>
<br /> Pope Francis said the climax of the Church’s liturgical year is
proclaimed at Mass on Easter Sunday in the Sequence: “Christ, my hope,
is arisen; into Galilee he will go before his own.” He called this both
“a proclamation of joy and hope” and “an appeal to responsibility and
mission”.<br />
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The Triduum, he said, prepares us to receive this proclamation. “It
is the center of our faith and our hope. It is the kerygma, which
continuously evangelizes the Church, which in turn is sent out to
evangelize.”<br />
Pope Francis said the Paschal Triduum renews baptized Christians in
“the meaning of their new condition”. “In Baptism,” he said, “we are
raised with Jesus and we die to the things and logic of this world.”<br />
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<b>Share the sufferings of others</b></h2>
<br /> He said this new condition must be lived out concretely day-by-day.<br />
“A Christian – if they truly let themselves be washed by Christ and
stripped by him of ‘the old man’ to walk in newness of life – even
though they remain a sinner, cannot be corrupted. [The Christian] can
live no more with death in their soul, nor can they be a cause of
death.”<br />
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Pope Francis said the world becomes “the space to live our newly resurrected lives.”
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We are called to do this, he said, “on our feet, with our head held
high. Thus can we share the humiliation of those who today, like Jesus,
still suffer nakedness, need, loneliness, and death”.<br />
The Holy Father said that it is thanks to Jesus and with Him that we
become “instruments of redemption and hope, as well as signs of life and
resurrection.”<br />
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<b>Virgin Mary our model</b></h2>
<br /> He concluded by inviting all Christians “to live well the Holy
Triduum” and to be “ever more inserted into the mystery of Christ’s
death and resurrection”.<br />
May the Virgin Mary, said Pope Francis, “accompany us on this
spiritual journey, she who followed Jesus in his passion, was present
with Him under the Cross, and received in her mother’s heart the joy of
the resurrection.”<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 03/30/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - mercy </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">merh-cee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1125-75;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">merci</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Old</span> <span class="oneClick-link">French,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">earlier</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">mercit</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">mercēd-</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">(stem</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">mercēs</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">wages</span> ( <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Late</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Latin,</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Medieval</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Latin:</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">heavenly</span> <span class="oneClick-link">reward),</span> <span class="oneClick-link">derivative</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">merx</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">goods</span> <br />
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<div class="def-list">
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<br />
<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"> <span class="dbox-pg">noun</span>, <span class="dbox-pg">plural </span><span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="mer·cies ">mercies </span><span class="dbox-roman">for 4, 5.</span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1. </span>compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">Have mercy on the poor sinner.</span><br />
<div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">2.</span> the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> an adversary wholly without mercy.</span><br />
<div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">3.</span> the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">4.</span> an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.</span><br />
<div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">5.</span> something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.</span></div>
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</section> <section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"> <span class="dbox-pg">Idioms</span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">6.</span><span class="dbox-bold"> at the mercy of, </span>entirely in the power of; subject to: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">They were at the mercy of their captors.</span><br />
<div class="def-content">
<div class="def-block">
Also, <span class="dbox-bold">at one's mercy</span>. </div>
<div class="def-block">
</div>
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</div>
</section> </div>
<div class="def-list">
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> </section> </div>
<span class="dbox-roman"> </span><br />
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<span class="dbox-roman">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ<span class="dbox-roman">▬♥▬●▬</span>ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> Isaiah 52:13--53:12</i></h2>
13 Look, my servant will prosper, will grow great, will rise to great heights.<br />
14 As many people were aghast at him -- he was so inhumanly disfigured that he no longer looked like a man-<br />
15 so many nations will be astonished and kings will stay tight-lipped
before him, seeing what had never been told them, learning what they had
not heard before.<br />
1 Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh's arm?<br />
2 Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He
had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts;<br />
3
he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with
suffering, one from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for
whom we had no regard.<br />
4 Yet ours were the sufferings he was
bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as
someone being punished and struck with affliction by God;<br />
5
whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our
guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been
healed by his bruises.<br />
6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each
taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of
us to bear on him.<br />
7 Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened
his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb
before its shearers he never opened his mouth.<br />
8 Forcibly, after
sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his
having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been
struck dead for his people's rebellion?<br />
9 He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.<br />
10 It was Yahweh's good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives
his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his
life, and through him Yahweh's good pleasure will be done.<br />
11
After the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content.
By his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by
taking their guilt on himself.<br />
12 Hence I shall give him a
portion with the many, and he will share the booty with the mighty, for
having exposed himself to death and for being counted as one of the
rebellious, whereas he was bearing the sin of many and interceding for
the rebellious.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25</h2>
2 turn your ear to me, make haste. Be for me a rock-fastness, a fortified citadel to save me.<br />
6 you hate those who serve useless idols; but my trust is in Yahweh:<br />
12 I have no more place in their hearts than a corpse, or something lost.<br />
13 All I hear is slander -- terror wherever I turn -- as they plot together against me, scheming to take my life.<br />
15 every moment of my life is in your hands, rescue me from the clutches of my foes who pursue me;<br />
16 let your face shine on your servant, save me in your faithful love.<br />
17 I call on you, Yahweh, so let disgrace fall not on me, but on the wicked. Let them go down to Sheol in silence,<br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9</h2>
14 Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we
have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven,
we must hold firm to our profession of faith.<br />
15 For the high
priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but
has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart
from sin.<br />
16 Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne
of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of
help.<br />
7 During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and
entreaty, with loud cries and with tears, to the one who had the power
to save him from death, and, winning a hearing by his reverence,<br />
8 he learnt obedience, Son though he was, through his sufferings;<br />
9 when he had been perfected, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span> John 18:1 – 19:42</h2>
<br />
<i>The Passion of Jesus according to John</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Recollection in prayer – Statio</h3>
<br />
Come, You who refresh us,<br />
the soul’s delightful guest,<br />
come take away all that is mine, <br />
and pour into me all that is yours.<br />
Come, You who are the nourishment of every chaste thought,<br />
source of all mercies, sum of all purity.<br />
Come and burn away all that in me is cause<br />
of my not being able to be consumed by You.<br />
Come, Spirit,<br />
who are ever with the Father and the Bridegroom, <br />
and rest over the brides of the Bridegroom.<br />
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, O.Carm., <br />
in La Probatione ii, 193-194.)<br />
<h3>
<br /> 2. A prayerful reading of the Word – Lectio</h3>
<br />
From the Gospel according to John<br />
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where
there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his
betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his
disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief
priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and
weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went
out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered him,
“Jesus the Nazorean.” He said to them, “I AM.” Judas his betrayer was
also with them. When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell
to the ground. So he again asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They
said, “Jesus the Nazorean.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM. So if
you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he
had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter,
who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off
his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put
your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father
gave me?” So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards
seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the
father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was
Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man
should die rather than the people. Simon Peter and another disciple
followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and
he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood
at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the
high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of
this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and
the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made,
because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also
standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his
disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken
publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the
temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said
nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They
know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the temple guards
standing there struck Jesus and said, “Is this the way you answer the
high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to
the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then
Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was
standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, “You are not one of
his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the
slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut
off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter
denied it. And immediately the cock crowed. Then they brought Jesus from
Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not
enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat
the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you
bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a
criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate
said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your
law.” The Jews answered him, “We do not have the right to execute
anyone, “ in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he
said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into
the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of
the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others
told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own
nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my
kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to
keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is
not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered,
“You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the
world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth
listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had
said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no
guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you
at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
They cried out again, “Not this one but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a
revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the
soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and
clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail,
King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went
out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you
may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the
crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the
man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves
and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered, “We have a
law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even
more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, “Where
are you from?” Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, “Do you
not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I
have power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no
power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this
reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, “If
you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes
himself a king opposes Caesar.” When Pilate heard these words he brought
Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone
Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and
it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” They
cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to
them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have
no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So
they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what
is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they
crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus
in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the
cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of
the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and
Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write
‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” When the
soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them
into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic,
but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So
they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to
see whose it will be, “in order that the passage of Scripture might be
fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and for my
vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did. Standing by the
cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour
the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything
was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus
said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they
put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his
mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And
bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Here all kneel and pause for
a short time. Now since it was preparation day, in order that the
bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day
of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be
broken and that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with
Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his
side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has
testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the
truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that
the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be
broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom
they have pierced. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple
of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body
of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with
the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place
where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new
tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there
because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. Reflecting on the Word – Meditatio</h3>
<br />
3.1. A key to the reading:<br />
- Jesus master of His fate<br />
<br />
I would like to suggest that we meditate in the spirit of Mary, at the
foot of the cross of Jesus. She, the strong woman who understood the
full meaning of this event of the passion and death of the Lord, will
help us cast a contemplative glance at the crucified (Jn 1:5–27). We are
looking at chapter 19 of John’s Gospel, which begins with the scene of
the scourging and the crowning with thorns. Pilate presents “Jesus the
Nazarene, the king of the Jews” to the chief priests and to the guards
who call for His death on the cross (Jn 1:). Thus Jesus begins the way
of the cross towards Golgotha, where He will be crucified. In the story
of the Passion according to John, Jesus reveals himself as master of
himself and in control of all that is happening to Him. John’s text is
full of phrases that point to this theological fact, that Jesus offers
His life. He actively, not passively, endures the events of the passion.
Here are just some examples putting the stress on some phrases and
words. The reader may find other examples:<br />
Knowing everything
that was to happen to Him, Jesus came forward and said: "Who are you
looking for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene". He said, "I am He!".
Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said to them
"I am He", they moved back and fell on the ground. He asked them a
second time, "Who are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazarene".
Jesus replied, "I have told you that I am He. If I am the one you are
looking for, let these others go". This was to fulfill the words He had
spoken, "Not one of those You gave me have I lost". (Jn 1:-9)<br />
“Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe” (Jn 1:),<br />
Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me at all, if it had not been given you from above.” (Jn 1:1).<br />
On the cross too, Jesus takes an active part in His death, He does not
allow himself to be killed like the thieves whose legs were broken (Jn
1:1-33), but commits His spirit (Jn 1:0). The details recalled by the
Evangelist are very important: Seeing His mother and the disciple whom
He loved standing near her, Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, this is
your son.” Then to the disciple He said, “This is your mother.” (Jn
1:6-27). These simple words of Jesus bear the weight of revelation,
words that reveal to us His will: “this is your son” (v. 26); “this is
your mother” (v. 27). These words also recall those pronounced by Pilate
on the Lithostrotos: “This is the man” (Jn 1:). With these words, Jesus
on the cross, His throne, reveals His will and His love for us. He is
the lamb of God, the shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. At that
moment, by the cross, He gives birth to the Church, represented by Mary,
her sister (or sister-in-law) Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene,
together with the beloved disciple (Jn 1:5).<br />
<br />
<br />
- Beloved and faithful disciples<br />
<br />
The fourth Gospel specifies that these disciples “stood by the cross”
(Jn 1:5-26). This detail has a deep meaning. Only the fourth Gospel
tells us that these five persons stood by the cross. The other
Evangelists do not say so. Luke, for instance, says that all those who
knew Him followed the events from a distance (Lk 2:9). Matthew also says
that many women followed these events from afar. These women had
followed Jesus from Galilee and served Him. But now they followed Him
from afar (Mt 2:5–56). Like Matthew, Mark gives us the names of those
who followed the death of Jesus from afar (Mk 1:0-41). Thus only the
fourth Gospel says that the mother of Jesus and the other women and the
beloved disciple “stood by the cross”. They stood there like servants
before their king. They are present courageously at a time when Jesus
has already declared that “it is fulfilled” (Jn 1:0). The mother of
Jesus is present at the hour that finally “has come”. That hour foretold
at the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:1 ff). The fourth Gospel had
remarked then that “the mother of Jesus was there” (Jn 2:1). Thus the
person that remains faithful to the Lord in his destiny, he/she is a
beloved disciple. The Evangelist keeps this disciple anonymous so that
each one of us may see him/herself mirrored in the one who knew the
mysteries of the Lord, who laid his head on Jesus’ chest at the last
supper (Jn 13:25).<br />
<br />
3.1.1. Questions and suggestions to direct our meditation and practice<br />
<br />
● Read once more the passage of the Gospel and look in the Bible for
the texts mentioned in the key to the reading. Look for other parallel
texts that may help us penetrate deeper into the text presented for our
meditation.<br />
● In spirit, and with the help of the prayerful reading
of John’s text, visit the places of the Passion, stop on Calvary to
witness with Mary and the beloved disciple the events of the Passion.<br />
● What struck you most?<br />
● What feelings does this story of the Passion arouse in you?<br />
● What does the fact that Jesus actively bears His passion mean for you?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
4. Oratio</h3>
<br />
O Eternal Wisdom, Infinite Goodness, Ineffable Truth, You who probe
hearts, Eternal God, help us to understand that You can, know and want
to! O Loving and Bleeding Lamb, crucified Christ, fulfill in us that
which You said: “Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark,
but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). O perfect light, from whom
all lights proceed! O light for whom light was created, without whom all
is darkness and with whom all is light. Light up, light up, do light
up! Let Your whole will penetrate all the authors and collaborators You
have chosen in this work of renewal. Jesus, Jesus love, Jesus, transform
us and make us conform to You. Uncreated Wisdom, Eternal Word, sweet
Truth, silent Love, Jesus, Jesus Love! <br />
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, O.Carm., <br />
in The Renewal of the Church, 90-91.)<br />
<br />
<h3>
5. Contemplatio</h3>
<br />
Repeat frequently and calmly these words of Jesus when He offered himself:<br />
“Father into Your hands I commend my spirit”</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Good Friday: Way of the Cross</b></h2>
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OFFICE FOR THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS<br />
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF</div>
<div align="center">
<b> WAY OF THE CROSS<br />AT THE COLOSSEUM</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
STATIONS OF THE CROSS<br />
LED BY THE HOLY FATHER <b>POPE FRANCIS</b></div>
<div align="center">
GOOD FRIDAY <br />
THE PASSION OF THE LORD</div>
<div align="center">
MEDITATIONS</div>
<div align="center">
under the guidance of His Eminent Beatitude <br />
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b> WAY OF THE CROSS 2014</b></div>
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<b>Introduction</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
"A man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" (<i>Mk</i>
10:17). Jesus answered this burning question, which arises in the
innermost core of our being, by walking the way of the Cross. We
contemplate you, Lord, along this path
which you were the first to tread, and after which "you built a bridge
to death with your Cross, so that men might pass from the land of death
to the land of Life" (Saint Ephraim the Syrian, <i>Homily</i>).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
The call to follow you is addressed to all,
especially to the young and to those who are tried by division, wars or
injustice and who fight to be signs of hope and builders of peace in the
midst of their brethren.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
We therefore place ourselves before you with
love, we present our sufferings to you, we turn our gaze and our heart
to your Holy Cross, and strengthened by your promise, we pray: "Blessed
be our Redeemer, who has given us life by his death. O Redeemer, realize
in us the mystery of your redemption, through your passion, death and
resurrection" (<i>Maronite Liturgy</i>).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<b>I Station: Jesus is condemned to death</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 15:12-13, 15</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man
whom you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify
him." Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas;
and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
From Pilate, the man with power, Jesus ought
to have obtained justice. Pilate did indeed have the power to recognize
Jesus' innocence and free him. But the Roman Governor preferred to serve
the logic of his personal interests and he yielded to political and
social pressures. He condemned an innocent man in order to please the
crowd, without satisfying truth. He handed Jesus over to the torment of
the Cross, knowing that he was innocent ... and then he washed his
hands.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
In today's world, there are many "Pilates" who
keep their hands on the levers of power and make use of them in order
to serve the strongest. There are many who are weak and cowardly before
the spectre of power, and mortgage their authority to the service of
injustice, trampling upon man's dignity and his right to life.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
do not allow us to be among those who act unjustly. <br />
Do not allow the strong to take pleasure in evil, <br />
injustice and tyranny. Do not allow injustice <br />
to condemn the innocent to despair and death. <br />
Confirm them in hope and illumine the consciences <br />
of those with authority in this world, that they may govern with justice. <br />
Amen.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>II Station: Jesus takes up the Cross</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 15:20</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the
purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to
crucify him. Jesus Christ stands before soldiers who think
they have complete power over him, while he is the One through whom "all
things were made ... and without him was not anything made that was
made" (<i>Jn</i> 1:3).
</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
In every age, man has thought he could take the place of God and determine for himself what is good and what is evil (cf. <i> Gen</i>
3:5) without reference to his Creator and Saviour. He has thought
himself omnipotent, capable of excluding God from his own life and from
that of his peers, in the name of reason, power or money.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Today too, the world bows to realities that
seek to expel God from human life, such as the blind secularism that
suffocates the values of faith and morals in the name of an alleged
defence of man; or the violent fundamentalism that claims to be
defending religious values (cf. <i>Ecclesia in Medio Oriente</i>, 29).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
who accepted humiliation and stood alongside the weak, <br />
we entrust to you all who are humiliated and suffering, <br />
especially those from the tormented East. Grant that they may find in you <br />
the strength to be able to carry their Cross of hope with you. <br />
We place into your hands all who are lost, <br />
so that, thanks to you, they may find truth and love. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>III Station: Jesus falls for the first time</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 53:5</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us
whole, and with his stripes we are healed.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
He who holds the lights of heaven in his
divine hand and before whom the powers of heaven tremble: see him
falling to the ground, without protecting himself, under the heavy yoke
of the Cross.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
He who brought peace to the world, wounded by our sins, falls under the burden of our guilt.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
"O ye faithful, behold our Saviour as he moves
forward along the path to Calvary. Oppressed by bitter sufferings, his
strength abandons him. Let us go to see this incredible event that
surpasses our understanding and defies description. The foundations of
the earth were shaken and a dreadful fear took hold of those who were
present when their Creator and God was crushed under the weight of the
Cross and let himself be led to death, for love of all humanity"
(Chaldean Liturgy).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
raise us from our own falls, lead our wandering spirit <br />
back to your Truth. Do not allow human reason, <br />
which you created for yourself, to be satisfied with the partial truths <br />
of science and technology without seeking to pose the fundamental questions <br />
of the meaning of our existence (cf. <i>Porta Fidei</i>, 12).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Grant, Lord, <br />
that we may open ourselves to the action of your Holy Spirit, </div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
so that he may lead us to the fullness of Truth. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>IV Station: Jesus meets his mother</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 2:34-35, 51b</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his
mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce
through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be
revealed." His mother kept all these things in her heart.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Wounded and suffering, carrying mankind's Cross, Jesus meets his mother and, in her face, all mankind.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Mary the Mother of God was the first disciple
of the Master. In accepting the Angel's message, she encountered the
Incarnate Word for the first time and became the Temple of the living
God. She met him without understanding how the Creator of heaven and
earth could have wanted to choose a young girl, a fragile creature, in
order to become incarnate in this world. She met him in a constant
search for his face, mediating on the word in the silence of her heart.
She thought she was seeking him, but in reality, it was he who was
seeking her.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Now he encounters her as he carries the Cross.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus suffers on seeing his mother suffer, as
does Mary on seeing her Son suffer. But from this shared suffering a new
humanity is born. "<i>Salam</i> to you! We implore you, holy and
glorious ever-Virgin, Mother of God, Mother of Christ. Let our prayer
rise up before your beloved Son, that he may forgive our sins" (<i>Theotikon</i> from the <i>Horologion</i>, <i>Al-Aghbia</i>, 37).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
in our families we too experience the sufferings caused to children by their parents <br />
and to parents by their children. Lord, grant that in these difficult times <br />
our families may be places of your presence, so that our sufferings may be turned to joy. <br />
Support our families and make them oases of love, <br />
peace and serenity, in the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>V Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:26</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
As they led him away, they seized one Simon of
Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the Cross,
to carry it behind Jesus.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus' meeting with Simon of Cyrene took place
in silence, providing us with a lesson for our lives: God does not want
suffering and he does not accept evil. The same is true of the human
being. But suffering, accepted in faith, is transformed into a path of
salvation. Then we accept it as Jesus did, and we help to carry it as
Simon of Cyrene did.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
you have involved man in the carrying of your Cross. You have invited us to share your sufferings. <br />
Simon of Cyrene is like us and he teaches us to accept the Cross <br />
that we encounter on the paths of life. Following your example, Lord, <br />
we too carry the Cross of suffering and illness today, <br />
but we accept it because you are with us. It can nail us to our chair, <br />
but it cannot prevent us from dreaming; it can obscure our vision, <br />
but it cannot touch our conscience; it can deafen our ears, <br />
but it cannot prevent us from listening; it can bind our tongue <br />
but it cannot suppress our thirst for truth; it can weigh down our spirit, <br />
but it cannot rob us of our freedom.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord, <br />
we want to be your disciples so as to carry your Cross every day; <br />
we will carry it with joy and hope because you are carrying it with us, <br />
because you have triumphed over death for us.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
We give you thanks, Lord, <br />
for every sick or ailing person who knows how to bear witness to your love, <br />
and for every "Simon of Cyrene" whom you place on our journey. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>VI Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 27:8-9</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Of you my heart has spoken: "Seek his face."
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face. Dismiss not
your servant in anger; you have been my help. Do not abandon or forsake
me, O God my help!</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Veronica sought you in the midst of the crowd.
She sought you and finally found you. While your anguish was at its
height, she wanted to ease it by wiping your face with a towel. A small
gesture, but it expressed all her love for you and all her faith in you;
it has remained impressed on the memory of our Christian tradition.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
it is your face that we seek. Veronica reminds us that you are present <br />
in every person who suffers and goes forward along his or her path to Golgotha. <br />
Lord, grant that we may find you in the poor, in the least of your brethren, <br />
in order to wipe away the tears of those who weep, to take care of those who suffer <br />
and to support those who are weak.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord, you teach us <br />
that a wounded and forgotten person loses neither worth nor dignity <br />
and remains a sign of your hidden presence in the world. <br />
Help us to wipe away from his or her face the marks of poverty and injustice, <br />
so that your image in him or her may be revealed and may shine forth.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
We pray for those who are seeking your Face <br />
and who find it in those of the homeless, the poor and children exposed to violence and exploitation. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>VII Station: Jesus falls for the second time</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 22:8,12</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
All who see me deride me. They curl their
lips, they toss their heads. Do not leave me alone in my distress; come
close, there is none else to help.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Jesus is alone under the interior and exterior
weight of the Cross. In this fall, the weight of evil becomes too great
and there seems no longer to be any limit to injustice and violence.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
But he rises once more, strong in the infinite
trust that he places in his Father. Before the men who abandon him to
his lot, the power of the Spirit raises him up; it unites him fully to
the Father's will, that of love which can do all things.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, in your second fall, <br />
we recognize so many of our situations from which there seems to be no way of escape. <br />
Among them are those that derive from prejudice and hatred, which harden our hearts <br />
and lead to religious conflicts. Enlighten our minds <br />
so that they recognize, despite "human and religious differences," <br />
that "a ray of truth shines on all men and women", <br />
called to walk together – with respect for religious freedom – <br />
towards the truth that is in God alone. Thus, the different religions can <br />
"join one another in service to the common good and contribute to the development of each person <br />
and the building of society" (<i>Ecclesia in Medio Oriente</i>, 27-28).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Come, Holy Spirit, <br />
to console and strengthen Christians, especially those from the Middle East, <br />
so that, united in Christ, they may be witnesses of your universal love <br />
in an area torn apart by injustice and conflicts. Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<b>VIII Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem who weep for him</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:27-28</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
There followed him a great multitude of the
people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning
to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children."</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
On the path to Calvary, the Lord meets the
women of Jerusalem. These women are weeping at the Lord's sufferings as
if it were suffering without hope. All they can see in the Cross is the
wood, sign of a curse (cf. <i>Dt</i> 21:23), whereas the Lord chose it as a means of Redemption and Salvation.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
In the Passion and Crucifixion, Jesus gives
his life as a ransom for many. Thus he gave relief to those who were
oppressed under the yoke and he consoled the afflicted. He wiped away
the tears of the women of Jerusalem and opened their eyes to Paschal
truth.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
Our world is full of afflicted mothers, of
women whose dignity has been wounded, abused by discrimination,
injustice and suffering (cf. <i>Ecclesia in Medio Oriente</i>, 60). O suffering Christ, be their peace and be a balm to their wounds.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
by your incarnation from Mary, "Blessed among women" (<i>Lk</i> 1:42), <br />
you raised the dignity of every woman. With the Incarnation <br />
you unified the human race (cf. <i>Gal</i> 3:26-28).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord,<br />
may the encounter with you be the desire of our hearts. Let our path, filled with sufferings, <br />
always be a path of hope, with you and towards you <br />
who are the refuge of our life and our Salvation. <br />
Amen.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<b>IX Station: Jesus falls for the third time under the weight of the Cross</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 5:14-15</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
The love of Christ controls us, because we are
convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he
died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
For the third time Jesus falls under the
Cross, burdened with our sins, and for the third time he seeks to get up
again, summoning up the strength that remains to him, so as to continue
his journey towards Golgotha, refusing to let himself be crushed and to
succumb to temptation.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
From the moment of his Incarnation, Jesus
carries the Cross of human suffering and sin. He has fully and eternally
assumed human nature, showing men that victory is possible and that the
path towards divine sonship is open.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
the Church, born from your open side, is oppressed under the Cross of the divisions <br />
that distance Christians from one another and from the unity that you willed for them; <br />
they turn away from your desire "that they may all be one" (<i>Jn</i> 17:21) <br />
as the Father is with you. This cross bears down with all its weight <br />
on their lives and on their common testimony. Grant us, Lord, the wisdom and the humility <br />
to rise once more and to move forward along the path of unity, in truth and love, <br />
without succumbing to the temptation to have recourse merely to the criteria <br />
of personal or sectarian interests, in the face of our divisions (cf. <i>Ecclesia in Medio Oriente</i>, 11).</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Grant that we may renounce the mentality of division, <br />
"lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (<i>1 Cor </i>1:17). <br />
Amen.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<b>X Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 22:19</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
They divide my clothing among them, they cast lots for my robe.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
In the fullness of time, Lord Jesus, you clothed yourself in our humanity, you whose "train filled the temple" (<i>Is</i>
6:1); already, you are walking in our midst, and those who wish to
touch the hem of your garments are healed. But you have been stripped
even of this garment, Lord! They have stolen your cloak and you have
also given us your tunic (cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:40). You have allowed the
veil of your flesh to be torn so that we might once more be admitted
into the Father's presence (cf. <i>Heb</i> 10:19-20).</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
We thought we could find fulfilment by ourselves, independently of you (cf. <i>Gen</i>
3:4-7). We found ourselves naked, but in your infinite love you
reclothed us with the dignity of sons and daughters of God and of his
sanctifying grace.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Bestow, Lord, upon the children of the Eastern
Churches – stripped by various difficulties, sometimes to the point of
persecution, and weakened by emigration – the courage to remain in their
countries to proclaim the Good News.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
O Jesus, Son of Man, <br />
who were stripped so as to reveal to us the new creation raised from the dead, <br />
tear in us the veil that separates us from God and weave in us your divine presence.<br />
Grant us to conquer fear before the events of life <br />
that strip us and leave us naked, and to put on the new man of our Baptism, <br />
in order that we may announce the Good News, proclaiming that you are the only true God <br />
who guides history. Amen.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>XI Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:16a,19</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Then he handed him over to them to be
crucified. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read:
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Behold, the long-awaited Messiah, hanging on
the wood of the cross between two thieves. The two hands which blessed
humanity are pierced. The two feet which trod our earth to proclaim the
Good News are now suspended between earth and heaven. The eyes full of
love, whose gaze healed the sick and forgave our sins, now gaze only
heavenward.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
you were crucified for our sins. You pray to God the Father and you intercede for humanity. <br />
Each hammer blow echoes like a beat of your immolated heart. How beautiful upon the mount of Calvary <br />
are the feet of the One who proclaims the Good News of salvation. <br />
Your love, Jesus, has filled the universe. Your pierced hands <br />
are our refuge in distress. They embrace us <br />
whenever the abyss of sin threatens us, and in your wounds <br />
we find healing and forgiveness.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
O Jesus,<br />
we pray to you for all those young people who are overcome by hopelessness, <br />
for young people who are the victims of drugs, of sects and of perversions.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Free them from their enslavement. <br />
May they lift up their gaze and accept Love. May they find happiness in you; <br />
save them, our Saviour. Amen.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>XII Station: Jesus dies on the cross</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:46</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said:
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And having said this, he
breathed his last.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
From the height of the cross a cry is heard a
cry: a cry of abandonment at the moment of death, a cry of trust amid
suffering, a cry accompanying the birth of a new life. Behold, hanging
on the tree of life, you deliver your spirit into your Father's hands,
causing life to spring up in abundance and forming the new creation. </div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Today we too face the challenges of this world: we sense the surge of
fears which overwhelm us and shake our trust. Grant us, Lord, the
strength to know deep within our heart that no death will conquer us,
until we rest in the hands which have shaped us and accompany us.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
May every one of us be able to cry out:<br />
"Yesterday I was crucified with Christ, today I am glorified with him.<br />
Yesterday I died with him, today I live with him.<br />
Yesterday I was buried with him. Today I have risen with him." (<i>Gregory Nazianzen</i>)</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
In the darkness of our nights, <br />
we contemplate you. Teach us to turn towards the Most High, <br />
your heavenly Father.</div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Today, let us pray<br />
that all those who promote abortion may become aware that love <br />
can only be a source of life. Let us think also of those who defend euthanasia <br />
and those who encourage techniques and procedures <br />
which endanger human life. Open their hearts <br />
to know you in the truth and to work for the building <br />
of the civilization of life and love. Amen.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>XIII Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross and given to his Mother</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:26-27a</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple
whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: "Woman, behold your
son!" Then he said to the disciple: "Behold, your mother!"</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Lord Jesus, those who love you remain at your
side and keep faith. In the hour of your agony and death, when the world
believes that evil triumphs and that the voice of truth, love, justice
and peace is silent, their faith does not fail.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
O Mary, into your hands we place our earth.
"How sad it is to see this blessed land suffer in its children, who
relentlessly tear one another to pieces and die!" (<i>Ecclesia in Medio Oriente</i>,
8). It seems that nothing can overcome evil, terrorism, murder and
hatred. "Before the cross on which your Son stretched out his sinless
hands for our salvation, O Virgin, we fall prostrate this day: grant us
peace" (<i>Byzantine liturgy</i>).</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Let us pray <br />
for the victims of the wars and of the violence which in our days devastate <br />
various countries in the Middle East, as well as other parts of the world. <br />
Let us pray that the displaced and the forced migrants may soon return <br />
to their homes and lands. Grant, Lord, <br />
that the blood of innocent victims may be the seed of a new East, <br />
ever more fraternal, peaceful and just, and that this East <br />
may recover the splendour of its vocation as the cradle of civilization and of spiritual and human values.<br />
Star of the East, show us the coming of the Dawn! <br />
Amen.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b>XIV Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb</b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:39-40</div>
<br />
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him
by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred
pounds weight. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths
with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
Nicodemus receives the body of Christ, he
looks after it and puts it in a tomb in the middle of a garden which
evokes the garden of Creation. Jesus lets himself be buried, even as he
let himself be crucified, in the same abandonment, entirely "delivered"
into the hands of men and "perfectly united" to them, "even to sleeping
beneath the tombstone" (<i>Saint Gregory of Narek</i>).</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
To
accept difficulties, painful events, death, demands steadfast hope,
living faith. The stone placed before the entrance of the
tomb will be overturned and a new life will arise. For "we were buried
with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (<i>Rom </i>6:4) </div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
We have received the freedom of the children
of God, so that we will not return to slavery; life has been given to us
in abundance, so that we will no longer be satisfied with a life
lacking beauty and meaning.</div>
<div align="left" dir="LTR">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: center;">
Lord Jesus, <br />
make us children of the light who do not fear the darkness. <br />
We pray to you today for all those who search for meaning in life <br />
and for all those who have lost hope, that they may have faith in your victory <br />
over sin and death. Amen.</div>
<div class="txt" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="txt">
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
Reference: </h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 4/18/2014.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<br /><span style="color: black;"> </span><h2>
<span style="color: #990000;">Snippet II: Divine Mercy Novena </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: #990000;">(Good Friday Through Divine Mercy Sunday)</span></h2>
<br />
<div class="title" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine
Mercy be
preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on <b> Good
Friday</b>. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the
Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> He said:
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
<i>"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from
such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of
Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for
them is to flee to My Mercy." </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
<i>"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different
group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy
... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My
passion, for the graces for these souls." </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are: </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 1 (Good Friday)
- <span style="color: #351c75;">All mankind, especially sinners
</span> </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) -<span style="color: #073763;"> <span style="color: #351c75;">The souls of priests and religious</span></span>
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 3 (Easter Sunday)
- <span style="color: #351c75;">All devout and faithful souls
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet
know Him
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">The souls of separated brethren</span>
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">The meek and humble souls and the souls of children</span>
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy</span>
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">The souls who are detained in purgatory; </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;">DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - <span style="color: #351c75;">The souls who have become lukewarm</span>.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
<b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>During
the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet of
Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the day's intentions.</b></span></div>
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>First Day - Good Friday</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big><br clear="ALL" />
</big></big></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: black;"><big>Today bring
to Me all mankind, especially all sinners,</big></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>and
immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in
the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, whose very
nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look
upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite
goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate
Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love
which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and
especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate
Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your
mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and
ever. Amen.</span><br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="2"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Second Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big></big><br clear="ALL" />
<b>"</b><big>Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious,</big></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>and
immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to
endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows
out upon mankind."</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes
all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to
Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all
who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen
ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and
endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart
of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and
light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and
with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without
end. Amen.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">* In the original text, Saint Faustina
uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a
consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to
make the prayer suitable for universal use. </span></blockquote>
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="3"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Third Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big></big><br clear="ALL" />
"<big>Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls,</big></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>and immerse them in the ocean of My
mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were
a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness." </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, from the
treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to
each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart
and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most
wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so
fiercely.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as
upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant
protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the
holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may
they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.</span><br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="4"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Fourth Day</big></big><br clear="ALL" />
"<big>Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who
do not know Me, </big></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>I was thinking also of them
during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse
them in the ocean of My mercy.</b></span><b><span style="font-size: small;">" </span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most compassionate Jesus, You are
the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of
those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten
them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy;
and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most
Compassionate Heart.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those
who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but
who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to
the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it
is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your
mercy for endless ages.
Amen.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">*Our Lord's original words here were
"the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has
seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate
terminology.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="5"></a><big><big>Fifth Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big></big><br clear="ALL" />
<b>"</b><big>Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated
themselves from My Church*,</big></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>and
immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore
at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the
Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My
Passion." </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness
Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who
have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into
the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of
Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come
to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those
who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have
squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately
persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the
love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for
their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate
Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for
endless ages. Amen.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">*Our Lord's original words here were
"heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the
context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church
authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance
with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3).
Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina
herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most
certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions
of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our
Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will
insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my
Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with
which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised
her for it.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="6"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Sixth Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big><br clear="ALL" />
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,</big></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">
<b>and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart.
They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels,
who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of
grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself
have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble
souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into
ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a
sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes
delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your
Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn
of love and mercy.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon
humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode
which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the
closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth
and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg
You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in
them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the
praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.</span><br />
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="7"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Seventh Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big></big><br clear="ALL" />
<big>Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My
Mercy*,</big>
</span>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">
<b>and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion
and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My
Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the
next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly
defend each one of them at the hour of death.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is
Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the
souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of
Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself.
In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward,
confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all
mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but
Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify
and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy,
and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These
souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and
their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O
Most High! I beg You O God:<br />
<br />
Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have
placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus,
who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of
death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He,
Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">*The text leads one to conclude that in
the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim"
souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that
is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of
their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close
union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their
invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the
Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine
benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The
Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend
themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="8"></a><big><big>Eighth Day</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big></big><br clear="ALL" />
</span>
<b>"</b><span style="color: black;"><big>Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of
Purgatory,</big>
</span>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b>and immerse them in the
abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their
scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are
making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them
relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and
offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they
suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and
pay off their debt to My justice." </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have
said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to
You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams
of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the
flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be
celebrated.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in
Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I
beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the
bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your
mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in
no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved
Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and
compassion. Amen.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
<br />
<hr />
<span style="color: black;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8540590902020777207" name="9"></a><big><big> </big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big>Ninth Day - Divine Mercy Sunday</big></big></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><big><big> </big><br clear="ALL" />
</big>
</span>
<b>"</b><span style="color: black;"><big>Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,</big>
</span>
<br />
<b>and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls
wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful
loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were
the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be
Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My
mercy." </b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> Most compassionate Jesus, You are
Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid
souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once
again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence
of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow
upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.<br />
<br />
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are
nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of
Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His
three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your
mercy. Amen. </span>
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<h2 class="title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Divine Mercy Litany</span> </h2>
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As
St. Faustina writes, "The Love of God is the flower - Mercy the fruit.
Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and
become trusting."<br />
<br />
Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, crown of all of God's handiwork, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You. <br />
Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You. <br />
+ Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of
compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in
us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become
despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy
will, which is Love and Mercy itself.<br />
+ O incomprehensible and limitless Mercy Divine, To extol and adore
You worthily, who can? Supreme attribute of Almighty God, You are the
sweet hope for sinful man.<br />
Into one hymn yourselves unite, stars, earth and sea, and in one
accord, thankfully and fervently sing of the incomprehensible Divine
Mercy. (Diary, 949)<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Works of Mercy</span></h2>
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Corporal Works of Mercy</h3>
Feed the Hungry<br />
Give Drink to the Thirsty<br />
Clothe the Naked<br />
Shelter the Homeless<br />
Visit the Sick<br />
Ransom the Captive<br />
Bury the Dead</div>
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Spiritual Works of Mercy</h3>
Admonish the Sinner<br />
Instruct the Ignorant<br />
Counsel the Doubtful<br />
Comfort the Sorrowful<br />
Bear Wrongs Patiently<br />
Forgive Injuries<br />
Pray for the Living and the Dead<br />
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In St. Faustina's diary, Christ spoke to her about the importance
of mercy - not just celebrating the feast, but living God's Mercy in
our lives...<br />
<blockquote>
<br />
<i><span class="ji">"<span class="ji">...Yes, the first Sunday after
Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I
demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the
Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means
of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a
reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is
of no avail without works.</span>" (Diary, 742)</span> </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="ji">"My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you
should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My
mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love
for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere.
You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from
it.(Diary, 742)</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="ji">I am giving you three ways of
exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second -
by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the
fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By
this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the
first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be
acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn
celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which
is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls.
It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the
strongest faith is of no avail without works."</span> (Diary, 742)
</i></blockquote>
<br />
Later, St. Faustina describes her understanding of Christ's words to her...<br />
<blockquote>
"The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it all comes down to one:<br />
<br />
<i><b>The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an
offering before God's throne and beg for mercy for the whole world.</b>..
and by their entreaties they will obtain blessings for priests, and
through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>The second is prayer joined to the act of mercy. In particular, they
will defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil.</b> Prayer and
merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls, and even
the poorest persons can be admitted to their number. And in this
egoistic world they will try to rouse up love, the mercy of Jesus.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking
vows.</b> But by doing this, these persons will have a share in all the
merits and privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world
can belong to this group.</i> <i>A member of this group ought to perform at least one act of mercy a day;
at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds can easily be
carried out by anyone, even the very poorest.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><b>For there are three ways
of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by
comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is
mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we
shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the
eternal verdict."</b> (Diary 1155-1158)
</i></blockquote>
<br />
But it wasn't just in honor of the Feast that Christ spoke about His desire for acts of mercy...<br />
<blockquote>
"October 1, 1937. <span class="ji">Daughter, I need sacrifice lovingly
accomplished, because that alone has meaning for Me. Enormous indeed are
the debts of the world which are due to Me; pure souls can pay them by
their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit.</span><br />
<br />
<i>I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: <span class="ji">I
know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything
within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often
worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry
out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither
permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the
grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other,
it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls
knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be
judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy.</span>" (Diary, 1316-7)</i></blockquote>
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References</h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="citation book"><i>Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul</i> by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7 </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="citation book">Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. http://www.sisterfaustina.org/</span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet V:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 6</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">JESUS
BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE. THE SCOURGING AND CROWNING WITH THORNS</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
At the dawn of Friday morning, say
the Evangelists (Matth. 27, 1; Mark 15, 1; Luke 22, 66; John 11, 47),
the ancients, the chief priests and scribes, who according to the law
were looked upon with greatest respect by the people, gathered
together in order to come to a common decision concerning the death
of Christ. This they all desired; however they were anxious to
preserve the semblance of justice before the people. This council was
held in the house of Caiphas, where the Lord was imprisoned. Once
more they commanded Him to be brought from the dungeon to the hall of
the council in order to be examined. The satellites of justice rushed
below to drag Him forth bound and fettered as He was.</div>
<div class="western">
They again asked Him to tell them, whether He was
the Christ (Luke 22, 1), that is, the Anointed. Just as all their
previous questions, so this was put with the malicious determination
not to listen or to admit the truth, but to calumniate and fabricate
a charge against Him. But the Lord, being perfectly willing to die
for the truth, denied it not; at the same time He did not wish to
confess it in such a manner that they could despise it, or borrow out
of it some color for their calumny; for this was not becoming his
innocence and wisdom. Therefore He veiled his answer in such a way,
that if the pharisees chose to yield to even the least kindly
feeling, they would be able to trace up the mystery hidden in his
words; but if they had no such feeling, then should it become clear
through their answer, that the evil which they imputed to Him was the
result of their wicked intentions and lay not in his answer. He
therefore said to them: “If I tell you that I am He of whom you
ask, you will not believe what I say; and if I shall ask you, you
will not answer, nor release Me. But I tell you, that the Son of man,
after this, shall seat Himself at the right hand of the power of God”
(Luke 22, 67). The priests answered: “Then thou art the Son of
God?” and the Lord replied: “You say that I am.”
This was as if He had said: You have made a very correct inference,
that I am the Son of God: for my works, my doctrines, and your own
Scripture, as well as what you are now doing with Me, testify to the
fact that I am the Christ, the One promised in the law.</div>
<div class="western">
But this council of the wicked was not disposed to
assent to divine truth, although they themselves inferred it very
correctly from the antecedents and could easily have believed it.
They would neither give assent nor belief, but preferred to call it a
blasphemy deserving death. Since the Lord had now reaffirmed what He
had said before, they all cried out : “What need have we of
further witnesses, since He himself asserts it by his own lips?’’
And they immediately came to the unanimous conclusion that He should,
as one worthy of death, be brought before Pontius Pilate, who
governed Judea in the name of the Roman emperor and was the temporal
Lord of Palestine.</div>
<div class="western">
The sun had already arisen while these things
happened and the most holy Mother, who saw it all from afar, now
resolved to leave her retreat and follow her divine Son to the house
of Pilate and to his death on the Cross. When the great Queen and
Lady was about to set forth from the Cenacle, saint John arrived in
order to give an account of all that was happening; for the beloved
disciple at that time did not know the visions, by which all the
doings and sufferings of her most holy Son were manifest to the
blessed Mother. After the denial of saint Peter, saint John had
retired and had observed, more from afar what was going on.
Recognizing also the wickedness of his flight in the garden, he
confessed it to the Mother of God and asked her pardon as soon as he
came into her presence; and then he gave an account of all that
passed in his heart and of what he had done and what he had seen in
following his Master. Saint John thought it well to prepare the
afflicted Mother for her meeting with her most holy Son, in order
that She might not be overcome by the fearful spectacle of his
present condition. Therefore He sought to impress Her beforehand with
some image of his sufferings by saying: “O my Lady, in what a
state of suffering is our divine Master! The sight of Him cannot but
break one’s heart; for by the buffets and the blows and by the
spittle, his most beautiful countenance is so disfigured and defiled,
that Thou wilt scarcely recognize Him with thy own eyes.” The
most prudent Lady listened to his description, as if She knew nothing
of the events; but She broke out in bitterest tears of heart–rending
sorrow. The holy women, who had came forth with the Lady, also
listened to saint John, and all of them were filled with grief and
terror at his words. The Queen of heaven asked the Apostle to
accompany Her and the devout women, and, exhorting them all, She
said: “Let us hasten our steps, in order that my eyes may see
the Son of the eternal Father, who took human form in my womb; and
you shall see, my dearest friends, to what the love of mankind has
driven Him, my Lord and God, and what it costs Him to redeem men from
sin and death, and to open for them the gates of heaven.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Queen of heaven set forth through
the streets of Jerusalem accompanied by saint John and by some holy
women. Of these not all, but only the three Marys and other very
pious women, followed Her to the end. With Her were also the angels
of her guard, whom She asked to open a way for Her to her divine Son.
The holy angels obeyed and acted as her guard. On the streets She
heard the people expressing their various opinions and sentiments
concerning the sorrowful events now transpiring in reference to Jesus
of Nazareth. The more kindly hearted lamented over his fate, and they
were fewest in number. Others spake about the intention of his
enemies to crucify Him; others related where He now was and how He
was conducted through the streets, bound as a criminal; others spoke
of the illtreatment He was undergoing; others asked, what evil He had
done, that He should be so misused; others again in their
astonishment and in their doubts, exclaimed: To this then have his
miracles brought Him! Without a doubt they were all impostures, since
He cannot defend or free himself!</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Through the swarming and confused
crowds the angels conducted the Empress of heaven to a sharp turn of
the street, where She met her most holy Son. With the profoundest
reverence She prostrated Herself before his sovereign Person and
adored it more fervently and with a reverence more deep and more
ardent than ever was given or ever shall be given to it by all the
creatures. She arose and then the Mother and Son looked upon each
other with ineffable tenderness, interiorly conversing with each
other in transports of an unspeakable sorrow. The most prudent Lady
stepped aside and then followed Christ our Lord, continuing at a
distance her interior communication with Him and with the eternal
Father. The words of her soul are not for the mortal and corruptible
tongue.</div>
<div class="western">
The image of her divine Son, thus wounded, defiled
and bound, remained so firmly fixed and imprinted in the soul of our
Queen, that during her life it never effaced, and remained in her
mind as distinctly as if She were continually beholding Him with her
own eyes. Christ our God arrived at the house of Pilate, followed by
many of the council and a countless multitude of the people. The
Jews, wishing to preserve themselves as clean before the law as
possible for the celebration of the Pasch and the unleavened bread,
excused themselves before Pilate for their refusing to enter the
pretorium or court of Pilate in presenting Jesus. As most absurd
hypocrites they paid no attention to the sacrilegious uncleanness,
with which their souls were affected in becoming the murderers of the
innocent Godman. Pilate, although a heathen, yielded to their
ceremonic scruples, and seeing that they hesitated to enter his
pretorium, he went out to meet them. According to formality customary
among the Romans, he asked them (John 18, 28): “What accusation
have you against this Man?” They answered: “If He were
not a criminal, we would not have brought Him to thee thus bound and
fettered.” This was as much as to say: We have convinced
ourselves of the misdeeds and we are so attached to justice and to
our obligations, that we would not begun any proceedings against Him,
if He were not a great malefactor. But Pilate pressed his inquiry and
said: “What then are the misdeeds, of which has made Himself
guilty?” They answered: “He is convicted of disturbing
the commonwealth, He wishes to make Himself our king and forbids
paying tribute to Caesar(Luke 23, 2); He claims to be the son of God,
and has preached a new doctrine, commencing in Galilee, through all
Judea and Jerusalem.” “Take Him then yourselves,”
said Pilate, “and judge Him according to your laws; I do not
find a just cause for proceeding against Him.” But the Jews
replied: “It is not permitted us to sentence any one to death,
nor to execute such a sentence.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most holy Mary, with saint John
and the women who followed Her, was present at this interview; for
the holy angels made room for them where they could hear and see all
that was passing. Shielded by her mantle She wept tears of blood,
pressed forth by the sorrow which pierced her virginal heart. In her
interior acts of virtue She faithfully reproduced those practiced by
her most holy Son, while in her pains and endurance She copied those
of his body. She asked the eternal Father to grant Her the favor of
not losing sight of her divine Son, as far as was naturally possible,
until his Death; and this was conceded to Her, excepting during the
time in which He was in prison.</div>
<div class="western">
One of the accusations of the Jews and the priests
before Pilate was, that Jesus our Savior had begun to stir up the
people by his preaching in the province of Galilee (Luke 23, 6). This
caused Pilate to inquire, whether He was a Galileean; and as they
told him, that Jesus was born and raised in that country, he thought
this circumstance useful for the solution of his difficulties in
regard to Jesus and for escaping the molestations of the Jews, who so
urgently demanded his death. Herod was at that time in Jerusalem,
celebrating the Pasch of the Jews. He was the son of the first Herod,
who had murdered the Innocents to procure the death of Jesus soon
after his birth (Matth 2, 16). This murderer had become a proselyte
of the Jews at the time of his marriage with a Jewish woman. On this
account his son Herod likewise observed the law of Moses, and he had
come to Jerusalem from Galilee, of which he was governor. Pilate was
at enmity with Herod, for the two governed the two principal
provinces of Palestine namely, Judea and Galilee, and a short time
before it had happened that Pilate, in his zeal for the supremacy of
the Roman empire, had murdered some Galileeans during a public
function in the temple, mixing the blood of the insurgents with that
of the holy sacrifices. Herod was highly incensed at this sacrilege,
and Pilate, in order to afford him some satisfaction without much
trouble to himself, resolved to send to him Christ the Lord to be
examined and judged as one of the subjects of Herod’s sway.
Pilate also expected that Herod would set Jesus free as being
innocent and a Victim of the malice and envy of the priests and
scribes.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">When Herod was
informed that Pilate would</span> <span lang="en-US">send Jesus of
Nazareth to him, he was highly pleased. He knew that Jesus was a
great friend of John the Baptist whom he had ordered to be put to
death (Mark 6, 27), and had heard many reports of his preaching. In
vain and foolish curiosity he harbored the desire of seeing Jesus do
something new and extraordinary for his entertainment and wonder
(Luke 23, 8). The Author life therefore came into the presence of the
murderer Herod, against whom the blood of the Baptist was calling
more loudly to this same Lord for vengeance, than in its time the
blood of Abel (Gen. 4, 10). But the unhappy adulterer, ignorant of
the terrible judgment of the Almighty, received Him with loud
laughter as an enchanter and conjurer. In this dreadful misconception
he commenced to examine and question Him, persuaded that he could
thereby induce Him to work some miracle to satisfy his curiosity. But
the Master of wisdom and prudence, standing with an humble reserve
before his most unworthy judge, answered him not a word. For on
account of his evil–doing he well merited the punishment of not
hearing the words of life, which he would certainly have heard if he
had been disposed to listen to them with reverence.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The princes and
priests of the Jews stood around, continually rehearsing the same
accusations and charge they had advanced in the presence of Pilate.
But the Lord maintained silence also in regard to these calumnies,
much to the disappointment of Herod. In his presence the Lord would
not open his lips, neither in order to answer his questions, nor in
order to refute the accusations. Herod was altogether unworthy of
hearing the truth, this being his greatest punishment and the
punishment most to be dreaded by all the princes and the powerful of
this earth. Herod was much put out by the silence and meekness of our
Savior and was much disappointed in his vain curiosity. But the
unjust judge tried to</span> <span lang="en-US">hide his confusion by
mocking and ridiculing the innocent Master with his whole cohort of
soldiers and ordering him to be sent back to Pilate.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Pilate was again
confronted with Jesus in his palace and was bestormed anew by the
Jews to condemn Him to death of the cross. Convinced of the innocence
of Christ and of the mortal envy of the Jews, he was much put out at
Herod’s again referring the disagreeable decision to his own
tribunal. Feeling himself obliged in his quality of judge to give
this decision, he sought to placate the Jews in different ways. One
of these was a private interview with some of the servants and
friends of the highpriests and priests. He urged them to prevail upon
their masters and friends, not any more to ask for the release of the
malefactor Barabbas, but instead demand the release of our Redeemer;
and to be satisfied with some punishment he was willing to administer
before setting Him free. This measure Pilate had taken before they
arrived a second time to press their demand for a sentence upon
Jesus. The proposal to choose between freeing either Barabbas or
Jesus was made to the Jews, not only once, but two or three times.
The first time before sending Him to Herod and the second time after
his return; this is related by the Evangelists with some variation,
though not essentially contradicting truth (Matth. 27, 17). Pilate
spoke to the Jews and said: “You have brought this Man before
me, accusing Him of perverting the people by his doctrines; and
having examined Him in your presence, I was not convinced of the
truth of your accusations. And Herod, to whom I have sent Him and
before whom you repeated your accusations, refused to condemn Him to
death. It will be sufficient to correct and chastise Him for the
present, in order that He may amend. As I am to release some
malefactor for the feast of the Pasch, I will</span> <span lang="en-US">release
Christ, if you will have Him freed, and punish Barabbas.” But
the multitude of the Jews, thus informed how much Pilate desired to
set Jesus free, shouted with one voice: “Enough, enough, not
Christ, but Barabbas deliver unto us.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">While Pilate was
thus disputing with the Jews in the pretorium, his wife, Procula,
happened to hear of his doings and she sent him a message telling
him: “What hast thou to do with this Man? Let him go free: for
I warn thee that I have had this very day some visions in regard to
Him!” This warning of Procula originated through the activity
of Lucifer and his demons. For they, observing all that was happening
in regard to the person of Christ and the unchangeable patience with
which He bore all injuries, were more and more confused and staggered
in their rabid fury. Despairing of success the demons</span> <span lang="en-US">betook
themselves to the wife of Pilate and spoke to her in dreams,
representing to her that this Man was just and without guilt, that if
her husband should sentence Him he would be deprived of his rank and
she herself would meet with great adversity. They urged her to advise
Pilate to release Jesus and punish Barabbas, if she did not wish to
draw misfortune upon their house and their persons.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Procula was filled
with great fear and terror at these visions, and as soon as she heard
what was passing between the Jews and her husband, she sent him the
message mentioned by saint Matthew, not to meddle with this Man nor
condemn One to death, whom she told to be just. The demon also
injected similar misgivings into the mind of Pilate and these
warnings of his wife only</span> <span lang="en-US">increased them.
Yet, as all his considerations rested upon</span> <span lang="en-US">worldly
policy, and as he had not co–operated with the true helps given
him by the Savior, all these fears retarded his unjust proceedings
only so long as no other more powerful consideration arose, as will
be seen in effect. But just now he began for the third time to argue</span>
<span lang="en-US">(as saint Luke tells us), insisting upon the
innocence of Christ our Lord and that he found no crime in Him nor
any guilt worthy of death, and therefore he would punish and then
dismiss Him (Luke 23, 22). As we shall see in the next chapter, he
did really punish Christ in order to see whether the Jews would be
satisfied. But the Jews, on the contrary, demanded that Christ be
crucified. Thereupon Pilate asked for water and released Barabbas.
Then he washed his hands in the presence of all the people, saying:
“I have no share in the death of this just Man, whom you
condemn. Look to yourselves in what you are doing, for I wash my
hands in order</span> <span lang="en-US">that you may understand they
are not sullied in the blood of the Innocent.” Pilate thought
that by this ceremony he could excuse himself entirely and that he
thereby could put its blame upon the princes of the Jews and upon the
people who demanded it. The wrath of the Jews was so blind and
foolish that for the satisfaction of seeing Jesus crucified, they
entered upon this agreement with Pilate and took upon themselves and
upon their children the responsibility for this crime. Loudly
proclaiming this terrible sentence and curse, they exclaimed: “His
blood come upon us and upon our children” (Matth. 27, 25).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In the house of
Pilate, through the ministry of the holy angels, our Queen was placed
in such a position that She could hear the disputes of the iniquitous
judge with the scribes and priests concerning the innocence of Christ
our Savior, and concerning the release of Barabbas in preference to
Him. All the clamors of these human tigers She heard in silence and
admirable meekness, as the living counterpart of her most holy Son.
Although She preserved the unchanging propriety modesty of her
exterior, all the malicious words of the Jews pierced her sorrowful
heart like a two–edged sword. But the voices of her unspoken
sorrows resounded in</span> <span lang="en-US">the</span> <span lang="en-US">ears
of the eternal Father more pleasantly and sweetly than the
lamentation of the beautiful Rachel who, as Jeremias says, was
beweeping her children because they cannot be restored (Jer. 31, 15).
Our most beautiful Rachel the purest Mary, sought not revenge, but
pardon for her enemies, who were depriving Her of the Onlybegotten of
the Father and her only Son. She imitated all the actions of the most
holy Soul of Christ and accompanied Him in the works of most exalted
holiness and perfection; for neither could her torments hinder her
charity, nor her affliction diminish her fervor, nor could the tumult
distract her attention, nor the outrageous injuries of the multitudes
prevent her interior recollection: under all circumstances She
practiced the most exalted virtues in the most eminent degree.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Such</span> <span lang="en-US">was
the implacable fury of the priests and confederates, the pharisees,
against the Author of life. For Lucifer, despairing of being able to
hinder his murder by the Jews, inspired them with his own dreadful
malice and outrageous cruelty. Pilate, placed between the known truth
and his human and terrestrial considerations, chose to follow the
erroneous leading of the latter, and ordered Jesus to be severely
scourged, though he had himself declared Him free from guilt (John
19, 1). Thereupon those ministers of satan, with many others, brought
Jesus our Savior to the place of punishment, which was a courtyard or
enclosure attached to the house and set apart for the torture of
criminals in order to force them to confess their crimes. It was
surrounded by a low, open building, surrounded by columns, some of
which supported the roof, while others were lower and stood free. To
one of these columns, which was of marble, they bound Jesus very
securely; for they still thought Him a magician and feared his
escape.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
They first took off the white garment
with not less ignominy than when they clothed Him therein in the
house of the adulterous homicide Herod. In loosening the ropes and
chains, which He had borne since his capture in the garden, they
cruelly widened the wounds which his bonds had made in his arms and
wrists. Having freed his hands, they commanded Him with infamous
blasphemies to despoil Himself of the seamless tunic which He wore.
This was the identical garment with which his most blessed Mother had
clothed Him in Egypt when He first began to walk.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thus the Lord stood uncovered in the
presence of a great multitude and the six torturers bound Him
brutally to one of the columns in order to chastise Him so much the
more at their ease. Then, two and two at a time, they began to
scourge Him with such inhuman cruelty, as was possible only in men
possessed by Lucifer as were these executioners. The first two
scourged the innocent Savior with hard and thick cords, full of rough
knots, and in their sacrilegious fury strained all the powers of
their body to inflict the blows. This first scourging raised in the
deified body of the Lord great welts and livid tumors, so that the
sacred blood gathered beneath the skin and disfigured his entire
body. Already it began to ooze through the wounds. The first two
having at length desisted, the second pair continued the scourging in
still greater emulation; with hardened leather thongs they leveled
their strokes upon the places already sore and caused the discolored
tumors to break open and shed forth the sacred blood until it
bespattered and drenched the garments of the sacrilegious torturers,
running down also in streams to the pavement. Those two gave way to
the third pair of scourgers, who commenced to beat the Lord with
extremely tough rawhides, dried hard like osier twigs. They scourged
Him still more cruelly, because they were wounding, not so much his
virginal body, as cutting into the wounds already produced by the
previous scourging. Besides they had been secretly incited to greater
fury by the demons, who were filled with new rage at the patience of
Christ.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">As the veins of
the sacred body had now been opened and his whole Person seemed but
one continued wound, the third pair found no more room for new
wounds. Their ceaseless blows inhumanly tore the immaculate and
virginal flesh of Christ our Redeemer and scattered many pieces of it
about the pavement; so much so that a large portion of the
shoulder–bones were exposed and showed red through the flowing
blood: in other places also the bones were laid bare larger than the
palm of the hand. In order to wipe out entirely that beauty, which
exceeded that of all other men (Ps. 44, 3), they beat Him in the face
and in the feet and hands, thus leaving unwounded not a single spot
in which they could exert their fury and wrath against the most
innocent Lamb. The divine blood flowed to the ground, gathering here
and there in great abundance. The scourging in the face, and in the
hands and feet, was unspeakably painful, because these parts are so
full of sensitive and delicate nerves. His venerable countenance
became so swollen and wounded that the blood and the swellings
blinded Him. In addition to their blows the executioners spirted upon
his Person their disgusting spittle and loaded Him with insulting
epithets (Thren. 3, 30). The exact number of blows dealt out to the
Savior from head to foot was 5,115. The great Lord and Author of all
creation who, by his divine nature was incapable of suffering, was,
in his human flesh and for our sake, reduced to a man of sorrows as
prophesied, and was made to experience</span> <span lang="en-US">our
infirmities, becoming the last of men (Is. 53, 3), a man of sorrows
and the outcast of the people.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The multitudes who
had followed the Lord, filled up the courtyard of Pilate’s
house and the surrounding streets; for all of them waited for the
issue of this event, discussing and arguing about it according to
each one’s views. Amid all this confusion the Virgin Mother
endured unheard of insults, and She</span> <span lang="en-US">was
deeply afflicted</span> <span lang="en-US">by</span> <span lang="en-US">the
injuries and blasphemies heaped upon her divine Son by the Jews and
gentiles. When they brought Jesus to the scourging place She retired
in the company of the Marys and saint John to a corner of the
courtyard. Assisted by her divine visions, She there witnessed the
scourging and the torments of our Savior. Although She did not see it
with the eyes of her body nothing was</span> <span lang="en-US">hidden
to Her, no more than if She had been standing quite near. Human
thoughts cannot comprehend how great and how diverse were the
afflictions and sorrows of the great Queen and Mistress of the
angels: together with many other mysteries of the Divinity they shall
become manifest in the next life, for the glory of the Son and
Mother. I have already mentioned in other places of this history, and
especially in that of the Passion, that the blessed Mother felt in
her own body the torments of her Son. This was true also of the
scourging, which She felt in all the parts of her virginal body, in
the same intensity as they were felt by Christ in his body. Although
She shed no blood except what flowed from her eyes with her tears,
nor was lacerated in her flesh; yet the bodily pains so changed and
disfigured Her, that saint John and the holy women failed to find in
Her any resemblance of Herself. Besides the tortures of the body She
suffered ineffable sorrows of the soul; there sorrow was augmented in
proportion to the immensity of her insight (Eccles. 1, 18). For her
sorrow flowed not only from the natural love of a mother and a
supreme love of Christ as her God, but it was proportioned to her
power of judging more accurately than all creatures of the innocence
of Christ, the dignity of his divine Person, the atrocity of the
insults coming from the perfidious Jews and the children of Adam,
whom He was freeing from eternal death.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Thereupon they
took Jesus to the pretorium, where, with the same cruelty and
contempt, they again despoiled him of his garments and in order to
deride Him before all the people as a counterfeit king, clothed in a
much torn and soiled mantle of purple color. They placed also upon
his sacred head a cap made of woven thorns, to serve Him as a crown
(John 19, 2). This cap was woven of thorn branches and in such a
manner that many of the hard and sharp thorns would penetrate into
the skull, some of them to the ears and others to the eyes. Hence one
of the greatest tortures suffered by the Lord was that of the crown
of thorns. Instead</span> <span lang="en-US">of a sceptre they placed
into his hands a contemptible</span> <span lang="en-US">reed. They
also</span> <span lang="en-US">threw over His shoulders a violet
colored mantle, something of the style of capes worn in churches; for
such a garment belonged to the vestiture</span> <span lang="en-US">of
a king. In this array of a mock–king the perfidious Jews decked
out Him, who by his nature and by every right was the King of kings
and the Lord of lords (Apoc. 19, 16). Then all the soldiers, in the
presence of the priests and pharisees, gathered around Him and heaped
upon Him their blasphemous mockery and derision. Some of them bent
their knees and mockingly said to Him: God save Thee, King of the
Jews. Others buffeted Him; others snatched the cane from his hands
and struck Him on his crowned head; others ejected their disgusting
spittle upon Him; all of them, instigated by furious</span> <span lang="en-US">demons,
insulted and affronted Him in different manners.</span></div>
<div class="western">
It seemed to Pilate that the spectacle of a man so
illtreated as Jesus of Nazareth would move and fill shame the hearts
of that ungrateful people. He therefore commanded Jesus to be brought
from the pretorium to an open window, where all could see Him crowned
with thorns, disfigured by the scourging and the ignominious
vestiture of a mock–king. Pilate himself spoke to the people,
calling out to them: “Ecce Homo,” “Behold, what a
man!” (John 19, 5). See this Man, whom you hold as your enemy!
What can I do with Him than to have punished Him in this severe
manner? You certainly have nothing more to fear from Him.</div>
<div class="western">
When the Blessed among women, most holy Mary, saw
her divine Son as Pilate showed Him to the people and heard him say:
“Ecce homo!” She fell upon her knees and openly adored
Him as the true Godman. The same was also done by saint John and the
women, together with all the holy angels of the Queen and Lady; for
they saw that not only Mary, as the Mother of the Savior, but that
God himself desired them thus to act.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962839"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Think well, then,
my dearest, which of these thou wishest to choose in the sight of my
Son and me. If thou seest thy Redeemer, thy Spouse and thy Chief
tormented, afflicted, crowned with thorns and saturated with
reproaches and at the same time desirest to have a part in Him and be
a member of his mystical body, it is not becoming, or even possible,
that thou live steeped in the pleasures of the flesh. Thou must be
the persecuted and not a persecutor, the oppressed and not the
oppressor; the one that bears the cross, that encounters the scandal
and not that gives it; the one that suffers, and at the same time
makes none of the neighbors suffer. On the contrary, thou must exert
thyself for their conversion and salvation in as far as is compatible
with the perfection of thy state and vocation. This is the portion of
the friends of God and the inheritance of his children in mortal
life, in this consists the participation in grace and glory; which by
his torments and reproaches and by his death of the Cross my Son and
Lord has purchased for them. I too have co–operated in this
work and have paid the sorrrows and afflictions, which thou hast
understood and which I wish thou shalt never allow to be blotted out
from my inmost memory. The Almighty would indeed have</span> <span lang="en-US">been
powerful enough to exalt his predestined in this world, to give them
riches and favors beyond those of</span> <span lang="en-US">others,
to make them strong as lions for reducing the rest of mankind to
their invincible power. But it was inopportune to exalt them in this
manner, in order that men might not be led into the error of thinking
that greatness consists in what is visible and happiness in earthly
goods; lest, being induced to forsake and obscure the glory of the
Lord, they fail to experience the efficacy of divine grace and cease
to aspire toward spiritual and eternal things. This is the science I
wish thee to study continually and in which thou must advance day by
day, putting into practice all that thou learnest to understand and
know.</span></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962840"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 7</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
WAY OF THE CROSS</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The sentence of Pilate against our
Savior having been published in a loud voice before all the people,
the executioners loaded the heavy Cross, on which He was to be
crucified, upon his tender and wounded shoulders. In order that He
might carry it they loosened the bonds holding his hands, but not the
others, since they wish to drag Him along by the loose ends of the
ropes bound his body. In order to torment Him the more they drew two
loops around his throat. The Cross was fifteen feet long, of thick
and heavy timbers. The herald began to proclaim the sentence and the
whole confused and turbulent multitude of the people, the
executioners and soldiers, with great noise, uproar and disorder
began to move from the house of Pilate to mount Calvary through the
streets of Jerusalem. The Master and Redeemer of the world, Jesus,
before receiving the Cross looked upon it with a countenance full of
extreme joy and exultation such as would be shown by a bridegroom
looking at the rich adornments of his bride, and on receiving it, He
addressed it as follows:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">O Cross,
beloved of my soul, now prepared and ready to still my longings, come
to Me, that I may be received in thy arms, and that, attached to them
as on an altar, I may be accepted by the eternal Father as the
sacrifice of his everlasting reconciliation with the human race. In
order to die upon thee, I have descended from heaven and assumed
mortal and passible flesh; for thou art to be the sceptre with which
I shall triumph over all my enemies, the key with which I shall open
the gates of heaven for all the predestined (Is. 22, 22), the
sanctuary</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">in
which the guilty sons of Adam shall find mercy and the treasurehouse
for the enrichment of their poverty. Upon thee I desire to exalt and
recommend dishonor and reproach among men, in order that my friends
embrace them with joy, seek them with anxious longings, and follow Me
on the path which I through thee shall open up before them. My Father
and eternal God, I confess Thee as the Lord of heaven and earth
(Matth. 11, 25), subjecting Myself to thy power and to thy divine
wishes, I take upon my shoulders the wood for the sacrifice of my
innocent and passible humanity and I accept it willingly for the
salvation of men. Receive Thou, eternal Father, this sacrifice as
acceptable to thy justice, in order that from today on they may not
any more be servants, but sons and heirs of thy kingdom together with
Me” (Rom. 8, 17).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">None of these
sacred mysteries and happenings were hidden from the great Lady of
the world, Mary; for she had a most intimate knowledge and
understanding of them, far beyond that of all the angels. The events,
which She could not see with the eyes of her body, She perceived by
her intelligence and revealed science, which manifested to Her the
interior operation of her most holy Son. By this divine light She
recognized the infinite value of the wood of the Cross after it had
come in contact with the deified humanity of Jesus our Redeemer.
Immediately She venerated and adored it in a manner befitting it. The
same was also done by the heavenly spirits attending upon the Queen.
She imitated her divine Son in the tokens of affections, with which
He received the Cross, addressing it in the words suited to her
office as Coadjutrix of the Redeemer. By her prayers to the eternal
Father She followed Him in his exalted sentiments as the living
original and exemplar, without failing in the least point. When She
heard the voice of the herald publishing and rehearsing the sentence
through the streets, the heavenly Mother in protest against the
accusations contained in the sentence and in the form of comments on
the glory and honor of the Lord, composed a canticle of praise
worship of the innocence and sinlessness of her all–holy Son
and God. The most loving Mother was so admirably faithful in her
sufferings and in imitating the example of Christ our God, that She
never permitted Herself any easement either of her bodily pains, such
as rest, nourishment, or sleep; nor any relaxation of the spirit,
such as any consoling thoughts or considerations, except</span> <span lang="en-US">when
She was visited from on high by divine influence. Then only would She
humbly and thankfully accept relief, in order that She might recover
strength to attend still more fervently to the object of her sorrows
and to the cause of his sufferings. The same wise consideration She
applied to the malicious behavior of the Jews and their servants, to
the needs of the human race, to their threatening ruin, and to the
ingratitude of men, for whom He suffered. Thus She perfectly and
intimately knew of all these things and felt it more deeply than all
the creatures.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Another hidden and
astonishing miracle was wrought by the right hand of God through the
instrumentality of the blessed Mary against Lucifer and his infernal
spirits. It took place in the following manner: The dragon and his
associates, though they could not understand the humiliation of the
Lord, were most attentive to all that happened in the Passion of the
Lord. Now, when</span> <span lang="en-US">He took upon Himself the
Cross, all these enemies felt a new and mysterious tremor and
weakness, which caused in them great consternation and confused
distress. Conscious of these unwonted and invincible feelings the
prince of darkness feared, that in the Passion and Death of Christ
our Lord some dire and irreparable destruction of his reign was
imminent. In order not to be overtaken by it in the presence of
Christ our God, the dragon resolved to retire and fly with all his
followers to the caverns of hell. But when he sought to execute this
resolve, he was prevented by the great Queen and Mistress of all
creation; for the Most High, enlightening Her and intimating to Her
what She was to do, at the same time invested Her with his power. The
heavenly Mother, turning toward Lucifer and his squadrons, by her
imperial command hindered them from flying; ordering them to await
and witness the Passion to the end on mount Calvary. The demons could
not resist the command of the mighty Queen; for they recognized and
felt the divine power operating in Her. Subject to her sway they
followed Christ as so many prisoners dragged along in chains to
Calvary, where the eternal wisdom had decreed to triumph over from
the throne of the Cross, as we shall see later on. There is nothing
which can exemplify the discouragement and dismay, which from that
moment began to oppress Lucifer and his demons. According to our way
of speaking, they walked along to Calvary like</span> <span lang="en-US">criminals
condemned to a terrible death, and seized by the dismay and
consternation of an inevitable punishment.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The executioners, bare of all human
compassion and kindness, dragged our Savior Jesus along with
incredible cruelty and insults. Some of them jerked Him forward by
the ropes in order to accelerate his passage, while others pulled
from behind in order to retard it. On account of this jerking and the
weight of the Cross they caused Him to sway to and fro and often to
fall to the ground. By the hard knocks He thus received on the rough
stones great wounds were opened, especially on the two knees and they
were widened at each repeated fall. The heavy Cross also inflicted a
wound on the shoulder on which it was carried. The unsteadiness
caused the Cross sometimes to knock against his sacred head, and
sometimes the head against the Cross; thus the thorns of his crown
penetrated deeper and wounded the parts, which they had not yet
reached. To these torments of the body the ministers of evil added
many insulting words and execrable affronts, ejecting their impure
spittle and throwing the dirt of the pavement into his face so
mercilessly, that they blinded the eyes that looked upon them with
such divine mercy. Thus they of their own account condemned
themselves to the loss of the graces, with which his very looks were
fraught. By the haste with which they dragged Him along in their
eagerness to see Him die, they did not allow Him to catch his breath;
for his most innocent body, having been in so few hours overwhelmed
with such a storm of torments, was so weakened and bruised that to
all appearances He was ready to yield up life under his pains and
sorrows.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">From the house of
Pilate the sorrowful and stricken Mother followed with the multitudes
on the way of her divine Son, accompanied by saint John and the pious
women. As the surging crowds hindered Her from getting very near to
the Lord, She asked the eternal Father to be permitted to stand at
the foot of the Cross of her blessed Son and see Him die with her own</span>
<span lang="en-US">eyes. With the divine consent She ordered her
angels to manage things in such a way as to make it possible for her
to execute her wishes. The holy angels obeyed Her with great
reverence; and they speedily led the Queen through some bystreet, in
order that She might meet her Son. Thus it came that both of Them met
face to face in sweetest recognition of each Other and in mutual
renewal of each other’s interior sorrows. Yet They did not
speak to one another, nor would the fierce cruelty of the
executioners have permitted such interaction. But the most prudent
Mother adored her divine Son and true God, laden with the Cross; and
interiorly besought Him, that, since She could not relieve him of the
weight of the Cross since She was not permitted to command her holy
angels to lighten it, He would inspire these ministers of cruelty to
procure some one for his assistance. This prayer was heard by the
Lord Christ ; and so it happened, that Simon of Cyrene was afterwards
impressed to carry the Cross with the Lord (Matth. 27,</span> <span lang="en-US">32).
The pharisees and the executioners were moved to this measure, some
of them out of natural compassion, others for fear lest Christ, the
Author of life, should lose his life by exhaustion before it could be
taken from Him on the Cross.</span></div>
<div class="western">
Beyond all human thought and estimation was the
sorrow of the most sincere Dove and Virgin Mother while She thus
witnessed with her own eyes her Son carrying the Cross to Mount
Calvary; for She alone could fittingly know and love Him according to
his true worth. It would have been impossible for Her to live through
this ordeal, if the divine power had not strengthened Her and
preserved Her life. With bitterest sorrow She addressed the Lord and
spoke to Him in her heart: “My Son and eternal God, light of my
eyes and life of my soul, receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of my not
being able to relieve Thee of the burden of the Cross and carry it
myself, who am a daughter of Adam; for it is I who should die upon it
in love of Thee, as Thou now wishest to die in most ardent love of
the human race. O most loving Mediator between guilt and justice! How
dost Thou cherish mercy in the midst of so great injuries and such
heinous offenses! O charity without measure or bounds, which permits
such torments and affronts in order to afford it a wider scope for
its ardor and efficacy! O infinite and sweetest love, would that
hearts and the wills of men were all mine, so that they could give no
such thankless return for all that Thou endurest! O who will speak to
the hearts of the mortals to teach them what they owe to Thee, since
Thou hast paid so dearly for their salvation from ruin!”</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962841"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
I desire that the fruit of the
obedience with which thou writest the history of my life shall be,
that thou become a true disciple of my most holy Son and of myself.
The main purpose of the exalted and venerable mysteries, which are
made known to thee, and of the teachings, which I so often repeat to
thee, is that thou deny and strip thyself, estranging thy heart from
all affection to creatures, neither wishing to posses them nor accept
them for other uses. By this precaution thou wilt overcome the
impediments, which the devils seek to place in the way of the
dangerous softness of thy nature. I who know thee, thus advise and
lead thee by the way of instruction and correction as Mother and
Instructress. By the divine teaching thou knowest the mysteries of
the Passion and Death of Christ and the one true way of life, which
is the Cross; and thou knowest that not all who are called, are
chosen. Many there are who wish to follow Christ and very few who
truly dispose themselves to imitate Him; for as soon as they feel the
sufferings of the Cross they cast it aside. Laborious exertions are
very painful and averse to human nature according to the flesh; and
the fruits of the spirit are more hidden and few guide themselves by
the light. On this account there are so many among mortals, who,
forgetful of the eternal truths, seek the flesh; and the continual
indulgence of its pleasures. They ardently seek honors and fly from
injuries: they strive after riches, and condemn poverty; they long
after pleasure and dread mortification. All these are enemies of the
Cross of Christ (Phil. 3, 18), and with dreadful aversion they fly
from it, deeming it sheer ignominy, just like those who crucified
Christ, the Lord.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Another deceit has spread through the
world: many imagine that they are following Christ their Master,
though they neither suffer affliction nor engage in any exertion or
labor. They are content with avoiding boldness in committing sins,
and place all their perfection in a certain prudence or hollow
self–love, which prevents them from denying anything to their
will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh. They
would easily escape this deception, if they would consider that my
Son was not only the Redeemer, but their Teacher; and that He left in
this world the treasures of his Redemption not only as a remedy
against its eternal ruin, but as a necessary medicine for the
sickness of sin in human nature. No one knew so much as my Son and
Lord; no one could better understand the quality of love than the
divine Lord, who was and is wisdom and charity itself; and no one was
more able to fulfill all his wishes (I John 4, 16). Nevertheless,
although He well could do it, He chose not a life of softness and
ease for the flesh, but one full of labors and pains; for He judged
his instructions to be incomplete and insufficient to redeem man, if
He failed teach them how to overcome the demon, the flesh and their
own self. He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent victory is
gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the
acceptance of contempt: all of which are the trademarks and evidences
of true love and the special watchwords of the predestined.</div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962842"></a>
Book 6, Chapter 8<br /><br />THE CRUCIFIXION</h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our Savior then, the new and true
Isaac, the Son of the eternal Father, reached the mountain of
sacrifice, which is the same one to which his prototype and figure,
Isaac, was brought by the patriarch Abraham (Gen. 22, 9). Upon the
most innocent Lamb of God was to be executed the rigor of the
sentence, which had been suspended in favor of the son of the
Patriarch. Mount Calvary was held to be a place of defilement and
ignominy, as being reserved for the chastisement of condemned
criminals, whose cadavers spread around it their stench and attached
to it a still more evil fame. Our most loving Jesus arrived at its
summit so worn out, wounded, torn and disfigured, that He seemed
altogether transformed into an object of pain and sorrows.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When the most prudent Mother
perceived that now the mysteries of the Redemption were to be
fulfilled and that the executioners were about to strip Jesus of his
clothes for crucifixion, She turned in spirit to the eternal Father
and prayed as follows: “My Lord and eternal God, Thou art the
Father of thy onlybegotten Son. By eternal generation He is
engendered, God of the true God, namely Thyself, and as man He was
born of my womb and received from me this human nature, in which He
now suffers. I have nursed and sustained Him at my own breast; and as
the best sons that ever can be born of any creature, I love Him with
maternal love. As his Mother I have a natural right in the Person of
his most holy humanity and thy Providence will never infringe upon
any rights held by thy creatures. This right of a Mother then, I now
yield to Thee and once more place in thy hands thy and my Son as a
sacrifice for the Redemption of man. Accept, my Lord, this pleasing
offering, since this is more than I can ever offer by submitting my
own self as a victim or to suffering. This sacrifice is greater, not
only because my Son is the true God and of thy own substance but
because this sacrifice costs me a much greater sorrow and pain. For
if the lots were changed and I should be permitted to die in order to
preserve his most life, I would consider it a great relief and the
fulfillment of my dearest wishes.” The eternal Father this
received prayer of the exalted Queen with ineffable pleasure and
complacency. The patriarch Abraham was permitted to go no further
than to prefigure and attempt the sacrifice of a son, because the
real execution of such a sacrifice God reserved to Himself and to his
Onlybegotten. Nor was Sara, the mother of Isaac, informed of the
mystical ceremony, this being prevented not only by the promptitude
of Abraham’s obedience, but also because he mistrusted, lest
the maternal love of Sara, though she was a just and holy woman,
should impel her to prevent the execution of the divine command. But
not so was it with most holy Mary, to whom the eternal Father could
fearlessly manifest his unchangeable will in order that She might, as
far as her powers were concerned, unite with Him in the sacrifice of
his Onlybegotten.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
It was already the sixth hour, which
corresponds to our noontime, and the executioners, intending to
crucify the Savior naked, despoiled Him of the seamless tunic and of
his garments. As the tunic was large and without opening in front,
they pulled it over the head of Jesus without taking off the crown of
thorns; but on account of the rudeness with which they proceeded,
they inhumanly tore off the crown with the tunic. Thus they opened
anew all the wounds of his head, and in some of them remained the
thorns, which, in spite of their being so hard and sharp, were
wrenched off by the violence with which the executioners despoiled
Him of his tunic and, with it, of the crown. With heartless cruelty
they again forced it down upon his sacred head, opening up wounds
upon wounds. By the rude tearing off of the tunic were renewed also
the wounds of his whole body, since the tunic had dried into the open
places and its removal was, as David says, adding new pains to his
wound (Ps. 68, 27). Four times during the Passion did they despoil
Jesus of his garments and again vest Him. The first time in order to
scourge him at the pillar; the second time in order to clothe Him in
the mock purple; the third when they took this off in order to clothe
Him in his tunic; the fourth, when they finally took away his
clothes. This last was the most painful, because his wounds were more
numerous, his holy humanity was much weakened, and there was less
shelter against the sharp wind on mount Calvary; for also this
element was permitted to increase the sufferings of his
death–struggle by sending its cold blasts across the mount.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The holy Cross was lying on the
ground and the executioners were busy making the necessary
preparations for crucifying Him and the two thieves. In the meanwhile
our Redeemer and Master prayed to the Father in the following terms:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-GB">Eternal
Father and my Lord God, to the incomprehensible Majesty of thy
infinite goodness and justice I offer my entire humanity and all that
according to thy will it has accomplished in descending from thy
bosom to assume passible and mortal flesh for the Redemption of men,
my brethren. I offer Thee, Lord, with Myself, also my most loving
Mother, her love, her most perfect works, her sorrows, her
sufferings, her anxious and prudent solicitude in serving Me,
imitating Me and accompanying Me unto death. I offer Thee the little
flock of my Apostles, the holy Church and congregation of the
faithful, such as it is now and as it shall be to the end of the
world; and with it I offer to Thee all the mortal children of Adam.
All this I place in thy hands as the true and almighty Lord and God.
As far as my wishes are concerned, I suffer and die for all, and I
desire that all shall be saved, under the condition that all follow
Me and profit of my Redemption. Thus may they pass from the slavery
of the devil to be thy children, my brethren and co–heirs of
the grace merited by Me. Especially, O my Lord, do I offer to Thee
the poor, despised and afflicted, who are my friends and who follow
Me on the way to the Cross. I desire that the just and the
predestined be written in thy eternal memory. I beseech Thee, my
Father, to withhold thy chastisement and not to raise the scourge of
thy justice over men; let them not be punished as they merit for
their sins. Be Thou from now on their Father as Thou art mine. I
beseech Thee also, that they may be helped to ponder upon my Death in
pious affection and be enlightened from above; and I pray for those
who are persecuting Me, in order that they may be converted to the
truth. Above all do I ask Thee for the exaltation of thy ineffable
and most holy name.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
This prayer and supplication of our
Savior were known to the most blessed Mother, and She imitated Him
and made the same petitions to the Father in as far as She was
concerned. The most prudent Virgin never forgot or disregarded the
first word which She had heard from the mouth of her divine Son as an
infant: “Become like unto Me, my Beloved.” His promise,
that in return for the new human existence which She had given Him in
her virginal womb, He would, by his almighty power, give Her a new
existence of divine and eminent grace above all other creatures, was
continually fulfilled.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order to find the places for the
auger–holes on the Cross, the executioners haughtily commanded
the Creator of the universe (O dreadful temerity!), to stretch
Himself out upon it. The Teacher of humility obeyed without
hesitation. But they, following their inhuman instinct of cruelty,
marked the places for the holes, not according to the size of his
body, but larger, having in mind a new torture for their Victim. This
inhuman intent was known to the Mother of light, and the knowledge of
it was one of the greatest afflictions of her chastest heart during
the whole Passion. She saw through the intentions of these ministers
of sin and She anticipated the torments to be endured by her beloved
Son when his limbs should be wrenched from their sockets in being
nailed to the Cross. But She could not do anything to prevent it, as
it was the will of the Lord to suffer these pains for men. When He
rose from the Cross and they set about boring the holes, the great
Lady approached and took hold of one of his hands, adoring Him and
kissing it with greatest reverence. The executioners allowed this
because they thought that the sight of his Mother would cause so much
the greater affliction to the Lord; for they wished to spare Him no
sorrow they could cause Him. But they were ignorant of the hidden
mysteries; for the Lord during his Passion had no greater source of
consolation and interior joy than to see in the soul of his most
blessed Mother, the beautiful likeness of Himself and the full fruits
of his Passion and Death. This joy, to a certain extent, comforted
Christ our Lord also in that hour.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Presently one of the executioners
seized the hand of Jesus our Savior and placed it upon the auger–hole
while another hammered a large and rough nail through the palm. The
veins and sinews were torn, and the bones of the sacred hand, which
made the heavens and all that exists, were forced apart. When they
stretched out the other hand, they found that it did not reach up to
the auger–hole; for the sinews of the other arm had been
shortened and the executioners had maliciously set the holes too far
apart, as I have mentioned above. In order to overcome the
difficulty, they took the chain with which the Savior had been bound
in the garden, and looping one end through a ring around his wrist,
they, with unheard of cruelty, pulled the hand over the hole and
fastened it with another nail. Thereupon they seized his feet, and
placing them one above the other, they tied the same chain around
both and stretched them with barbarous ferocity down to the third
hole. Then they drove through both feet a large nail into the Cross.
Thus the sacred body, in which dwelled the Divinity, was nailed
motionless to the holy Cross, and the handiwork of his deified
members, formed by the Holy Ghost, was so stretched and torn asunder,
that the bones of his body, dislocated and forced from their natural
position, could all be counted. The bones of his breast, of his
shoulders and arms, and of his whole body yielded to the cruel
violence and were torn from their sinews.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then they dragged the lower end of
the Cross with the crucified God near to the hole, wherein it was to
be planted. Some of them getting under the upper part of the Cross
with their shoulders, others pushing upward with their halberds and
lances, they raised the Savior on his Cross and fastened its foot in
the hole they had drilled into the ground. Thus our true life and
salvation now hung in the air upon the sacred wood in full view of
the innumerable multitudes of different nations and countries. I must
not omit mentioning another barbarity inflicted upon the Lord as they
raised Him: for some of them placed the sharp points of their lances
and halberds to his body and fearfully lacerating Him under the
armpits in helping to push the Cross into position. At this spectacle
new cries of protest arose with still more vehemence and confusion
from the multitude of people. The Jews blasphemed, the kind–hearted
lamented, the strangers were astounded, some of them called the
attention of the bystanders to the proceedings, others turned away
their heads in horror and pity; others took to themselves a warning
from this spectacle of suffering, and still others proclaimed Him a
just Man. All these different sentiments were like arrows piercing
the heart of the afflicted Mother. The sacred body now shed much
blood from the nail wounds, which, by its weight and the shock of the
Cross falling into the hole, had widened. They were the fountains,
now opened up, to which Isaias invites us to hasten with joy to
quench our thirst and wash off the stains of our sins (Is. 12, 3). No
one shall be excused who does not quickly approach to drink of them.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then they crucified also the two
thieves and planted their crosses to the right and the left of the
Savior; for thereby they wished to indicate that He deserved the most
conspicuous place as being the greatest malefactor. The pharisees and
priests, forgetting the two thieves, turned all the venom of their
fury against the sinless and holy One by nature. Wagging their heads
in scorn and mockery (Matth. 27, 39) they threw stones and dirt at
the Cross of the Lord and his royal Person, saying: “Ah Thou,
who destroyest the temple and in three days rebuildest it, save now
Thyself; others He has made whole, Himself He cannot save; if this be
the Son of God let him descend from the Cross, and we will believe in
Him,” (Matth. 27, 42). The two thieves in the beginning also
mocked the Lord and said: “If Thou art the Son of God, save
Thyself and us.” These blasphemies of the two thieves caused
special sorrow to our Lord, since they were so near to death and
losing the fruit of their death–pains, by which they could have
satisfied in part for their justly punished crimes. Soon after,
however, one of them availed himself of the greatest opportunity that
a sinner ever had in this world, and was converted from his sins.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
As the wood of the Cross was the
throne of majesty and the chair of the doctrine of life, and as He
was now raised upon it, confirming his doctrine by his example,
Christ now uttered those words of highest charity and perfection:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
(Luke 23, 34.) This principle of charity and fraternal love the
divine Teacher had appropriated to himself and proclaimed by his own
lips (John 15, 12; Matth. 15, 44). He now confirmed and executed it
upon the Cross, not only pardoning and loving his enemies, but
excusing those under the plea of</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
ignorance whose malice had reached
the highest point possible to men in persecuting, blaspheming and
crucifying their God and Redeemer. Such was the difference between
the behavior of ungrateful men favored with so great enlightenment,
instruction and blessing; and the behavior of Jesus in his most
burning charity while suffering the crown of thorns, the nails, and
the Cross and unheard of blasphemy at the hands of men. O
incomprehensible love! O ineffable sweetness! O patience
inconceivable to man, admirable to the angels and fearful to the
devils! One of the two thieves, called Dismas, became aware of some
of the mysteries. Being assisted at the same time by the prayers and
intercession of most holy Mary, he was interiorly enlightened
concerning his Rescuer and Master by the first word on the Cross.
Moved by true sorrow and contrition for his sins, he turned to his
companion and said: “Neither dost thou fear God, seeing that
thou art under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man hath done no evil.”
And thereupon speaking to Jesus, he said: “Lord, remember me
when Thou shalt come into thy kingdom!” (Luke 23, 40.).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In this happiest of thieves, in the
centurion and in the others who confessed Jesus Christ on the Cross,
began to appear the results of the Redemption. But the one most
favored was this Dismas, who merited to hear the second word of the
Savior on the Cross: “Amen, I say to thee, this day shalt thou
be with Me in Paradise.” Having thus justified the good thief,
Jesus turned his loving gaze upon his afflicted Mother, who with
saint John was standing at the foot of the Cross. Speaking to both,
he first addressed his Mother, saying: “Woman, behold thy
son!’’ and then to the Apostle: “Beh01d thy
Mother!” (John 19, 26.) The Lord called Her Woman and not
Mother, because this name of Mother had in it something of sweetness
and consolation, the very pronouncing of which would have been a
sensible relief. During his Passion He would admit of no exterior
consolation, having renounced for that time all exterior alleviation
and easement, as I have mentioned above. By this word “woman’’
he tacitly and by implication wished to say: Woman blessed among all
women, the most prudent among all the daughters of Adam, Woman,
strong and constant, unconquered by any fault of thy own, unfailing
in my service and most faithful in thy love toward Me, which even the
mighty waters of my Passion could not extinguish or resist (Cant. 8,
7), I am going to my Father and cannot accompany Thee further; my
beloved disciple will attend upon Thee and serve Thee as his Mother,
and he will be thy son. All this the heavenly Queen understood. The
holy Apostle on his part received Her as his own from that hour on;
for he was enlightened anew in order to understand and appreciate the
greatest treasure of the Divinity in the whole creation next to the
humanity of Christ our Savior. In this light He reverenced and served
Her for the rest of her life, as I will relate farther on. Our Lady
also accepted him as her son in humble subjection and obedience.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Already the ninth hour of the day was
approaching, although the darkness and confusion of nature made it
appear to be rather a chaotic night. Our Savior spoke the fourth word
from the Cross in a loud and strong voice, so that all the bystanders
could hear it: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?’’
(Matth 27, 46.) Although the Lord had uttered these words in his
Hebrew language, they were not understood by all. Since they began
with : “Eli, eli,” some of them thought He was calling
upon Elias, and a number of them mocked Him saying: “Let us see
whether Elias shall come to free Him from our hands?” He
grieved that his copious and superabundant Redemption, offered for
the whole human race, should not be efficacious in the reprobate and
that He should find Himself deprived of them in the eternal
happiness, for which He had created and redeemed them. As this was to
happen in consequence of the decree of his Father’s eternal
will, He lovingly and sorrowfully complained of it in the words: “My
God, my God why hast Thou forsaken Me?” that is, in so God
deprived Him of the salvation of the reprobate.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In confirmation of this sorrow the
Lord added: “I thirst!” The sufferings of the Lord and
his anguish could easily cause a natural thirst. But for Him this was
not a time to complain of this thirst or to quench it; and therefore
Jesus would not have spoken of it so near to its expiration, unless
in order to give expression to a most exalted mystery. He was
thirsting to see the captive children of Adam make use of the
liberty, which He merited for them and offered to them, and which so
many were abusing. He was athirst with the anxious desire that all
should correspond with Him in the faith and love due to Him, that
they profit by his merits and sufferings, accept his friendship and
grace now acquired for them, and that they should not lose the
eternal happiness which He was to leave as an inheritance to those
that wished to merit and accept it. This was the thirst of our Savior
and Master; and the most blessed Mary alone understood it perfectly
and began, with ardent ion and charity, to invite and interiorly to
call upon all the poor, the afflicted, the humble, the despised and
downtrodden to approach their Savior and thus quench, at least in
part, his thirst which they could not quench entirely. But the
perfidious Jews and the executioners, evidencing their unhappy
hard–heartedness, fastened a sponge soaked in gall and vinegar
to a reed and mockingly raised it to his mouth, in order that He
might drink of it. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of David: “In
my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (John 28; Ps. 68, 22).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In connection with this same mystery
the Savior then pronounced the sixth word: “Consummatum est,”
It is consummated” (John 19, 29). Now is consummated this work
of my coming from heaven and I have obeyed the command of my eternal
Father, who sent Me to suffer and die for the salvation of mankind.
Now are fulfilled the holy Scriptures, the prophecies figures of the
old Testament, and the course of my earthly and mortal life assumed
in the womb of my Mother. Now are established on earth my example, my
doctrines, my Sacraments and my remedies for the sickness of sin. Now
is appeased the justice of my eternal Father in regard to the debt of
the children of Adam. Now is my holy Church enriched with the
remedies for the sins committed by men; the whole work of my coming
into the world is perfected in so far as it concerns Me, its
Restorer; the secure foundation of the triumphant Church is now laid
in the Church militant, so that nothing can overthrow or change it.
These are the mysteries contained in the few words “Consummatum
est.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having finished and established the
work of Redemption in all its perfection, it was becoming that the
incarnate Word, just as He came forth from the Father to enter mortal
life (John 16, 8), should enter into immortal life of the Father
through death. Therefore Christ our Savior added the last words
uttered by Him: ‘‘Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit.” The Lord spoke these words in a loud and strong voice,
so that the bystanders heard them. In pronouncing them He raised his
eyes to heaven, as one speaking with the eternal Father, and with the
last accent He gave up his spirit and inclined his head. By the
divine force of these words Lucifer with all his demons were hurled
into the deepest caverns of hell, there they lay motionless, as I
shall relate in the next chapter. The invincible Queen and Mistress
of all virtues understood these mysteries beyond the understanding of
all creatures, as She was the Mother of the Savior and the Coadjutrix
of his Passion. In order that She might participate in it to the end,
just as She had felt in her own body the other torments of her Son,
She now, though remaining alive, felt and suffered the pangs and
agony of his death. She did not die in reality; but this was because
God miraculously preserved her life, when according to the natural
course death should have followed. This miraculous aid was more
wonderful than all the other favors She received during the Passion.
For this last pain was more intense and penetrating; and all that the
martyrs and the men sentenced to death have suffered from the
beginning of the world cannot equal what the blessed Mary suffered
during the Passion. The great Lady remained at the foot of the Cross
until evening, when the sacred body (as I shall relate) was interred.
But in return for this last anguish of death, all that was still of
this mortal life in the virginal body of the purest Mother, was more
than ever exalted and spiritualized.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962843"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, seek with all the powers
of thy mind during thy whole life to remember the mysteries
manifested to thee in this chapter. I, as thy Mother and thy
Instructress, shall ask the Lord by his divine power to impress in
thy heart the knowledge, which I have vouchsafed thee, in order that
it may remain fixed and ever present to thee as long as thou livest.
In virtue of this blessing keep in thy memory Christ crucified, who
is my divine Son and thy Spouse, and never forget the sufferings of
the Cross and the doctrine taught by Him upon it. This is the mirror
by which thou must arrange all thy adornments and the source from
which thou art to draw thy interior beauty, like a true daughter of
the Prince (Ps 44, 14), in order that than mayest be prepared,
proceed and reign as the spouse of the supreme King. As this
honorable title obliges thee to seek with all thy power to imitate
Him as far as is becoming thy station and possible to thee by his
grace, and as this is to be the true fruit of my doctrine, I wish
that from today on thou live crucified with Christ, entirely as
assimilated to thy exemplar and model and dead to this earthly life
(II Cor. 5,15).</div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962844"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 9</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">MARY
THE HEIRESS OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Of many of the sacraments and
mysteries connected with the doings of Christ our Savior on the Cross
the Evangelists make no mention; and we as Catholics can only form
prudent conjectures founded upon the infallible certainty of our
faith. But among those which have been manifested to me in this
history, and concerning this part of the Passion, is a prayer, which
Christ addressed to his eternal Father before speaking the seven
words on the Cross recorded by the Evangelists. I call it a prayer
because it was addressed to the Father; but in reality it was a last
bequest or testament, which He made as a true and most wise Father in
order to consign his possessions to his family, that is, to the whole
human race. Even natural reason teaches us, that he who is the head
of a family or the lord over many or few possessions, would not be a
prudent dispenser of his goods, and inattentive to his office or
dignity, if at the hour of his death he would not make known his will
in regard to the disposition of his goods and his estate, in order
that each one of his family may know what belongs to him and may
possess it justly and peacefully without recourse to lawsuits.
Although earthly things could not disturb our Savior, since He
neither possessed them, nor, if He had possessed any, could He be
embarrassed by them in his infinite power; yet it was fitting, that
He should in that hour dispose of the spiritual riches and treasures
which He had amassed for mankind in the course of his pilgrimage.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Of these eternal
goods the Saviour made his last disposition on the Cross,
distributing them and pointing out those who should be legitimate
heirs and those who should be disinherited, and mentioning the
reasons for the one as well as the other. All this He did in
conference with his eternal Father, as the supreme Lord and most just
Judge of all creatures; for in this testament are rehearsed the
mysteries of the predestination of the saints and of the reprobation
of the wicked. It was a testament hidden and sealed for mankind; the
blessed Mary understood it, because, in addition to her being
informed of the operations of the divine Soul of Christ, She was also
to be the universal Heiress of all creation. As She was the
Coadjutrix of salvation She was also to be the testamentary
Executrix. For the Son placed all things in her hands, just as the
Father had assigned the whole creation to Him. She was to execute his
will and she was to distribute all the treasures acquired and due to
her Son as God on account of his infinite merits. This understanding
has been given me as part of this history for the exaltation of our
Queen and in order that sinners might approach Her as Custodian of
all the treasures gained by her Son our Redeemer in the sight of his
eternal Father. All help and assistance is in the hands of most holy
Mary</span> <span lang="en-US">and She is to distribute it according
to her most sweet kindness and liberality.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">When the holy wood
of the Cross had been raised on mount Calvary, bearing aloft with it
the incarnate Word crucified before speaking any of the seven words,
Christ prayed interiorly to his heavenly Father and said: “My
Father and eternal God, I confess and magnify Thee from this tree of
the Cross, and I offer Thee a sacrifice of praise in my Passion and
Death; for, by the hypostatic union with the divine nature, Thou hast
raised my humanity to the highest dignity, that of Christ, the
Godman, anointed with thy own Divinity. I confess thee on account of
the plenitude of the highest possible graces and glory, which from
the first instant of my Incarnation Thou hast communicated to my
humanity, and because from all eternity up to this present hour Thou
hast consigned to me full dominion of the universe both in the order
of grace and of nature. Thou hast made Me the Lord of the heavens and
of elements (Matth. 28, 18), of the sun, the moon and the stars; of
fire and air, of the earth and the sea, of all</span> <span lang="en-US">the
animate and inanimate creatures therein; Thou hast made Me the
Disposer of the seasons, of the days and nights, with full lordship
and possession according to my free will, and Thou hast set Me as the
Head, the King and Lord of all angels and men (Ephes. 1, 21), to
govern and command them, to punish the wicked and reward the good
(John 5, 22); Thou hast given Me the dominion and power of disposing
all things from highest heavens to deepest abysses of hell (Apoc. 20,
1). Thou hast placed in my hands the eternal justification of men,
the empires, kingdoms and principalities, the great and the little,
the rich and the poor; and of all that are capable of thy grace and
glory, Thou hast Me made the Justifier, the Redeemer and Glorifier,
the universal Lord of all the human race, of life and death, of the
holy Church, its treasures, laws and blessings of grace: all hast
Thou, my Father, consigned to my hands, subjected to my will and my
decrees, and for this I confess, exalt and magnify thy holy name.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Now, at
this moment, my Lord and eternal Father, when I am returning from
this world to thy right hand through this death on the Cross, by
which I completed the task of the Redemption of men assigned to Me, I
desire that this same Cross shall be the tribunal of our justice and
mercy. Nailed to it, I desire to judge those for whom I give my life.
Having justified my</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">cause,
I wish to dispense the treasures of my coming into the world and of
my Passion and Death to the just and the reprobate according as each
one merits by his works of love or hatred. I have sought to gain all
mortals and invited them to partake of my friendship and grace; from
the first moment of my Incarnation I have ceaselessly labored for
them; I have borne inconveniences, fatigues, insults, ignominies,
reproaches, scourges, crown of thorns, and now suffer the bitter
death of the Cross; I have implored thy vast kindness upon all of
them; I have watched in prayer, fasted and wandered about teaching
them the way of eternal life. As far as in Me lay I have sought to
secure eternal happiness for all men, just as I merited it for all,
without excluding any one. I have established and built up the law
grace and have firmly and forever established the Church in which all
human beings can be saved.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">But in our
knowledge and foresight We are aware, my God and Father, that on
account of their malice and rebellious obstinacy not all men desire
to accept our eternal salvation, nor avail themselves of our mercy
and of the way I have opened to them by my labors, life and death;
but that many will prefer to follow their sinful ways unto perdition.
Thou art just my Lord and Father, and most equitable are thy
judgments (Ps. 68, 137); and therefore it is right, since Thou hast
made Me the Judge of the living and the dead, of the good and the bad
(Act 10, 3), that I give to the good the reward of having served and
followed Me, and to sinners the chastisement of their perverse
obstinacy; that the just should share in my goods, and the wicked be
deprived of the inheritance, which they refuse to accept. Now then,
my eternal Father, in my and thy name and for thy glorification, I
make my last bequest according to my human will, which is conformable
to thy eternal and divine will. First shall be mentioned my most pure
Mother, who gave Me human existence; Her I constitute my sole and
universal Heiress of all the gifts of</span><span lang="en-GB">
</span><span lang="en-US">nature, of grace and of glory that are
mine. She shall be Mistress and Possessor of them all. The gifts of
grace, of which as a mere creature She is capable, She shall actually
receive now, while those of glory I promise to confer upon Her in
their time. I desire that She</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">shall
be Mistress of angels and men, claim over them full possession and
dominion and command the service and obedience of all. The demons
shall fear Her and be subject to Her. All the irrational creatures,
the heavens, the stars, the planets, the elements with all the living
beings, the birds, the fishes and the animals contained in them,
shall likewise be subject to Her and acknowledge Her as Mistress,
exalting and glorifying Her with Me. I wish also that She be the
Treasurer and Dispenser of all the goods in heaven and on earth.
Whatever She ordains and disposes in my Church for my children, the
sons of men, shall be confirmed by the three divine Persons; and
whatever She shall ask for mortals now, afterwards and forever, We
shall concede according to her will and wishes.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">To the holy
angels, who have obeyed thy holy and just will, I assign as
habitation the highest heavens as their proper and eternal abode, and
with it the joys of eternal vision and fruition of our Divinity. I
desire that they enjoy its everlasting possession together with our
company and friendship. I decree, that they recognize my Mother as
their legitimate Queen and Lady, that they serve Her, accompany and
attend upon Her, bear Her up in their hands in all places and times,
obeying Her in all that She wishes to ordain and command. The demons,
rebellious to our perfect and holy will, I cast out and deprive of
our vision and company; again</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">do
I condemn them to our abhorrence, to eternal loss our friendship and
glory, to privation of the vision of my Mother, of the saints and of
my friends, the just. I appoint and assign to them as their eternal
dwelling place most remote from our royal throne, namely the infernal
caverns, the centre of the earth, deprived of light and full of the
horrors of sensible darkness (Jude 6). I decree this to be their
portion and inheritance as chosen by them in their pride and
obstinacy against the divine Being and decrees. In those eternal
dungeons of darkness they shall be tormented by everlasting and
inextinguishable fire.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">From the
multitudes of men, in the fullness of my good will, I call, select
and separate all the just and the predestined, who through my grace
save themselves by imitating Me, doing my will and obeying my holy
law. These, next to my most pure Mother, I appoint as the inheritors
of all my mysteries, my blessings, my sacramental treasures, of the
mysteries concealed in the holy Scriptures; of my humility, meekness
of heart; of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity of prudence,
justice, fortitude and temperance; of my divine gifts and favors; of
my Cross, labors, contempt, poverty and nakedness. This shall be
their portion and inheritance in this present and mortal life. Since
they must choose these in order to labor profitably, I assign to them
the trials I have chosen for Myself in this life, as a pledge of my
friendship, in order that they may undergo them with joy. I offer
them my protection and, defense, my holy inspirations, my favors and
powerful assistance, my blessings and my justification, according to
each one’s disposition and degree of love. I promise to be to
them a Father, a Brother and a Friend, and they shall be my chosen
and beloved children, and as such I appoint them as the inheritors of
all my merits and treasures without limitation. I desire that all who
dispose themselves, shall partake of the goods of my holy Church and
of the Sacraments; that, if they should lose my friendship, they
shall be able to restore themselves and recover my graces and
blessings through my cleansing blood. For all of them shall be open
the intercession of my Mother and of the saints, and She shall
recognize them as her children, shielding them and holding them as
her own. My angels shall defend them, guide them, protect them and
bear them up in their hands lest they stumble, and if they fall, they
shall help them to rise” (Ps. 90, 11, 12).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Likewise it
is my will that my just and chosen ones shall stand high above the
reprobate and the demons, that they shall be feared and obeyed by my
enemies; that all the rational and irrational creatures shall serve
them; that all the influences of the heavens, the planets and the
stars shall favor them and give them life; that the earth, its
elements and animals, shall sustain them; all the creatures, that are
mine and serve Me shall be theirs, and shall serve also them as my
children and friends (I Cor. 3, 22; Wis. 16, 24), and their blessing
shall be in the dew of heaven and in the fruits of the earth (Genes.
27, 28). I wish to hold with them my delights (Pros. 8, 31),
communicate to them my secrets, converse with them intimately and</span><span lang="en-GB">
</span><span lang="en-US">live with them in the militant Church in
the species of bread and wine, as an earnest and an infallible pledge
of the eternal happiness and glory promised to them; of it, I make
them partakers and heirs, in order that they enjoy it with Me in
heaven by perpetual right and in unfailing beatitude.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">I consent
that the foreknown and reprobate (though they were created for
another and much higher end), shall be permitted to possess as their
portion and inheritance the concupiscence of the flesh and the eyes
(John 1, 2–16), pride in all its effects; that they eat and be
satisfied with the dust of the earth, namely, riches; with the fumes
and the corruption of the flesh and its delights, and with the vanity
and presumption of the world. For such possessions have they labored
and applied all the diligence of their mind and body; in such
occupations have they consumed their powers, their gifts and
blessings bestowed upon them by Us, and they have of their own free
will chosen deceit, despising the truth I have taught them in the
holy law ( Rom. 2, 8). They have rejected the law which I have
written in their hearts and the one inspired by my grace; they have
despised my teachings and my blessings, and listened to my and their
own enemies; they have accepted their deceits, have loved vanity (Ps.
4, 3), wrought injustice, followed their ambitions, sought their
delight in vengeance, persecuted the poor, humiliated the just,
mocked the simple and the innocent, strove to exalt themselves and
desired to be raised above all the cedars of Lebanon in following the
laws of injustice” (Ps. 36, 35).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Since they
have done all this in opposition to our divine goodness and remained
obstinate in their malice and since they have renounced the rights of
sonship merited for them by Me, I disinherit them of my friendship
and glory. Just as Abraham separated the children of the slave,
setting aside some possessions for them and reserving the principal
heritage for Isaac, the son of the freedwoman Sarah (Gen. 25, 5),
thus I set aside their claims on my inheritance by giving them the
transitory goods, which they themselves have chosen. Separating them
from our company and from that of my Mother, of the angels and
saints, I condemn them to the eternal dungeons and the fire of hell
in the company of Lucifer and his demons, whom they have freely
served. I deprive them forever of all hope of relief. This is, O my
Father, the sentence which I pronounce as the Head and the Judge of
men and angels (Eph. 4, 15; Col. 2, 10), and this is the testament
made at my Death, this is the effect of my Redemption, whereby each
one is rewarded with that which he has justly merited according to
his works and according to thy incomprehensible wisdom in the equity
of thy strictest justice” (II Tim. 4, 8). Such was the prayer
of Christ our Savior on the Cross to his eternal Father. It was
sealed and deposited in the heart of the most holy Mary as the
mysterious and sacramental testament, in that through her
intercession and solicitous care it might at its time, and even from
that moment, be executed in the Church, just as it had before this
time been prepared and perfected by the wise providence of God, in
whom all the past and the future is always one with the present.</span></div>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO - THE LORD'S PRAYER</b></span></span></h4>
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<span class="text3"><br />
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<b>ARTICLE 4<br />THE FINAL DOXOLOGY</b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2855"></a><b>2855</b>
The final doxology, "For the kingdom, the power and the glory are
yours, now and forever," takes up again, by inclusion, the first three
petitions to our Father: the glorification of his name, the coming of
his reign, and the power of his saving will. But these prayers are now
proclaimed as adoration and thanksgiving, as in the liturgy of heaven.<sup>176</sup> The ruler of this world has mendaciously attributed to himself the three titles of kingship, power, and glory.<sup>177</sup>
Christ, the Lord, restores them to his Father and our Father, until he
hands over the kingdom to him when the mystery of salvation will be
brought to its completion and God will be all in all.<sup>178</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2856"></a><b>2856</b>
"Then, after the prayer is over you say 'Amen,' which means 'So be it,'
thus ratifying with our 'Amen' what is contained in the prayer that God
has taught us."<sup>179</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2857"></a><b>2857</b> In the Our Father, the object of the
first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the sanctification of
his name, the coming of the kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will.
The four others present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be
nourished, healed of sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good
over evil.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2858"></a><b>2858</b> By asking "hallowed be thy name" we enter
into God's plan, the sanctification of his name - revealed first to
Moses and then in Jesus - by us and in us, in every nation and in each
man.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2859"></a><b>2859</b> By the second petition, the Church looks
first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of God. It
also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the "today" of our
own lives.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2860"></a><b>2860</b> In the third petition, we ask our Father
to unite our will to that of his Son, so as to fulfill his plan of
salvation in the life of the world.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2861"></a><b>2861</b> In the fourth petition, by saying "give
us," we express in communion with our brethren our filial trust in our
heavenly Father. "Our daily bread" refers to the earthly nourishment
necessary to everyone for subsistence, and also to the Bread of Life:
the Word of God and the Body of Christ. It is received in God's "today,"
as the indispensable, (super-) essential nourishment of the feast of
the coming Kingdom anticipated in the Eucharist.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2862"></a><b>2862</b> The fifth petition begs God's mercy for
our offences, mercy which can penetrate our hearts only if we have
learned to forgive our enemies, with the example and help of Christ.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2863"></a><b>2863</b> When we say "lead us not into temptation"
we are asking God not to allow us to take the path that leads to sin.
This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength; it
requests the grace of vigilance and final perseverance.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2864"></a><b>2864</b> In the last petition, "but deliver us
from evil," Christians pray to God with the Church to show forth the
victory, already won by Christ, over the "ruler of this world," Satan,
the angel personally opposed to God and to his plan of salvation.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2865"></a><b>2865</b> By the final "Amen," we express our "fiat" concerning the seven petitions: "So be it."<br />
<br />
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<span class="text1"> </span><br />
<span class="text1">176 Cf. <i>Rev</i> 1:6; 4:11; 5:13.<br />
177 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 4:5-6.<br />
178 <i>1 Cor</i> 15:24-28.<br />
179 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, <i>Catech. myst.</i> 5,18:PG 33,1124; cf. <i>Lk</i> 1:38. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-75602089100292063152018-03-30T00:30:00.000-05:002018-03-30T08:12:18.425-05:00Pascal Triduum Maundy Thursday March 29, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: Empathy; Reading 1, Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 2; Reading 2, Revelation 1:5-8; Gospel John 13:1-15; Pope FrancisGeneral Audience; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; The Last Supper; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 2-5 Maundy Thursday; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 3 The Seven Petitions; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Pascal Triduum Maundy Thursday March 29, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Empathy; </i><i>Reading 1, Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 2; Reading 2, Revelation 1:5-8; Gospel John 13:1-15; Pope Francis General Audience; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; The Last Supper; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 6 Chapter 2-5 Maundy Thursday; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 3 The Seven Petitions; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - Palm Sunday </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>March 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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"Dear children! I am calling you to be with me in prayer in this time of
grace when darkness is fighting against the light. Pray, little
children, confess and begin a new life in grace. Decide for God and He
will lead you towards holiness; and the cross will be a sign of victory
and hope for you. Be proud that you are baptized and grateful in your
heart that you are a part of God’s plan. Thank you for having responded
to my call." ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Most Holy Mother of Jesus, Queen of
Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje,<br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's General Audience</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Pope Francis, speaking off the cuff during his homily during the <b>Mass of the Lord's Supper</b> at <b>Regina Coeli prison</b>, contextualized the Gospel passage from John in which Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.<br />
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Jesus does what a slave does</h2>
He explains that this was a task done by slaves. After having dirtied
their feet on the dusty roads, people would return home. As soon as
they entered their house, a slave would provide the “service” of washing
their feet. “Jesus wants to do this service to give us an example of
how we must serve one another,” Pope Francis says.<br />
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Those who command must serve</h2>
The Pope then brought up the passage where two disciples “who wanted
to climb the corporate ladder” asked Jesus to give them the most
important places. After looking at them with love like he always did,
Jesus told them they didn’t know what they were asking. He described
what those in positions of power do: “command and make others serve
them.” In thinking of times past, Pope Francis says that there have been
many kings and cruel people who have made slaves of other people. But
Jesus says it must not be this way with us. “The one who commands must
serve,” the Pope reminds us. “Jesus overturns the historical cultural
habits of that time, but also of our own day.” If only the kings and
emperors of the past had understood Jesus’ teaching and had served
instead of commanding and killing, "so many wars would never have
happened," Pope Francis observes.<br />
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Jesus serves today in me</h2>
Turning to those present, Pope Francis told them that Jesus tells
those discarded by society that they are important. “Jesus serves us
today, here in Regina Coeli.” Jesus risks himself for each person. Jesus
does not know how to wash his hands of people. He knows how to risk for
his name is Jesus, not Pontius Pilate. In going after the lost sheep,
Jesus risks being wounded, Pope Francis asserts.<br />
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“I am a sinner like you. But I represent Jesus today,” Pope Francis
confessed. He then invited the prisoners to think of the fact, as their
feet were being washed by him, that “Jesus took a risk with this man, a
sinner, to come to me to tell me that he loves me. This is service.
This is Jesus. Before giving us himself in his body and blood, Jesus
risked himself for each one of us—risked himself in service—because he
loves us so much.”<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 03/29/2018<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - empathy </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">em-puh-cee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">1900-05;</span> </span></span><span>< </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Greek</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">empátheia</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">affection,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">em-</span> </span></span> em-<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>2</sup></span><span>+ </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">path-</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">(base</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">páschein</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">suffer)</span> + </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">-eia</span> </span></span> -ia<span>; <span class="oneClick-link">present</span> <span class="oneClick-link">meaning</span> <span class="oneClick-link">translates</span> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">German</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Einfühlung</span> </span></span> <br />
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<span class="dbox-pg">noun</span> </header>
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<span class="def-number">1.</span> the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another. <span class="def-number"></span>
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or
work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: <span class="dbox-example">By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.</span><div class="def-content">
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><i>Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,<br />
<sup>2</sup> 'If a swelling or scab or spot appears on someone's skin, which could develop into a contagious skin-disease, that person must then be taken to the priest, either Aaron or one of his sons.<br />
<sup>44</sup> the person has such a disease: he is unclean. The priest will declare him unclean; he has a contagious skin-disease of the head.<br />
<sup>45</sup> 'Anyone with a contagious skin-disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair; and will cover the upper lip and shout, "Unclean, unclean."<br />
<sup>46</sup> As long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will live alone and live outside the camReading 1, <i>Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9</i><br />
<sup>1</sup> The spirit of Lord Yahweh is on me for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the broken-hearted,<br />
<sup>2</sup> to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison, to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh and a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn<br />
<sup>3</sup> (to give to Zion's mourners), to give them for ashes a garland, for mourning-dress, the oil of gladness, for despondency, festal attire; and they will be called 'terebinths of saving justice', planted by Yahweh to glorify him.<br />
<sup>6</sup> but you will be called 'priests of Yahweh' and be addressed as 'ministers of our God'. You will feed on the wealth of nations, you will supplant them in their glory.<br />
<sup>8</sup>
For I am Yahweh: I love fair judgement, I hate robbery and wrong-doing,
and I shall reward them faithfully and make an everlasting covenant
with them.<br />
<sup>9</sup> Their race will be famous throughout the nations and their offspring throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom Yahweh has blessed.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><i>Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 27</i></h2>
<sup>21</sup> My hand will always be with him, my arm will make him strong.<br />
<sup>22</sup> 'No enemy will be able to outwit him, no wicked man overcome him;<br />
<sup>25</sup> I shall establish his power over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.<br />
<sup>27</sup> So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><i>Revelation 1:5-8</i></h2>
<sup>5</sup> and from Jesus
Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the highest
of earthly kings. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his
blood,<br />
<sup>6</sup> and made us a Kingdom of Priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.<br />
<sup>7</sup> Look, he is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. Indeed this shall be so. Amen.<br />
<sup>8</sup> 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><i>John 13:1-15 </i>
</h2>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Washing of the Feet</i></div>
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1. LECTIO</h3>
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<b>a) Initial Prayer</b></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
“When You speak, Lord, the
nothingness beats in life: the dry bones become living persons, the
desert flourishes… When I get ready to pray I feel dry, I do not know
what to say. Evidently, I am not in harmony with Your will, my lips are
not in tune with my heart, my heart does not make an effort to get in
tune with yours. Renew my heart, purify my lips so that I can speak with
You as You want me to, so that I can speak with others as You wish, so
that I can speak with myself, with my interior world, as You wish”. (L.
Renna).</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) The Reading of the Gospel</b></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Before the feast of
Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to
the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand
him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put
everything into his power and that he had come from God and was
returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel
around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,"Master, are
you going to wash my feet?"Jesus answered and said to him,"What I am
doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later."Peter
said to him, "You will never wash my feet."Jesus answered him,"Unless I
wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."Simon Peter said to
him,"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."Jesus
said to him,"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet
washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all."For he
knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are
clean."So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on
and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I
have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so,
for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed
your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a
model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>c) Moments of prayerful silence</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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In a loving listening, words are not necessary, because silence also speaks and communicates love.</div>
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2. MEDITATIO</h3>
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<b>a) Preamble to the Passover of Jesus</b></div>
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The passage of the Gospel
of today is inserted in a literary whole which includes chapters 13-17.
At the beginning we have the account of the Last Supper which Jesus
shares with His disciples, during which He fulfills the gesture of the
washing of the feet (13:1-30). Then Jesus interweaves a long dialogue of
farewell with His disciples (13:31 – 14, 31). Chapters 15-17 have the
function to further deepen the previous discourse of the Master.
Immediately after this, Jesus is arrested (18:1-11). In any case, these
events narrated in 13:17,26 are joined in 13:1 with the Passover of
Jesus. It is interesting to note this last annotation: from 12:1 the
Passover is no longer called the Passover of the Jews, but of Jesus.
From now on, it is He, the Lamb of God who will liberate people from
sin. The Passover of Jesus is one that aims to liberate us: a new exodus
which permits us to go from darkness to light (8:12), and which will
bear life and feast in humanity (7:37).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus is aware that He is
about to conclude His journey toward the Father and, therefore He is
about to bring to an end His personal and definitive exodus. Such a
passage, going to the Father, takes place through the Cross, the central
moment in which Jesus will surrender His life for the good of all
humanity.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
It is striking when the
reader becomes aware how the Evangelist John knows how to present the
person of Jesus well, while He is aware of the last events of His life
and therefore, of His mission. So as to affirm that Jesus is not crushed
or overcome by the events which threaten His life, but that He is ready
to give His life. Before, the Evangelist has remarked that His hour had
not arrived; but now in the account of the washing of the feet He says
that He is aware that His hour is close at hand. Such a conscience is at
the basis of the expression of John: “After having loved those who were
His in the world, He loved them to the end” (v. 1). Love for “His own”,
for those who form the new community, has been evident while He was
with them, but it will shine in an eminent way in His death. Jesus shows
such a love in the gesture of the washing of the feet, which in its
symbolical value shows the continuous love which is expressed in
service.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) The washing of the feet</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus is at an ordinary
supper with His disciples. He is fully conscious of the mission which
the Father has entrusted to Him: the salvation of humanity depends on
Him. With such an awareness He wishes to show “to His own”, through the
washing of the feet, how the work of salvation of the Father is
fulfilled and to indicate in such a gesture the surrender of His life
for the salvation of all. It is the will of Jesus that we be saved, and a
longing desire leads Him to give up His life and to surrender. He is
aware that the Father gives Jesus complete freedom of action.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Besides, Jesus knows that
His true provenance and the goal of His itinerary is God; He knows that
His death on the Cross, the maximum expression of His love, is the last
moment of His journey of salvation. His death is an “exodus”; it is the
climax of His victory over death, in His surrender (giving His life)
Jesus reveals to us the presence of God as the fullness of life and
exemption from death.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
With this full
consciousness of His identity and of His complete liberty Jesus is
prepared to fulfill the great and humble gesture of the washing of the
feet. Such a gesture of love is described with a great number of verbs
(eight) which render the scene absorbing, enthralling and full of
significance. The Evangelist, in presenting the last action of Jesus
toward His own, uses this rhetorical figure of the accumulation of verbs
without repeating himself in order that such a gesture remains
impressed in the heart and mind of His disciples and of every reader and
in order that a commandment may always be remembered, not forgotten.
The gesture fulfilled by Jesus intends to show that true love is
expressed in tangible actions of service. Jesus removes His garments and
ties around His waist a towel or apron, a symbol of service. He shows
them that love is expressed in service, in giving one’s life for others
as He has done.</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
At the time of Jesus the
washing of the feet was a gesture which expressed hospitality and
welcome towards the guests. In an ordinary way it was done by a slave or
also by the wife, and also the daughters toward their father. Besides,
it was the custom that such a rite of the washing of the feet should be
done before they sat at table and not during the meal. Such an insertion
of Jesus’ action intends to stress or underline how singular or
significant His gesture was.</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
And thus, Jesus gets down
to wash the feet of His disciples. The repeated use of the apron which
Jesus tied around His waist underlines the attitude of service which is a
permanent attribute of the person of Jesus. In fact, when He finishes
the washing of the feet, Jesus does not take off the towel which He used
as an apron. Such a detail intends to underline that the service-love
does not end with His death. This minute detail shows the intention of
the Evangelist to underline the significance and importance of the
gesture of Jesus. By washing the feet of His disciples Jesus intends to
show them His love, which is one with that of the Father (10:30.38).
This image with which Jesus reveals God is really shocking: He is not a
sovereign who resides exclusively in Heaven, but He presents himself as
the servant of humanity in order to raise it to the divine level. From
this divine service flows, for the community of believers, that liberty
which comes from the love which renders all its members as “lords”
(free) because they are servants. It is like saying that only liberty
creates the true love. From now on, service which the believers will
render to others will have the purpose of restoring the relationship
among people in whom equality and liberty are a consequence of the
practice of reciprocal service. Jesus, with His gesture intends to show
that any domination over another is contrary to the attitude of God who,
instead, serves people to raise them to himself. The pretension of
superiority of one person over another no longer has any sense, because
the community founded by Jesus does not have any pyramidal
characteristics, but horizontal dimensions, in which each one is at the
service of others, following the example of God and of Jesus.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
In synthesis, the gesture
which Jesus fulfilled expresses the following values: the love toward
brothers and sisters demands expression in fraternal acceptance,
hospitality, and permanent service.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>c) Peter’s Resistance</b></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
The reaction of Peter
before the gesture of Jesus is expressed in attitudes of surprise and
protest. There is also a change in the way in which he related to Jesus:
Peter calls Him “Lord” (13:6). In such a title Jesus is recognized as
having a level of superiority which is in conflict with the “washing” of
the feet, an action which belongs, instead, to an inferior subject. The
protest is expressed energetically by the words: “Are You going to wash
my feet?” In Peter’s eyes this humiliating gesture of the washing of
the feet seemed to him as an inversion of values which regulate the
relationship between Jesus and others: the first one is the Master,
Peter is a subject. Peter disapproves the equality which Jesus wants to
create among people.</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
To such misunderstanding
Jesus responds inviting Peter to accept the sense of washing his feet as
a witness of His love toward him. More precisely, He wants to offer him
a concrete proof of how He and the Father love him.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
But Peter in his reaction
does not give in: he categorically refuses that Jesus should get down at
his feet. It is not acceptable that Jesus abandons His position of
superiority to render himself equal to His disciples. Such an idea of
the Master disorientates Peter and leads him to protest. Not accepting
the service of love of his Master, he neither accepts that He dies on
the cross for him (12:34; 13:37). It seems to say that Peter is far away
from understanding what is true love, and such an obstacle is an
impediment so that Jesus can show it to him by His action.</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
In the mean time, if Peter
is not ready to share the dynamics of love which manifests itself in
reciprocal service he cannot share the friendship with Jesus and truly
runs the risk of excluding himself.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Following the admonition of
Jesus “If I do not wash you, you can have no share with Me” (v. 8),
Peter adheres to the threatening words of the Master, but without
accepting the profound sense of the action of Jesus. He shows himself
open, ready to let Jesus wash his feet, not only the feet, but also his
hands and head. It seems that it is easier for Peter to accept Jesus’
gesture as an action of purification or ablution rather than as a
service. But Jesus responds that the disciples have become pure
(“clean”) at the moment when they accepted to allow themselves to be
guided by the Word of the Master, rejecting that of the world. Peter and
the disciples no longer need the Jewish rite of the purification but to
allow themselves to have their feet washed by Jesus; or rather to allow
themselves to be loved by Him, conferring them dignity and liberty.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>d) The Memorial of Love</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
At the end of the washing
of the feet Jesus intends to give His action a permanent validity for
His community and at the same time to leave to it a memorial or
commandment which should always regulate the fraternal relationships.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus is the Lord, not in
domination, but in so far as He communicates the love of the Father (His
Spirit) which makes us children of God and qualified to imitate Jesus
who freely gives His love to His own. Jesus intended to communicate such
an interior attitude to His own, a love which does not exclude anyone,
not even Judas who is about to betray Him. Therefore, if the disciples
call Him Lord, they have to imitate Him; if they consider Him Master,
they have to listen to Him.</div>
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<b>e) Some questions to meditate on</b></div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
- He got up from the table:
How do you live the Eucharist? In a sedentary way or do you allow
yourself to be moved to action by the fire of the love which you
receive? Do you run the risk that the Eucharist in which you participate
is lost in contemplative Narcissism, without leading to the commitment
of solidarity and sharing?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
- He removed His outer
garments: when you go from the Eucharist to daily life, do you know how
to remove the garments of your own benefit, your calculations, personal
interests to allow yourself to be guided by an authentic love toward
others?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
- Taking a towel He wrapped
it around His waist: this is the image of the “Church of the apron”. In
the life of your family, of your ecclesial community, do you walk on
the street of service? Are you directly involved in the service to the
poor and to the least? Do you know how to see the face of Christ who
asks to be served and loved in the poor?</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
3. ORATIO</h3>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) Psalm 116 (114-115), 12-13; 15-16; 17-18</b></div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
The Psalmist who finds
himself in the time and in the presence of the liturgical assembly sings
his sacrifice of thanksgiving. Voltaire who had a special predilection
for v. 12 expressed himself as follows: “What can I offer to the Lord
for all the gifts which He has given me?”</div>
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What return can I make to Yahweh <br />
for His generosity to me?<br />
I shall take up the cup of salvation <br />
and call on the name of Yahweh.</div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Costly in Yahweh's sight <br />
is the death of His faithful.<br />
I beg You, Yahweh! <br />
I am Your servant, <br />
I am Your servant and my mother was Your servant; <br />
You have undone my fetters.</div>
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I shall offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving <br />
and call on the name of Yahweh.<br />
I shall fulfill my vows to Yahweh, <br />
witnessed by all His people</div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>b) Final Prayer</b></div>
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Fascinated with the way in which God expressed His love toward His own, Origin prayed as follows:</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus, come, my feet are dirty.<br />
Become a servant for me, pour the water in the basin;<br />
come, wash my feet.<br />
I know it, what I am saying is daring,<br />
but I fear the threat of Your words:<br />
“If I do not wash you,<br />
you can have no share with me”.<br />
Wash then my feet,<br />
so that I may have a share with you.<br />
(Homily 5 on Isaiah)</div>
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
And Saint Ambrose having an ardent desire to correspond to the love of Jesus, expresses himself as follows:</div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
Oh, my Lord Jesus,<br />
allow me to wash Your sacred feet;<br />
You got them dirty when You walked in my soul…<br />
But where will I take the water from the fountain<br />
to wash Your feet?<br />
In lacking that<br />
I only have the eyes to weep:<br />
bathing Your feet with my tears,<br />
do in such a way that I myself remain purified.<br />
(Treatise on penance).</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Last Supper</span></h2>
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The <b>Last Supper</b> is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper is commemorated by Christians especially on Maundy Thursday. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "Holy Communion" or "The Lord's Supper".<br />
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The First Epistle to the Corinthians contains the earliest known mention of the Last Supper. The four canonical Gospels all state that the Last Supper took place towards the end of the week, after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and that Jesus and his Apostles shared a meal shortly before Jesus was crucified at the end of that week. During the meal Jesus predicts his betrayal by one of the Apostles present, and foretells that before the next morning, Peter will deny knowing him.<br />
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The three Synoptic Gospels and the First Epistle to the Corinthians include the account of the institution of the Eucharist in which Jesus takes bread, breaks it and gives it to the Apostles, saying "This is my body given to you". The Gospel of John does not include this episode, but tells of Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles, giving the new commandment "to love one another as I have loved you", and has a detailed farewell discourse by Jesus, calling the Apostles who follow his teachings "friends and not servants", as he prepares them for his departure.<br />
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Scholars have looked to the Last Supper as the source of early Christian Eucharist traditions. Others see the account of the Last Supper as derived from 1st-century Eucharistic practice as described by Paul in the mid-50s.<br />
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<h3>
Scriptural Basis</h3>
The last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples is described in all four canonical Gospels (<span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Mt. 26:17-30</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Mk. 14:12-26</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Lk. 22:7-39</span> and <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Jn. 13:1-17:26</span>). This meal later became known as the Last Supper. The Last Supper was likely a retelling of the events of the last meal of Jesus among the early Christian community, and became a ritual which recounted that meal.<br />
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Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians<sup> </sup>
which was likely written before the Gospels, includes a reference to
the Last Supper but emphasizes the theological basis rather than giving a
detailed description of the event or its background.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Background_and_setting">Background and setting</span></h3>
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The overall narrative that is shared in all Gospel accounts that leads to the Last Supper is that after the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
early in the week, and encounters with various people and the Jewish
elders, Jesus and his disciples share a meal towards the end of the
week. After the meal, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, and then crucified<br />
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Key events in the meal are the preparation of the disciples for the
departure of Jesus, the predictions about the impending betrayal of
Jesus, and the foretelling of the upcoming denial of Jesus by Apostle Peter.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prediction_of_Judas'_betrayal">Prediction of Judas' betrayal</span>: </h3>
In <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Matthew 26:24-25</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Mark 14:18-21</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Luke 22:21-23</span> and <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 13:21-30</span> during the meal, Jesus predicted that one of his Apostles would betray him.
Jesus is described as reiterating, despite each Apostle's assertion
that he would not betray Jesus, that the betrayer would be one of those
who were present, and saying that there would be <i>woe to the man who betrays the Son of man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.</i><sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Mark 14:20-21]</sup> In <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Matthew 26:23-25</span> and <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 13:26-27</span>, Judas
is specifically identified as the traitor. In the Gospel of John, when
asked about the traitor, Jesus states: “It is the one to whom I will
give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then,
dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon
Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him."</div>
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A comparison of the accounts given in the Gospels and 1 Corinthians is shown in the table below, with text from the ASV. The disputed text from Luke 22:19b-20 is in italics.<br />
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<th><small><span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Mark 14:22-24</span></small></th>
<td>And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he
brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body.</td>
<td>And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them:
and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, ‘This is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many.’</td>
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<th><small><span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Matthew 26:26-28</span></small></th>
<td>And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake
it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my
body.’</td>
<td>And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, ‘Drink
ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many unto remission of sins.’</td>
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<tr>
<th><small><span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">1 Corinthians 11:23-25</span></small></th>
<td>For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;
and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, ‘This is my body,
which is for you: this do in remembrance of me.’</td>
<td>In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the
new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me.’</td>
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<th><small><span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Luke 22:19-20</span></small></th>
<td>And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, ‘This is my body <i>which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’</i></td>
<td><i>And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the
new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you.’</i></td>
</tr>
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Jesus' actions in sharing the bread and wine have been linked with <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Isaiah 53:12</span> which refers to a blood sacrifice that, as recounted in <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Exodus 24:8</span>, Moses
offered in order to seal a covenant with God. Scholars often interpret
the description of Jesus' action as asking his disciples to consider
themselves part of a sacrifice, where Jesus is the one due to physically
undergo it.<br />
<br />
Although the Gospel of John does not include a description of the
bread and wine ritual during the Last Supper, most scholars agree that <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 6:58-59</span> (the Bread of Life Discourse)
has a Eucharistic nature and resonates with the "words of institution"
used in the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline writings on the Last
Supper.<br />
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<h3>
<span id="Prediction_of_Peter.27s_denial"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Prediction_of_Peter's_denial">Prediction of Peter's denial</span> </h3>
In <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Matthew 26:33-35</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Mark 14:29-31</span>, <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Luke 22:33-34</span> and <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 13:36-38</span> Jesus predicts that Peter will deny knowledge of him, stating that Peter will disown him three times before the rooster crows the next morning. The three Synoptic Gospels mention that after the arrest of Jesus,
Peter denied knowing him three times, but after the third denial, heard
the rooster crow and recalled the prediction as Jesus turned to look at
him. Peter then began to cry bitterly.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Elements_unique_to_the_Gospel_of_John">Elements unique to the Gospel of John</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>Farewell Discourse</i> by Duccio, 1308-1311.</td></tr>
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In John, Jesus' last supper is not explicitly referred to as a
Passover meal. Furthermore, John's recounting of events has the
crucifixion taking place concurrently with the evening Passover meal.
Recent scholarship suggests that John's chronological peculiarity is a
result of his use of a more modern calendar than the one that would have
been in use when Jesus was alive years earlier. As a result, the
evidence dates the Last Supper to the same evening as the start of
Passover, with the crucifixion taking place two days later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dailymail.co.uk_26-0">[</sup>
John therefore stands alone in its sequencing, which contradicts not
only the uniform chronology expressed in the Synoptics but also the
recent scholarship, the conclusions of which are supported by historical
astronomical data.<br />
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<span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 13</span> includes the account of the washing the feet of the Apostles by Jesus before the meal.
In this episode, Apostle Peter objects and does not want to allow Jesus
to wash his feet, but Jesus answers him, “Unless I wash you, you have
no part with me”,<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Jn 13:8]</sup> after which Peter agrees.<br />
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In the Gospel of John, after the departure of Judas from the Last Supper, Jesus tells his remaining disciples <sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[John 13:33]</sup> that he will be with them for only a short time, then gives them a New Commandment, stating:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so
you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another.” in <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 13:34-35</span>. Two similar statements also appear later in <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 15:12</span>: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you", and <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 15:17</span>: "This is my command: Love each other."<br />
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At the Last Supper in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives an extended sermon to his disciples.<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[John 14-16]</sup>
This discourse resembles farewell speeches called testaments, in which a
father or religious leader, often on the deathbed, leaves instructions
for his children or followers.<br />
<br />
This sermon is referred to as the Farewell discourse of Jesus, and has historically been considered a source of Christian doctrine, particularly on the subject of Christology. <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 17:1-26</span> is generally known as the <i>Farewell Prayer</i> or the <i>High Priestly Prayer</i>, given that it is an intercession for the coming Church.
The prayer begins with Jesus' petition for his glorification by the
Father, given that completion of his work and continues to an
intercession for the success of the works of his disciples and the
community of his followers.<br />
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Historians estimate that the date of the crucifixion fell in the range AD 30-36. Physicists such as Isaac Newton and Colin Humphreys
have ruled out the years 31, 32, 35, and 36 on astronomical grounds,
leaving 7 April AD 30 and 3 April AD 33 as possible crucifixion dates. Humphreys proposes narrowing down the date of the Last Supper as having occurred in the evening of Wednesday, 1 April AD 33, by revising Annie Jaubert's double-Passover theory. The rationale is as follows.<br />
<br />
All Gospels agree that Jesus held a Last Supper with his disciples prior to dying on a Friday
at or just before the time of Passover (annually on 15 Nisan, the
official Jewish day beginning at sunset) and that his body was left in
the tomb for the whole of the next day, which was a Shabbat (Saturday).<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Mk. 15:42]</sup> <sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[16:1-2]</sup> However, while the Synoptic Gospels present the Last Supper as a Passover meal,<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Matt. 26:17]</sup><sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Mk. 14:1-2]</sup> <sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Lk 22:1-15]</sup> the Gospel of John
makes no explicit mention that the Last Supper was a Passover meal and
presents the official Jewish Passover feast as beginning in the evening a
few hours <i>after</i> the death of Jesus. John thus implies that the
Friday of the crucifixion was the day of preparation for the feast (14
Nisan), not the feast itself (15 Nisan), and astronomical calculations
of ancient Passover dates initiated by Isaac Newton, and posthumously published in 1733, support John's chronology.<br />
<br />
Historically, various attempts to reconcile the three synoptic
accounts with John have been made, some of which are indicated in the article on the Last Supper by Francis Mershman in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia. The Maundy Thursday
church tradition assumes that the Last Supper was held on the evening
before the crucifixion day (although, strictly speaking, in no Gospel is
it unequivocally said that this meal took place on the night before
Jesus died).<br />
<br />
A new approach to resolve this contrast was undertaken in the wake of the excavations at Qumran
in the 1950s when Annie Jaubert argued that there were two Passover
feast dates: while the official Jewish lunar calendar had Passover begin
on a Friday evening in the year that Jesus died, a solar calendar was
also used, for instance by the Essene community at Qumran,
which always had the Passover feast begin on a Tuesday evening.
According to Jaubert, Jesus would have celebrated the Passover on
Tuesday, and the Jewish authorities three days later, on Friday.<br />
<br />
However, Humphreys has calculated that Jaubert's proposal cannot be correct, as the Qumran solar Passover would always fall <i>after</i>
the official Jewish lunar Passover. Nevertheless, he agrees with the
approach of two Passover dates, and argues that the Last Supper took
place on the evening of Wednesday 1 April 33, based on his recent
discovery of the Essene, Samaritan, and Zealot <i>lunar</i> calendar, which is based on Egyptian reckoning.
Humphreys' implication is that Jesus and other communities were
following the original Hebrew calendar putatively imported from Egypt by
Moses (which requires calculating the time of the invisible new moon),
rather than the official Jewish calendar which had been adopted more
recently, in the 6th century BC during the Babylonian exile
(which simply requires observing the visible waxing moon). A Last
Supper on Wednesday, he argues, would allow more time than in the
traditional view (Last Supper on Thursday) for the various
interrogations of Jesus and his presentation to Pilate before he was crucified on Friday. Furthermore, a Wednesday Last Supper, followed by a Thursday daylight Sanhedrin trial,
followed by a Friday judicial confirmation and crucifixion would not
require violating Jewish court procedure as documented in the 2nd
century, which forbade capital trials at night and moreover required a
confirmatory session the following day.<br />
<br />
In a review of Humphreys' book, the Bible scholar William R Telford
points out that the non-astronomical parts of his argument are based on
the assumption that the chronologies described in the New Testament are
historical and based on eyewitness testimony. In doing so, Telford says,
Humphreys has built an argument upon unsound premises which "does
violence to the nature of the biblical texts, whose mixture of fact and
fiction, tradition and redaction, history and myth all make the rigid
application of the scientific tool of astronomy to their putative data a
misconstrued enterprise."<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Location">Location</span>: Cenacle</h3>
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle" title="Cenacle">Cenacle</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion" title="Mount Zion">Mount Zion</a>, claimed to be the location of the Last Supper and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost" title="Pentecost">Pentecost</a>.</div>
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According to later tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is today called The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle" title="Cenacle">Room of the Last Supper</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion" title="Mount Zion">Mount Zion</a>, just outside the walls of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_City_(Jerusalem)" title="Old City (Jerusalem)">Old City</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem" title="Jerusalem">Jerusalem</a>, and is traditionally known as <i>The Upper Room</i>. This is based on the account in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synoptic_Gospels" title="Synoptic Gospels">Synoptic Gospels</a>
that states that Jesus had instructed a pair of unnamed disciples to go
to "the city" to meet "a man carrying a jar of water", who would lead
them to a house, where they would find "a large upper room furnished and
ready".<sup class="nourlexpansion reference"><a class="external text" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+14%3A13-15&version=NRSV" rel="nofollow">[Mark 14:13-15]</a></sup> In this upper room they "prepare the Passover". But, in Luke 22:8, it is noted that Jesus sent Peter and John.<br />
No more specific indication of the location is given in the New Testament, and the "city" referred to may be a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburb" title="Suburb">suburb</a> of Jerusalem, such as Bethany, rather than Jerusalem itself. The traditional location is in an area that, according to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology" title="Archaeology">archaeology</a>, had a large <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes" title="Essenes">Essene</a> community, a point made by scholars who suspect a link between Jesus and the group (Kilgallen 265).<br />
<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mark%E2%80%99s_Monastery,_Jerusalem" title="St. Mark’s Monastery, Jerusalem">Saint Mark's Syrian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem</a>
is another possible site for the room in which the Last Supper was
held, and contains a Christian stone inscription testifying to early
reverence for that spot. Certainly the room they have is older than that
of the current coenaculum (crusader - 12th century) and as the room is
now underground the relative altitude is correct (the streets of 1st
century Jerusalem were at least twelve feet (3.7 metres) lower than
those of today, so any true building of that time would have even its
upper story currently under the earth). They also have a revered Icon of
the Virgin Mary, reputedly painted from life by St Luke.<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargil_Pixner" title="Bargil Pixner">Bargil Pixner</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pixner_43-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supper#cite_note-Pixner-43">[43]</a></sup> claims the original site is located beneath the current structure of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle" title="Cenacle">Cenacle</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion" title="Mount Zion">Mount Zion</a>.<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theology_of_the_Last_Supper">Theology of the Last Supper</span></h2>
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St. Thomas Aquinas viewed The Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit
as teachers and masters who provide lessons, at times by example. For
Aquinas, the Last Supper and the Cross form the summit of the teaching
that wisdom flows from intrinsic grace, rather than external power.
For Aquinas, at the Last Supper Christ taught by example, showing the
value of humility (as reflected in John's foot washing narrative) and
self-sacrifice, rather than by exhibiting external, miraculous powers.<br />
<br />
Aquinas stated that based on <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 15:15</span> (in the Farewell discourse)
in which Jesus said: "No longer do I call you servants; ...but I have
called you friends". Those who are followers of Christ and partake in
the Sacrament of the Eucharist become his friends, as those gathered at
the table of the Last Supper. For Aquinas, at the Last Supper Christ made the promise to be present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and to be with those who partake in it, as he was with his disciples at the Last Supper.<br />
<br />
John Calvin
believed only in the two sacraments of Baptism and the "Lord's Supper"
(i.e., Eucharist). Thus, his analysis of the Gospel accounts of the Last
Supper were an important part of his entire theology. Calvin related the Synoptic Gospel accounts of the Last Supper with the Bread of Life Discourse in <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">John 6:35</span> that states: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry."<br />
<br />
Calvin also believed that the acts of Jesus at the Last Supper should
be followed as an example, stating that just as Jesus gave thanks to
the Father before breaking the bread,<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[1 Cor. 11:24]</sup>
those who go to the "Lord's Table" to receive the sacrament of the
Eucharist must give thanks for the "boundless love of God" and celebrate
the sacrament with both joy and thanksgiving<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Remembrances">Remembrances</span></h2>
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The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is remembered by Roman Catholics as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the First Station of a so-called New Way of the Cross and by most Christians as the "inauguration of the New Covenant", mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah,
fulfilled at the last supper when Jesus "took bread, and after blessing
it broke it and gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.' And
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and
they all drank of it. And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many.<span style="padding-right: .2em;">'</span>"<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Mk. 14:22-24]</sup> <sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Mt. 26:26-28]</sup><sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[Lk. 22:19-20]</sup><br />
<br />
Other Christian groups consider the Bread and Wine remembrance to be a change to the Passover ceremony, as Jesus Christ has become "our Passover, sacrificed for us",<sup class="nourlexpansion reference">[1 Cor. 5:7]</sup>
and hold that partaking of the Passover Communion (or fellowship) is
now the sign of the New Covenant, when properly understood by the
practicing believer.<br />
<br />
These meals evolved into more formal worship services and became codified as the Mass in the Catholic Church, and as the Divine Liturgy
in the Eastern Orthodox Church; at these liturgies, Catholics and
Eastern Orthodox celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The name
"Eucharist" is from the Greek word <i>εὐχαριστία</i> (eucharistia) which means "thanksgiving".<br />
<br />
Early Christianity observed a ritual meal known as the "agape feast"
These "love feasts" were apparently a full meal, with each participant
bringing food, and with the meal eaten in a common room. They were held
on Sundays, which became known as the Lord's Day,
to recall the resurrection, the appearance of Christ to the disciples
on the road to Emmaus, the appearance to Thomas and the Pentecost which
all took place on Sundays after the Passion.<br />
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<h2>
References</h2>
<ul>
<li>Brown, Raymond E. <i>An Introduction to the New Testament</i> Doubleday 1997 ISBN 0-385-24767-2</li>
<li>Brown, Raymond E. et al. <i>The New Jerome Biblical Commentary</i> Prentice Hall 1990 ISBN 0-13-614934-0</li>
<li>Bultmann, Rudolf <i>The Gospel of John</i> Blackwell 1971</li>
<li>Kilgallen, John J. <i>A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark</i> Paulist Press 1989 ISBN 0-8091-3059-9</li>
<li>Linders, Barnabas <i>The Gospel of John</i> Marshall Morgan and Scott 1972</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s1600/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ArLH3_X-frs/UCoSwlBXEWI/AAAAAAAABdI/iETqKLuL3OE/s320/Miraculous_Medal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 2</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
TRANSFIGURATION AND TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM OF OUR LORD</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our Redeemer and Master Jesus had
already consumed more than two years and a half in preaching and
performing wonders, and He was approaching the time predestined by
the eternal wisdom for satisfying divine justice for redeeming the
human race through his Passion and Death and thus to return to his
eternal Father. Since all his works were ordered with the highest
wisdom for our instruction and salvation, the Lord resolved to
prepare and strengthen some of his Apostles for the scandal of his
Passion by manifesting to them beforehand in its glory that same
body, which was so soon to exhibit in the disfigurement of the Cross.
Thus would they be reassured by the thought, they had seen it
transfigured in glory before they looked upon it disfigured by his
sufferings. This he had promised a short time before in the presence
of all, although not to all, but only to some of his disciples, as is
recorded by saint Matthew (Matth. 16, 28). For his Transfiguration He
selected a high mountain in the center of Galilee, two leagues east
of Nazareth and called Mount Tabor. Ascending to its highest summit
with the three Apostles, Peter, and the two brothers James and John,
He was transfigured before them (Matth. 17, hark 9, 1; Luke 9, 28).
The three Evangelists tell us that besides these Apostles, were
present also the prophets, Moses and Elias, discoursing with Jesus
about his Passion, and that, while He was thus transfigured, a voice
resounded from heaven in the name of the eternal Father, saying “This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Evangelists do not say that most
holy Mary was present at this Transfiguration, nor do they say that
She was not there; this did not fall within purpose, and they did not
think it proper to speak of the hidden miracle by which She was
enabled to be there. For the purpose of recording this event here, I
was given to understand that at the same time in which some of the
holy angels were commissioned to bring the soul of Moses and Elias
from their abode, others of her own guard carried the heavenly Lady
to Mount Tabor, in order to witness the Transfiguration of her divine
Son, for without a doubt She really witnessed it. There was no
necessity of confirming the most holy Mother in her faith, as was
necessary with the Apostles; for She was invincibly confirmed in
faith.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
But no human ingenuity can suffice
fully to describe the effects of this glorious vision of her Son on
her most holy soul. With inmost gratitude and deepest penetration She
began to ponder upon what She had seen and heard; exalted praise of
the omnipotent welled forth from her lips, when She considered how
her eyes had seen refulgent in glory that same bodily substance,
which had been formed of her blood, carried in her womb and nursed at
her breast; how She had with her own ears heard the voice of the
eternal Father acknowledge her Son as his own and appoint Him as the
Teacher of all the human race. With her holy angels She composed new
canticles to celebrate an event so full of festive joy for her soul
and for the most sacred humanity of her Son. I will not expatiate
upon this mystery, nor discuss in what the Transfiguration of the
body of Jesus really consisted. It is enough to know that his
countenance began to shine like the sun and his garments became
whiter than the snow (Matth. 17, 2).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
After the Transfiguration the most
blessed Mother was brought back to her house in Nazareth; her divine
Son descended the mountain and immediately came to visit her in order
to take final leave of his parental province and set out for
Jerusalem. There, on the following Pasch, which was to be for Him the
last upon earth, He was to enter upon his Passion. Having spent only
a few days at Nazareth, He departed with his Mother, his disciples
and Apostles and some of the holy women, traveling about through
Galilee and Samaria before entering Judea and Jerusalem. The
Evangelist saint Luke writes of this journey where he says, that He
set his face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9, 51); for He journeyed to
Jerusalem with a joyous countenance and full of desire to enter upon
his sufferings, in order thereby, according to his own most ardent
and generous desire, to sacrifice Himself for the human race. He was
not to return to Galilee, where had wrought so many miracles. Knowing
this at his departure from Nazareth, He glorified his eternal Father
and, in the name of his sacred humanity, gave thanks for having, in
that house and neighborhood, received the human form and existence
which He was now to deliver over to suffering and death. Of the
prayers of Christ our Lord on this occasion I will record as I can
the following one:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">My eternal
Father, in compliance with thy will I gladly haste to satisfy thy
justice by suffering even unto death. Thus shall I reconcile to Thee
all the children of Adam, paying their debts and opening to them the
gates of heaven which have been closed against them. I shall seek
those who have turned away and lost themselves, so that they may be
restored by the force of my love. I shall find and gather together
the lost of the house of Jacob (Is. 56, 8), raise up the fallen,
enrich the poor, refresh the thirsty, cast down the haughty and exalt
the humble. I wish to vanquish hell and enhance the glories of the
triumph over Lucifer (I John 3, 8), and over the vices which he has
sown into the world. I wish to raise up the standard of the Cross,
beneath which virtue, and all those that put themselves under its
protection, are to fight their battles. I wish to satiate my heart
with insults and affronts, which are so estimable in thy eyes. I wish
to humiliate Myself even to death at the hands of my enemies, in
order that our chosen friends may be consoled in their tribulations
and that they may be honored by high rewards, whenever they choose to
humiliate themselves in suffering the same persecutions. O beloved
Cross! When shalt thou receive Me in thy arms? O sweet ignominies and
affronts! When shalt thou bear Me on to overcome death through the
sufferings of my entirely guiltless flesh? Ye pains, affronts,
ignominies, scourges, thorns, torments, death, come to Me, who wish
to embrace you, yield yourselves to my welcome, since I well
understand your value. If the world abhors you, I long for you. If
the world in its ignorance, despises you, I, who am truth and wisdom,
love and embrace you. Come then to Me, for in welcoming you as man, I
exalt you as the true God and am ready to efface the touch of sin
from you and from all that will embrace you. Come to Me, ye pains,
and disappoint Me not; heed not my Omnipotence, for I shall permit
you to exert your full force upon my humanity. You shall not be
rejected and abhorred by Me as you are by mortals. The deceitful
fascination of the children of Adam in vainly judging the poor and
the afflicted of this world as unhappy, shall now disappear; for if
they see their true God, their Creator, Master and Father, suffering
horrible insults, scourgings, the ignominious torment and destitution
of the Cross, they will understand their error and esteem it as an
honor to follow their crucified God.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
I cannot worthily express all the
thoughts and affections of the Mistress of the world in this her
departure from Nazareth, her prayers and petitions to the eternal
Father, her most sweet and sorrowful conversations with her divine
Son, the greatness of her grief and the vastness of her merits. For,
on account of the conflict between the love of a true Mother, by
which She naturally desired to preserve Him from the terrible
torments, and the conformity of her will with that of Jesus and of
his eternal Father, her heart was pierced by the sword of sorrow,
prophesied by Simeon (Luke 2, 35). In her affliction She complained
to her divine Son in words of deepest prudence and wisdom, yet also
of sweetest sorrow, that She should be unable to prevent his
sufferings, or at least die with Him. These sorrows of the Mother of
God exceeded the sufferings of martyrs who have died or will die for
love of God to the end of the world. In such a state of mind and
affection the Sovereigns of the world pursued their way from Nazareth
toward Jerusalem through Galilee, which the Savior was not to revisit
in this life. As the end of his labors for the salvation of men drew
to a close, his miraculous works increased in number, and, as the
sacred writers of the Gospels relate, they became especially numerous
in the last months intervening between his departure from Galilee and
the day of entrance into Jerusalem. Until that day, after having
celebrated the feast or the Pasch of the Tabernacles, the Savior
traveled about and labored in Judea, awaiting the appointed time,
when, according to his will, He was to offer Himself in sacrifice.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our Savior continued to perform his
miracles in Judea. Among them was also the resurrection of Lazarus in
Bethany, whither He had been called by the two sisters, Martha and
Mary. As this miracle took place so near to Jerusalem, the report of
it was soon spread throughout the city. The priests and Pharisees,
being irritated by this miracle, held a council (John 9, 17), in
which they resolved upon the death of the Redeemer and commanded all
those that had any knowledge of his whereabouts, to make it known;
for after the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus retired to the town of
Ephrem, until the proximate feast of the Pasch should arrive. As the
time of celebrating it by his own Death drew nigh, He showed Himself
more openly with his twelve disciples, the Apostles; and He told them
privately that they should now get themselves ready to go Jerusalem,
where the Son of man, He himself, should be delivered over to the
chiefs of the Pharisees, bound as a prisoner, scourged, and
ill–treated unto the death of the Cross (Matth. 20, 18). In the
meanwhile the priests kept a sharp watch to find Him among those who
came to celebrate the Pasch. Six days previous He again visited
Bethania, where He had called Lazarus to life, and where He was
entertained by the two sisters. They arranged a banquet for the Lord
and his Mother, and for all of his company. Among those that were at
table with Them, was also Lazarus, whom He had brought back to life a
few days before.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Thursday, the eve
of the Passion and Death of the Savior, had arrived; at earliest dawn
the Lord called his most beloved Mother and She, hastening to
prostrate Herself at his feet, responded; “Speak, my Lord and
Master, for thy servant heareth.” Raising Her up from the
ground, He spoke to Her in words of soothing and tenderest love: “My
Mother, the hour decreed by the eternal wisdom of my Father for
accomplishing the salvation and restoration of the human race and
imposed upon Me by his most holy and acceptable will, has now
arrived; it is proper that now We subject to Him our own will, as We
have so often offered to do. Give Me thy permission to enter upon my
suffering and death, and, as my true Mother, consent that I deliver
Myself over to my enemies in obedience to my Father. In this manner
do Thou also willingly co–operate with Me in this work of
eternal salvation, since I have received from Thee in thy virginal
womb the form of a suffering and mortal man in which I am to redeem
the world and satisfy the divine justice. Just as thou,</span><sub>
</sub><span lang="en-US">of thy own free will, didst consent to my
Incarnation, so I now desire thee to give consent also to my passion
and death of the Cross. To sacrifice Me now of thy own free will to
the decree of my eternal Father, this shall be the return which I ask
of thee for having made thee my Mother; for He has sent Me in order
that by the sufferings of my flesh I might recover the lost sheep of
his house, the children of Adam” (Matth. 18,11).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
These and other words of the Savior, spoken on
that occasion, pierced the most loving heart of Mary and cast Her
into the throes of a sorrow greater than She had ever endured before.
For now had arrived that dreadful hour, whence there was no issue for
her pains, neither in an appeal to the swift–fleeting time nor
to any other tribunal against the inevitable decree of the eternal
Father, that had fixed the term of her beloved Son’s life. When
now the most prudent Mother look upon Him as her God, infinite in his
attributes and perfections, and as the true Godman in hypostatical
union with the person of the Word, and beheld Him sanctified and
ineffably exalted by this union with the Godhead: She remembered the
obedience He had shown Her as his Mother during so many years and the
blessings He had conferred upon Her during his long companionship
with Her; She realized that soon She was to be deprived of this
blessed companionship and of the beauty of his countenance, of the
vivifying sweetness of his words; that She was not only to lose all
this at once, but moreover that She was to deliver Him over into the
hands of wicked enemies, to ignominies and torments and to the bloody
sacrifice of a death on the Cross. How deeply must all these
considerations and circumstances, now so clearly before Her mind,
have penetrated into her tender and loving heart and filled it with a
sorrow unmeasurable! But with the magnanimity of a Queen, vanquishing
this invincible pain, She prostrated Herself at the feet of Her
divine Son and Master, and, in deepest reverence, kissing his feet,
answered:</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Lord and
highest God, Author of all that has being, though Thou art the Son of
my womb, I am thy handmaid; the condescension of thy ineffable love
alone has raised me from the dust to the dignity of being thy Mother.
It is altogether becoming that I, vile wormlet, acknowledge and thank
thy most liberal clemency by obeying the will of the eternal Father
and thy own. I offer myself and resign myself to his divine pleasure
in order that in Me, just as in Thee, my Son and Lord his eternal and
adorable will be fulfilled. The greatest sacrifice which I can make,
is that I shall not be able to die with Thee, and that our lot should
not be inverted; for to suffer in imitation of Thee and in thy
company would be a great relief for my pains, and all torments would
be sweet, if undergone in union with thine. That Thou shouldst endure
all these torments for the salvation of mankind shall be my only
relief in my pains. Receive, O my God, this sacrifice of my desire to
die with Thee, and of my still continuing to live, while thou, the
most innocent Lamb and figure of the substance of thy eternal Father
undergoest Death (Heb. 1, 3). Receive also the agonies of my sorrow
to see the inhuman cruelty of thy enemies executed on thy exalted
Person because of the wickedness of the human kind. O ye heavens and
elements and all creatures within them, ye sovereign spirits, ye
Patriarchs and Prophets, assist me to deplore the death of my
Beloved, who gave you being, and bewail with me the misery of men,
who are the cause of this Death, and who, failing to profit of such
great blessings, shall lose that eternal life so dearly bought! O
unhappy you, that are foreknown as doomed! and O ye happy
predestined, who shall wash your stoles in the blood of the Lamb
(Apoc. 7, 14), you, who knew how to profit by this blessed sacrifice,
praise ye the Lord Almighty! O my Son and infinite delight of my
soul, give fortitude and strength to thy afflicted Mother; admit Her
as thy disciple and companion, in order that she may participate in
thy Passion and Cross, in order that the eternal Father may receive
the sacrifice of thy Mother in union with thine.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
With these and other expressions of her
sentiments, which I cannot all record in words, the Queen of heaven
answered her most holy Son, and offered Herself as a companion and a
coadjutrix in his Passion. Thereupon, thoroughly instructed and
prepared by divine light for all the mysteries to be wrought by the
Master of life towards accomplishing all his great ends, the most
pure Mother, having the Lord’s permission, added another
request in the following words: “Beloved of my soul and light
of my eyes, my Son, I am not worthy to ask Thee what I desire from my
inmost soul; but Thou, O Lord, art the life of my hope, and this my
trust I beseech Thee, if such be thy pleasure, make me a participant
in the ineffable Sacrament of thy body and blood. Thou hast resolved
to institute it as a pledge of thy glory and I desire in receiving
Thee sacramentally in my heart to share the effects of this new and
admirable Sacrament. Well do I know, O Lord, that no creature can
ever merit such an exquisite blessing, which Thou hast resolved to
set above all the works of thy magnificence; and in order to induce
Thee to confer upon me, I have nothing else to offer except thy own
and all thy infinite merits. If by perpetuating merits through the
same humanity which thou hast received from my womb, creates for me a
certain right, let this right consist not so much in giving Thyself
to me in this Sacrament, as in making me thine by this new
possession, which restores to me thy sweetest companionship. All my
desires and exertions I have devoted to the worthy reception of this
holy Communion from the moment in which Thou gavest me knowledge of
it and ever since it was thy fixed decree to remain in the holy
Church under the species of consecrated bread and wine. Thou then, my
Lord and God, return to thy first habitation which Thou didst find in
thy beloved Mother and thy slave, whom Thou hast prepared for thy
reception by exempting Her from the common touch of sin. Then shall I
receive within me the humanity, which I have communicated to Thee
from my own blood, and thus we shall be united in a renewed and close
embrace. This prospect enkindles my heart with most ardent love, and
may I never be separated from Thee, who art the infinite Good and the
Love of my soul.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Our Savior, having thus parted with his most
beloved Mother and sorrowful Spouse, and taking along with Him all
his Apostles, a little before midday of the Thursday of the last
Supper, departed on his last journey from Bethany to Jerusalem. At
the very outset He raised his eyes to the eternal Father, and,
confessing Him in words of thankfulness and praise, again professed
his most ardent love and most lovingly and obediently offered to
suffer and die for the Redemption of the human race. This prayer and
sacrifice of our Savior and Master sprang from such ineffable love
and ardor of his spirit, that it cannot be described; all that I say
of it seems to me rather a gainsaying of the truth and of what I
desire to say. “Eternal Father and my God,” said Christ
our Lord, “in compliance with thy will I now go to suffer and
die for the liberation of men, my brethren and the creatures of thy
hands. I deliver Myself up for their salvation and to gather those
who have been scattered and divided by the sin of Adam.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962831"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, as thy soul has been
furnished with gifts of enlightenment, I call and invite thee anew to
cast thyself into the sea of mysteries contained in the passion and
death of my divine Son. Direct all thy faculties and strain all the
powers of thy heart and soul, to make thyself at least somewhat
worthy of understanding and meditating upon the ignominies and
sorrows of the Son of the eternal Father in his death on the Cross
for the salvation of men; and also of considering my doings and
sufferings in connection with his bitterest Passion. This science, so
much neglected by men, I desire that thou, my daughter, study and
learn, so as to be able follow thy Spouse and imitate me, who am thy
Mother and Teacher. Writing down and feeling deeply all that I shall
teach thee of these mysteries, thou shouldst detach thyself entirely
of human and earthly affections and of thy own self, so as freely to
follow our footsteps in destitution and poverty.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
I wish thee also to ponder, what a
horrible crime it is in the eyes of the Lord, in mine, and in those
of all the saints, that men should despise and neglect the frequent
reception of the holy Communion, and that they should approach it
without preparation and fervent devotion. Principally in order that
thou mayest understand and record this warning, I have manifested
thee, what I did on that occasion and how I prepared myself so many
years for receiving my most blessed Son in the holy Sacrament and
also the rest, which thou art yet to write for the instruction and
confusion of men. For if I, who was innocent of any hindering sin and
filled with all graces, sought to increase my fitness for this favor
by such fervent acts of love, humility and gratitude, consider what
efforts thou and the other children of the Church, who every day and
hour incur new guilt and blame, must make in order to fit yourselves
for the beauty of the Divinity and humanity of my most holy Son? What
excuse can those men give in the last judgment, who have despised
this ineffable love and blessing, which they had always present in
the holy Church, ready to fill them with the plenitude of gifts, and
who rather sought diversion in worldly pleasures and attended upon
the outward and deceitful vanities of this earthly life? Be thou
amazed at this insanity as were the holy angels, and guard thyself
against falling into the same error.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962832"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 3</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
LAST SUPPER</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Christ had partaken of the prescribed
supper with his disciples reclining on the floor around a table,
which was elevated from it little more than the distance of six or
seven fingers; for such was the custom of the Jews. But after the
washing of the feet He ordered another, higher table to be prepared,
such as we now use for our meals. By this arrangement He wished to
put an end to the legal suppers and to the lower and figurative law
and establish the new Supper of the law of grace. From that time on
He wished the sacred mysteries to be performed on the tables or
altars, which are in use in the Catholic Church. The table was
covered with a very rich cloth and upon it was placed a plate or
salver and a large cup in the form of a chalice, capacious enough to
hold the wine. All this was done in pursuance of the will of Christ
our Savior, who by his divine power and wisdom directed all these
particulars. The master of the house was inspired to offer these rich
vessels, which were made of what seemed a precious stone like
emerald. The Apostles often used it afterwards in consecrating,
whenever the occasion permitted it. The Lord seated himself at this
table with the Apostles and some of the other disciples, and then
ordered some unleavened bread to be placed on the table and some wine
to be brought, of which He took sufficient to prepare the chalice.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Then the Master of life spoke words
of most endearing love to his Apostles, and, though his sayings were
wont to penetrate to the inmost heart at all times, yet on this
occasion they were like the flames of a great fire of charity, which
consumed the souls of his hearers. He manifested to them anew the
most exalted mysteries of his Divinity, humanity and of the works of
the Redemption. He enjoined upon them peace and charity, of which He
was now to leave a pledge in the mysteries about to be celebrated. He
reminded them, that in loving one another, they would be loved by the
eternal Father with the same love in which He was beloved. He gave
them an understanding of the fulfillment of this promise having
chosen them to found the new Church and the law of grace. He renewed
in them the light concerning the supreme dignity, excellence and
prerogatives of his most pure Virgin Mother.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="western">
All the Apostles and disciples, who, with the
exception of the traitor, believed in this holy Sacrament, adored it
with great humility and reverence according to each one’s
disposition. The great high priest Christ raised up his own
consecrated body and blood in order that all who were present at this
first Mass might adore it in a special manner, as they also did.
During this elevation his most pure Mother, saint John, Enoch and
Elias, were favored with an especial insight into the mystery of his
presence in the sacred species. They understood more profoundly, how,
in the species of the bread, was contained his body and in those of
the wine, his blood; how in both, on account of the inseparable union
of his soul with his body and blood, was present the living and true
Christ; how with the Person of the Word, was also therein united the
Person of the Father and of the Holy Ghost; and how therefore, on
account of the inseparable existence and union of the Father, Son and
Holy Ghost, the holy Eucharist contained the perfect humanity of the
Lord with the three divine Persons of the Godhead. All this was
understood most profoundly by the heavenly Lady and by the others
according to their degree. They understood also the efficacy of the
words of the consecration, now endowed with such divine virtue, that
as soon as they are pronounced with the intention of doing what
Christ did at that time, by any priest since that time over the
proper material, they would change the bread into his body and the
wine into his blood, leaving the accidents to subsist in a new way
and without their proper subject. They saw, that this change would
take place so certainly and infallibly that heaven and earth would
sooner fall to pieces, than that the effect of these words of
consecration, when pronounced in the proper manner by the sacerdotal
minister of Christ, should ever fail.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The heavenly Queen understood also by
a special vision how the most sacred body of Christ is hidden beneath
the accidents of bread and wine without change in them or alteration
of the sacred humanity; for neither can the Body be the subject of
the accidents, nor can the accidents be the form of the body. The
accidents retain the same extension and qualities as before, and each
of their parts retain the same position after the host has been
consecrated; and the sacred body is present in an invisible form,
also retaining the same size without intermingling of parts. It
remains in the whole host, and all of it in every particle of the
host, without being strained by the host, or the host by the body.
For neither is the extension of his body correlative with the
accidental species, nor do they depend upon the sacred body for their
existence. They therefore have a totally different mode of existence
and the body interpenetrates the accidents without hindrance.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Still greater was my admiration when
Jesus our God, having raised the most holy Sacrament, as I said
before, for their adoration, divided it by his own sacred hands,
first partook of it himself as being the First and chief of all the
priests. Recognizing himself, as man, inferior to the Divinity, which
He was now to receive in this his own consecrated body and blood. He
humiliated and, as it were, with a trembling of the inferior part of
his being, shrank within Himself before that Divinity, thereby not
only teaching us the reverence with which holy Communion is to be
received ; but also showing us what was his sorrow at the temerity
and presumption of many men during the reception and handling of this
exalted and sublime Sacrament. The effects of holy Communion in the
body of Christ were altogether miraculous and divine; for during a
short space of time the gifts of glory flowed over in his body just
as on mount Tabor, though the effects of this transfiguration were
manifest only to his blessed Mother, and partly also to John, Enoch
and Elias. This was the last consolation He permitted his humanity to
enjoy as to its inferior part during his earthly life, and from that
moment until his Death He rejected all such alleviation. The Virgin
Mother, by a special vision, also understood how Christ her divine
Son received Himself in the blessed Sacrament and what was the manner
of its presence in his divine Heart. All this caused inestimable
affection in our Queen and Lady.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
While receiving his own body and
blood Christ our Lord composed a canticle of praise to the eternal
Father and offered Himself in the blessed Sacrament as a sacrifice
for the salvation of man. He took another particle of the consecrated
bread and handed it to the archangel Gabriel who brought and
communicated it to the most holy Mary. By having such a privilege
conferred on one of their number, the holy angels considered
themselves sufficiently recompensed for being excluded from the
sacerdotal dignity and for yielding it to man. The privilege of
merely having even one of their number hold the sacramental body of
their Lord and true God filled them with a new and immense joy. In
abundant tears of consolation the great Queen awaited holy Communion.
When saint Gabriel with innumerable other angels approached, She
received it, the first after her Son, imitating his self–abasement,
reverence and holy fear. The most blessed Sacrament was deposited in
the breast and above the heart of the most holy Virgin Mother, as in
the most legitimate shrine and tabernacle of the Most High. There the
ineffable sacrament of the holy Eucharist remained deposited from
that hour until after the Resurrection, when saint Peter said the
first Mass and consecrated anew, as I shall relate in its place.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
After having thus favored the
heavenly Princess, our Savior distributed the sacramental bread to
the Apostles (Luke 22, 17), commanding them to divide it among
themselves and partake of it. By this commandment He conferred upon
them the sacerdotal dignity and they began to exercise it by giving
Communion each to Himself. This they did with the greatest reverence,
shedding copious tears and adoring the body and blood of our Lord,
whom they were receiving. They were established in the power of the
priesthood, as being founders of the holy Church and enjoying the
distinction of priority over all others (Ephes. 2, 20). Then saint
Peter, at the command of Christ the Lord, administered two of the
particles of holy Communion to the two patriarchs, Enoch and Elias.
This holy Communion so rejoiced these two holy men, that they were
encouraged anew in their hope of the beatific vision, which for them
was to be deferred for so many ages, and they were strengthened to
live on in this hope until the end of the world. Having given most
fervent and humble thanks to the Almighty for this blessing, they
were brought back to their abiding–place by the hands of the
holy angels. The Lord desired to work this miracle in order to pledge
Himself to include the ancient natural and written laws in the
benefits of the Incarnation, Redemption and general resurrection;
since all these mysteries were contained in the most holy Eucharist.
By thus communicating Himself to the two men, Enoch and Elias, who
were still in their mortal flesh, these blessings were extended over
the human race such as it existed under the natural and the written
laws, while all the succeeding generations were to be included in the
new law of grace, the Apostles at the head. This was all well
understood by Enoch and Elias, and, returning to the midst of their
contemporaries, they gave thanks their and our Redeemer for this
mysterious blessing.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962833"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">O my daughter!
Would that the believers in the Catholic faith opened their hardened
and stony hearts in order to attain to a true understanding of the
sacred and mysterious blessing of the Holy Eucharist! If they would
only detach themselves, root out and reject their earthly
inclinations, and, restraining their passions, apply themselves with
living faith to study by the divine light their great happiness in
thus possessing their eternal God in the holy Sacrament and in being
able, by its reception and constant interaction, to participate in
the effects of this heavenly manna! If they would only worthily
esteem this precious gift, begin to taste its sweetness, and share in
the hidden power of their omnipotent God! Then nothing would ever be
wanting to them in their exile. In this, the happy age of the law of
grace, mortals have no reason to complain of their weakness and their
passions; since in this bread of heaven they have at hand strength
and health. It matters not that they are tempted and persecuted by
the demon; for by</span> <span lang="en-US">receiving this Sacrament
frequently they are enabled to</span> <span lang="en-US">overcome him
gloriously. The faithful are themselves to blame for all their
poverty and labors, since they pay no attention to this divine
mystery, nor avail themselves of the divine powers, thus placed at
their disposal by my most holy Son. I tell thee truly, my dearest,
that Lucifer and his demons have such a fear of the most holy
Eucharist, that to approach it, causes them more torments than to
remain in hell itself. Although they do enter churches in order to
tempt souls, they enter them with aversion, forcing themselves to
endure cruel pains in the hope of destroying a soul and drawing it
into sin, especially in the holy places and in the presence of the
holy Eucharist. Their wrath against the Lord and against the souls
alone could induce them to expose themselves to the torment of his
real sacramental presence.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Whenever He is
carried through the streets they usually fly and disperse in all
haste; and they would not dare to approach those that accompany Him,
if by their long experience they did not know, that they will induce
some to forget the reverence due to their Lord. Therefore they make
special efforts to tempt the faithful in the churches; for they know
what great injury they can thereby do to the Lord himself,</span><sub>
</sub><span lang="en-US">who in his sacramental love is there waiting
to sanctify men and to receive the return of his sweetest and
untiring love. Hence thou canst also understand the strength of those
who prepare themselves to partake of this bread of the angels and how
the demons fear the souls, who receive the Lord worthily and devoutly
and who strive to preserve themselves in this purity until the next
Communion. But there are few who live with this intention, and the
enemy is ceaselessly alert in striving to throw them back into their
forgetfulness, distraction and indifference, so that he may not be
obliged to encounter such powerful weapons in the hands of men. Write
this admonition in thy heart; and since without thy merit the
Almighty has ordained, that thou receive holy Communion daily, seek
by all possible means to preserve thyself in the good dispositions
from one Communion to the other. It is the will of the Lord and my
own, that with this sword thou fight the battles of the Almighty in
the name of the holy Church against the invisible enemies. For in our
days they are heaping affliction and sorrow upon the mistress of
nations, while there is none to console her or to take it to heart
(Thren. 1, 10). Do thou thyself weep for the same reason and let thy
heart be torn in sorrow. But while the omnipotent and just Judge who
is so greatly incensed against the Catholics for having outraged his
justice by their unmeasurable and continual transgressions even under
the aegis of their grand faith, none are</span> <span lang="en-US">found
to consider and weigh the fearful damage, nor to approach the easy
remedy of receiving the holy Eucharist with a contrite and humble
heart; nor does any one ask for my intercession.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Though all the
children of the Church largely incur this fault, yet more to be
blamed are the unworthy and wicked priests; for by the irreverence
with which they treat the blessed Sacrament the other Catholics have
been drawn to undervalue it. If the people see their priests approach
the divine mysteries with holy fear and trembling, they learn to
treat and receive their God in like manner. Those that so honor Him
shall shine in heaven like the sun among the stars; for the glory of
my divine Son’s humanity will redound in a special measure in
those who have behaved well toward Him in the blessed Sacrament and
have received Him with</span> <span lang="en-US">all reverence;
whereas this will not happen to those who have not frequented this
holy table with devotion. Moreover the devout will bear on their
breast, where they have so often harbored the holy Eucharist, most
beautiful and resplendent inscriptions, showing that they were most
worthy tabernacles of the holy Sacrament. This will be a great
accidental reward for them and a source of jubilation and admiration
for the holy angels and the rest of the blessed. They will also enjoy
the special favor of being able to penetrate deeper into the mystery
of the presence of the Lord in the sacrament and to understand all
the rest of the wonders hidden therein. This will be such a
privilege, that it alone would suffice for their eternal happiness,
even if there were no other enjoyment in heaven. Moreover the
essential glory of those, who have worthily and devoutly received the
holy Eucharist, will in several respects exceed the glory of many
martyrs who have not received the body and blood of the Lord.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">I wish thee also
to hear, my dearest daughter from my own mouth, what were my
sentiments when</span> <span lang="en-US">in mortal life I was about
to receive holy Communion. In order that thou mayest better
understand what I say, reflect on all I have commanded thee to write
about my gifts, merits and labors in life. I was preserved from
original sin and, at the instant of my Conception, received the
knowledge and vision of the Divinity, as thou hast often recorded. I
knew more than all saints; I surpassed the highest seraphim in love;
I never committed any fault; I constantly practiced all the virtues
in a heroic degree and in the least of them I was greater than all
the saints in their highest perfection; the intention and object of
my actions were most exalted and my habits and gifts were noble
without measure; I imitated my most holy Son most closely; I labored
faithfully; I suffered with eagerness and co–operated with the
doings of the Lord exactly as was becoming to me; I ceased not to
exercise my love and gain new supereminent merits of grace. Yet I
thought myself to have been fully repaid by being allowed to receive
Him even once in the holy Eucharist; yea, I did not consider myself
worthy of this one favor. Reflect then what should be thy sentiments,
and those of the rest of the children of Adam, on being admitted to
the reception of this admirable Sacrament. And if for the greatest of
saints one holy Communion is a superabundant reward, what must the
priests and the faithful think, when they are allowed to receive it
so frequently? Open thy eyes in the deep darkness and blindness which
overwhelm men around thee, and raise them up to the divine brightness
in order to understand these mysteries. Look upon all thy works as
insufficient, all thy sufferings as most insignificant, all thy
thanksgiving as falling far short of what thou owest for such an
exquisite blessing as that of possessing in the holy Church, Christ
my divine Son, present in the holy Sacrament in order to enrich all
the faithful. If thou hast not wherewith to show thy thanks for this
and the other blessings which thou receivest, at least humiliate
thyself to the dust and remain prostrate upon it; confess thyself
unworthy in all the sincerity of thy heart. Magnify the Most High,
bless and praise Him, preserving thyself at all times worthy to
receive Him and to suffer many martyrdoms in return for such a favor.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962834"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 4</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
PRAYER IN GETHSEMANI AND HOW MARY JOINED THEREIN</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
By the wonderful mysteries, which our
Savior Jesus had celebrated in the Cenacle, the reign which according
to his inscrutable decree, his eternal Father had consigned to Him,
was well established; and the Thursday night of his last Supper
having already advanced some hours, He chose to go forth to that
dreadful battle of his suffering and death by which the Redemption
was to be accomplished. The Lord then rose to depart from the hall of
the miraculous feast and also most holy Mary left her retreat in
order to meet Him on the way. At this face to face meeting of the
Prince of eternity and of the Queen, a sword of sorrow pierced the
heart of Son and Mother, inflicting a pang of grief beyond all human
and angelic thought. The sorrowful Mother threw Herself at the feet
of Jesus, adoring Him as her true God and Redeemer. The Lord, looking
upon Her with a majesty divine and at the same time with the
overflowing love of a Son, spoke to Her only these words: “My
Mother, I shall be with thee in tribulation; let Us accomplish the
will of the eternal Father and the salvation of men.” The great
Queen offered herself as a sacrifice with her whole heart and asked
his blessing. Having received this She returned to her retirement,
where, by a special favor of the Lord, she was enabled to see all
that passed in connection with her divine Son. Thus She was enabled
to accompany Him and co–operate with Him in his activity as far
as devolved upon Her. The owner of the house, who was present at this
meeting, moved by a divine impulse, offered his house and all that it
contained to the Mistress of heaven, asking her to make use of all
that was his during her stay in Jerusalem; and the Queen accepted his
offer with humble thanks. The thousand angels of her guard, in forms
visible to Her, together with some of the pious women of her company,
remained with the Lady.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Our Redeemer and
Master left the house of the Cenacle with</span> <span lang="en-US">all
the men, who had been present at the ration of the mysterious Supper;
and soon many of them dispersed in the different streets in order to
attend to their own affairs. Followed by his twelve Apostles, the
Lord directed his steps toward mount Olivet outside and close to the
eastern walls of Jerusalem. Judas, alert in his treacherous
solicitude for the betrayal of his divine Master, conjectured that
Jesus intended to pass the night in prayer as was his custom. This
appeared to him a most opportune occasion for delivering his Master
into the hands of his confederates, the scribes and the pharisees.
Having taken this dire resolve, he lagged behind and permitted the
Master and his Apostles to proceed. Unnoticed by the latter he lost
them from view and departed in all haste to his own ruin and
destruction. Within him was the turmoil of sudden fear and anxiety,
interior witnesses of the wicked deed he was about to commit. Driven
on in the stormy hurricane of thoughts raised by his bad conscience,
he arrived breathless at the house of the high priests. On the way it
happened, that Lucifer, perceiving the haste of Judas in procuring
the death of Jesus Christ, and (as I have related in chapter the
tenth), fearing that after all Jesus might be the true Messias, came
toward him in the shape of a very wicked man, a friend of Judas
acquainted with the intended betrayal. In this shape Lucifer could
speak to Judas without being recognized. He tried to persuade him
that this project of selling his Master did at first seem advisable
on account of the wicked deeds attributed to Jesus; but that, having
more naturally considered the matter, he did not now deem it
advisable to deliver Him over to the priests and pharisees; for Jesus
was not so bad as Judas might imagine; nor did He deserve death; and
besides He might free Himself by some miracles and involve his
betrayer into great difficulties.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
In the meanwhile our divine Lord with the eleven
Apostles was engaged in the work of our salvation and the salvation
of those who were scheming his death. Unheard of and wonderful
contest between the deepest malice of man and the unmeasurable
goodness and charity of God! If this stupendous struggle between good
and evil began with the first man, it certainly reached its highest
point in the death of the Repairer; for then good and evil stood face
to face and exerted their highest powers: human malice in taking away
the life and honor of the Creator and Redeemer, and his immense
charity freely sacrificing both for men. According to our way of
reasoning, it was as it were necessary that the most holy soul of
Christ, yea that even his Divinity, should revert to his blessed
Mother, in order that He might find some object in creation, in which
his love should be recompensed and some excuse for disregarding the
dictates of his justice. For in this Creature alone could He expect
to see his Passion and Death bring forth full fruit; in her
immeasurable holiness did his justice find some compensation for
human malice; and in the humility and constant charity of this great
Lady could be deposited the treasures of his merits, so that
afterwards, as the New Phoenix from the rekindled ashes, his Church
might arise from his sacrifice. The consolation which the humanity of
Christ drew from the certainty of his blessed Mother’s holiness
gave Him strength and, as it were, new courage to conquer the malice
of mortals; and He counted Himself well recompensed for suffering
such atrocious pains by the fact that to mankind belonged also his
most beloved Mother.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Our Savior pursued his way across the torrent of
Cedron (John 18, 1) to mount Olivet and entered the garden of
Gethsemani. Then He said to all the Apostles: “Wait for Me, and
seat yourselves here while I go a short distance from here to pray
(Matth. 26, 36); do you also pray, in order that you may not enter
into temptation” (Luke 22, 40). The divine Master gave them
advice, in order that they might be firm in the temptations, of which
He had spoken to them at the Supper: that all of them should be
scandalized on account of what they should see Him suffer that night,
that Satan would assail them to sift and stir them up by his false
suggestions; for the Pastor (as prophesied) was to be illtreated and
wounded and the sheep were to be dispersed (Zach. 13, 7). Then the
Master of life, leaving the band of eight Apostles at that place and
taking with Him saint Peter, saint John, and saint James, retired to
another place, where they could neither be seen nor heard by the rest
(Mark 14, 33). Being with the three Apostles He raised his eyes up to
the eternal Father confessing and praising Him as was his custom;
while interiorly He prayed in fulfillment of the prophecy of
Zacharias, permitting death to approach the most innocent of men and
commanding the sword of divine justice to be unsheathed over the
Shepherd and descend upon the Godman with all its deathly force. In
this prayer Christ our Lord offered Himself anew to the eternal
Father in satisfaction of his justice for the rescue of the human
race; and He gave consent, that all the torments of his Passion and
Death be let loose over that part of his human being, which was
capable of suffering. From that moment He suspended and strained
whatever consolation or relief would otherwise overflow from the
impassable to the passable part of his being, so that in this
dereliction his passion and sufferings might reach the highest degree
possible. The eternal Father granted these petitions and approved
this total sacrifice of the sacred humanity.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
This prayer was as it were the floodgate through
which the rivers of his suffering were to find entrance like the
resistless onslaught of the ocean, as was foretold by David (Ps. 68,
2). And immediately He began to be sorrowful and feel the anguish of
his soul and therefore said to the Apostles: “My soul is
sorrowful unto death” (Mark 14, 34).</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
He threw himself with his divine face upon the
ground and prayed to the eternal Father: “Father, if it is
possible, let this chalice pass from Me” (Matth. 24, 38). This
prayer Christ our Lord uttered, though He had come down from heaven
with the express purpose of really suffering and dying for men;
though He had counted as naught the shame of his Passion, had
willingly embraced it and rejected all human consolation; though He
was hastening with most ardent love into the jaws of death, to
affronts, sorrows and afflictions; though He had set such a high
price upon men, that He determined to redeem them at the shedding of
his life–blood. Since by virtue of his divine and human wisdom
and his inextinguishable love He had shown Himself so superior to the
natural fear of death, that it seems this petition did not arise from
any motive solely coming from Himself. That this was so in fact, was
made known to me in the light which was vouchsafed me concerning the
mysteries contained in this prayer of the Savior.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">This</span> <span lang="en-US">agony
of Christ our Savior grew in proportion to the greatness of his
charity and the certainty of his knowledge, that men would persist in
neglecting to profit by his Passion and Death (Luke 22, 44). His
agony increased to such an extent, that great drops of bloody sweat
were pressed from Him, which flowed to the very</span> <span lang="en-US">earth.
Although this prayer was uttered subject to a condition and failed in
regard to the reprobate who fell under this condition; yet He gained
thereby a greater abundance and secured a greater frequency of favors
for mortals. Through it the blessings were multiplied for those who
placed no obstacles, the fruits of the Redemption were applied to the
saints and to the just more abundantly, and many gifts and graces, of
which the reprobates made themselves unworthy, were diverted to the
elect. The human will of Christ, conforming itself to that of the
Divinity, then accepted suffering for each respectively: for the
reprobate, as sufficient to procure them the necessary help, if they
would make use of its merits, and for the predestined, as an
efficacious means, of which they would avail themselves to secure
their salvation by co–operating with grace. Thus was set in
order, and as it were realized, the salvation of the mystical body of
his holy Church, of which Christ the Lord was the Creator and Head.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">As a ratification
of this divine decree, while yet our Master was in his agony, the
eternal Father for the third</span> <span lang="en-US">time sent the
archangel Michael to the earth in order to comfort Him by a sensible
message and confirmation of what He already knew by the infused
science of his most holy soul; for the angel could not tell our Lord
anything He did not know, nor could he produce any additional effect
on his interior consciousness for this purpose.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Let us now return to the Cenacle,
where the Queen of heaven had retired with the holy women of her
company. From her retreat, by divine enlightenment, She saw most
clearly all the mysteries and doings of her most holy Son in the
garden. At the moment when the Savior separated Himself with the
three Apostles Peter, John and James, the heavenly Queen separated
Herself from the other women and went into another room. Upon leaving
them She exhorted them pray and watch lest they enter into
temptation, but She took with Her the three Marys, treating Mary
Magdalen as the superior of the rest. Secluding Herself with these
three as her more intimate companions, She begged the eternal Father
to suspend in Her all human alleviation and comfort, both in the
sensitive and in the spiritual part of her being, so that nothing
might hinder Her from suffering to the highest degree in union with
her divine Son. She prayed that She might be permitted to feel and
participate in her virginal body all the pains of the wounds and
tortures about to be undergone by Jesus. This petition was granted by
the blessed Trinity and the Mother in consequence suffered all the
torments of her most holy Son in exact duplication, as I shall relate
later. Although they were such, that, if the right hand of the
Almighty had not preserved Her, they would have caused her death many
times over; yet, on the other hand, these sufferings, inflicted by
God himself were like a pledge and a new lease of life. For in her
most ardent love She would have considered it incomparably more
painful to see her divine Son suffer and die without being allowed to
share in his torments.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The three Marys were instructed by the Queen to
accompany and assist Her in her affliction, and for this purpose they
were endowed with greater light and grace than the other women. In
retiring with them the most pure Mother began to feel unwonted sorrow
and anguish and She said to them: “My soul is sorrowful,
because my beloved Son is about to suffer and die, and it is not
permitted me to suffer and die of his torments. Pray my friends, in
order that you may not be overcome by temptation.” Having said
this She went apart a short distance from them, and following the
Lord in his supplications. She, as far as was possible to Her and as
far as She knew it to be conformable to the human will of her Son,
continued her prayers and petitions, feeling the same agony as that
of the Savior in the garden. She also returned at the same intervals
to her companions to exhort them, because She knew of the wrath of
the demon against them. She wept at the perdition of the foreknown;
for She was highly enlightened in the mysteries of eternal
predestination and reprobation. In order to imitate and co–operate
in all things with the Redeemer of the world, the great Lady also
suffered a bloody sweat, similar to that of Jesus in the garden, and
by divine intervention She was visited by the archangel saint
Gabriel, as Christ her Son was visited by the archangel Michael. The
holy prince expounded to Her the will of the Most High in the same
manner as saint Michael had expounded it to Christ the Lord. In both
of them the prayer offered and the cause of sorrow was the same; and
therefore They were also proportionally alike to one another in their
actions and in their knowledge.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">While they were
approaching, the Lord returned third time to his Apostles and finding
them asleep spoke to them: “Sleep ye now, and take your rest.
It is enough: the hour is come ; behold the Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Behold he
that will betray Me is at hand (Mark 14, 41). Such were the words of
the Master of holiness to the three most privileged Apostles; He was
unwilling to reprehend them more severely than in this most meek and
loving manner. Being oppressed, they did not know what to answer
their Lord, as Scripture says (Mark 14, 40). They arose and Jesus
went with them to join the other eight disciples. He found them
likewise overcome and oppressed by their great sorrow and fallen
asleep. The Master then gave orders, that all of them together,
mystically forming one body with</span> <span lang="en-US">Him their
Head, should advance toward the enemies, thereby teaching them the
power of mutual and perfect unity for overcoming the demons and their
followers and</span> <span lang="en-US">for avoiding defeat by them.
For a triple cord is hard to tear, as says Ecclesiastes (4, 12), and
he that is mighty against one, may be overcome by two, that being the
effect of union. The Lord again exhorted all the Apostles and
forewarned them of what was to happen. Already the confused noise of
the advancing band of soldiers and their helpmates began to be heard.
Our Savior then proceeded to meet them on the way, and, with
incomparable love, magnanimous courage and tender piety prayed
interiorly: “O sufferings longingly desired from my inmost
soul, ye pains, wounds, affronts, labors, afflictions and ignominious
death, come, come, come quickly, for the fire of love, which burns
for the salvation of men, is anxious to see you meet the Innocent one
of all creatures. Well do I know your value, I have sought, desired,
and solicited you and I meet you joyously of my own free will; I have
purchased you by my anxiety in searching for you and I esteem you for
your merits. I desire to remedy and enhance your value and raise you
to highest dignity. Let death come, in order that by my accepting it
without having deserved it I may triumph over it and gain life for
those who have been punished by death for their sins (Osee 13, 14). I
give permission to my friends to forsake Me; for I alone desire and
am able to enter into this battle and gain for them triumph and
victory” (Is. 53, 3).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">During these words
and prayers of the Author of life Judas advanced in order to give the
signal upon which he had agreed with his companions (Matth. 26, 48),
namely the customary, but now feigned kiss of peace, by which they
were to distinguish Jesus as the One whom they should single out from
the rest and immediately seize. These precautions the unhappy
disciple had taken, not only out of avarice for the money and hatred
against his Master, but also, on account of the fear with which he
was filled. For he dreaded the inevitable necessity of meeting Him
and encountering Him in the future, if Christ was not put to death on
this occasion. Such a confusion he feared more than the death of his
soul, or the death of his divine Master, and, in order to forestall
it, he hastened to complete his treachery and desired to see the
Author of life die at the hands of his enemies. The traitor then ran
up to the meekest Lord, and, as a consummate hypocrite hiding his
hatred, he imprinted on his countenance the kiss of peace, saying:
“God save Thee, Master.” By this so treacherous act the
perdition of Judas was matured and God was justified in withholding
his grace and help. On</span><sup> </sup><span lang="en-US">the part
of the unfaithful disciple, malice and temerity reached</span> <span lang="en-US">their
highest degree; for, interiorly denying or disbelieving the uncreated
and created wisdom by which Christ must know of his treason, and
ignoring his power to destroy him, he sought to hide his malice under
the cloak of the friendship of a true disciple; and all this for</span>
<span lang="en-US">the purpose of delivering over to such a frightful
and cruel death his Creator and Master, to whom he was bound by so
many obligations. In this one act of treason he committed so many and
such formidable sins, that it is impossible to fathom their
immensity; for he was treacherous, murderous, sacrilegious,
ungrateful, inhuman, disobedient, false, lying, impious and
unequalled in hypocrisy; and all this was included in one and the
same crime perpetrated against the person of God made man.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The most pure
Mother of Christ our Lord was most attentive to all that passed in
his capture, and by means of her clear visions saw it more clearly
than if She had been present in person; for by means of supernatural
visions She penetrated into all the mysteries of his words and
actions. When She beheld the band of soldiers and servants issuing
from the house of the high priest, the prudent Lady foresaw the
irreverence and insults with which they would treat their Creator and
Redeemer; and in order to do what was within her power, She invited
the holy angels and many others in union with Her to render adoration
and praise to the Lord of creation as an offset to the injuries and
affronts He would sustain at the hands of those ministers of
darkness. The same request She made to the holy women who were
praying with Her. She told them, that her most holy Son had now given
permission to his enemies to take him prisoner and illtreat him, and
that they were about to make use of this permission in a most impious
and cruel manner. Assisted by the holy angels and the pious women the
faithful Queen engaged in interior and exterior acts of devoted faith
and love, confessing, adoring, praising and magnifying the infinite</span>
<span lang="en-US">Deity and the most holy humanity of her Creator
and Lord. The holy women imitated Her in the genuflections and
prostrations, and the angelic princes responded to the canticles with
which She magnified, celebrated and glorified the Divinity and
humanity of Christ. In the measure in which the children of malice
increased their irreverence and injuries, She sought to compensate
them by her praise and veneration. Thus She continued to placate the
divine justice, lest it be roused against his persecutors and destroy
them; for only most holy Mary was capable of staying the punishment
of such great offenses.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">And the great Lady
not only placated the just Judge, but even obtained favors and
blessings from the divine clemency for the very persons who irritated
Him and thus secured a return of good for those who were heaping
wrongs upon Christ the Lord for his doctrine and benefits. This mercy
attained its highest point in the disloyal and obstinate Judas; for
the tender Mother, seeing him deliver Jesus by the kiss of feigned
friendship and considering how shortly before his mouth had contained
the sacramental body of the Lord, with whose sacred countenance so
soon after those same foul lips were permitted to come in contact,
was transfixed with sorrow and entranced by charity. She asked the
Lord to grant new graces, whereby this man, who had enjoyed the
privilege of touching the face whereon angels desire to look, might,
if he chose to use them, save himself from perdition. In response to
this prayer of most holy Mary, her Son</span> <span lang="en-US">and
Lord granted Judas powerful graces in the very consummation of his
treacherous delivery. If the unfortunate man had given heed and had
commenced to respond to them, the Mother of mercy would have obtained
for him many others and at last also pardon</span> <span lang="en-US">for
his sin. She has done so with many other great sinners, who were
willing to give that glory to Her and thus obtain eternal glory for
themselves. But Judas failed to realize this and thus lost all chance
of salvation, as I shall relate in the next chapter.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
When the servants of the high priest
laid hands on and bound the Savior, the most blessed Mother felt on
her own hands the pains caused by the ropes and chains, as if She
Herself was being bound and fettered; in the same manner She felt in
her body the blows and torments further inflicted upon the Lord, for,
I have already said, this favor was granted to his Mother, as we
shall see in the course of the Passion. This her sensible
participation in his sufferings was some kind of relief of the pain,
which She would have suffered in her loving soul at the thought of
not being with Him in his torments.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962835"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">My daughter, in
all that thou art made to understand and write concerning these
mysteries, thou drawest upon thyself (and upon mortals) a severe
judgment, if thou dost not overcome thy pusillanimity, ingratitude
and baseness by meditating day and night on the Passion and Death of
Jesus crucified. This is the great science of the saints, so little
heeded by the worldly; it is the bread of life and the spiritual food
of the little ones, which gives wisdom to them and the want of which
starves the lovers of this proud world (Wis. 15, 3). In this science
I wish thee to be studious and wise, for with it thou canst buy
thyself all good things (Wis. 7, 11). My Son and Lord taught us this
science when He said: “I am the way, the truth and the life: no
one cometh to my Father except through Me” (John 14, 6)</span><span lang="en-US"><i>.</i></span>
<span lang="en-US">Tell me then, my daughter: if my Lord and Master
has made Himself the life and the way for men through his Passion and
Death, is it not evident that in order to go</span> <span lang="en-US">that
way and live up to this truth, they must follow Christ crucified,
afflicted, scourged and affronted? Consider the ignorance of men who
wish to come to the Father without following Christ, since they
expect to reign with God without suffering or imitating his Passion,
yea without even a thought of accepting any part of his suffering and
Death, or of thanking him for it. They want it to procure for them
the pleasures of this life as well as of eternal life, while Christ
their Creator has suffered the most bitter pains and torments in
order to enter heaven and to show them by his example how they are to
find the way of light.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Eternal rest is
incompatible with the shame of not having duly labored for its
attainment. He is not a true son of his father, who does not imitate
him, nor he a</span> <span lang="en-US">good disciple, who does not
follow his Master, nor he a</span> <span lang="en-US">good servant,
who does not accompany his lord; nor do I count him a devoted child,
who does not suffer with me and my divine Son. But our love for the
eternal salvation of men obliges us, who see them forgetful of this
truth and so adverse to suffering, to send them labors and
punishments, so that if they do not freely welcome them, they may at
least be forced to undergo them and so be enabled to enter upon the
way of salvation. And yet even all this is insufficient, since their
inclinations and their blind love of visible things detains them and
makes them hard and heavy of heart: they rob them of remembrance and
affection toward these higher things, which might raise them above
themselves and above created things. Hence it comes, that men do not
find joy in their tribulations, nor rest in their labors, nor
consolation in their sorrows, nor any peace in adversities. For,
altogether different from the saints who glory in tribulation as the
fulfillment of their most earnest desires, they desire none of it and
abhor all that is painful. In many of the faithful ignorance goes
still farther; for some of them expect to be distinguished by God’s
most intimate love, others, to be pardoned without penance, others,
to be highly favored. Nothing of all this will they attain, because
do not ask in the name of Christ the Lord and because they do not
wish to imitate Him and follow Him in his Passion.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Therefore, my daughter, embrace the
Cross and do not admit any consolation outside of it in this mortal
life. By contemplating and feeling within thyself the sacred Passion
thou wilt attain the summit of perfection and attain the love of a
spouse. Bless and magnify my most holy Son for the love with which He
delivered Himself up for the salvation of mankind. Little do mortals
heed this mystery; but I, as an Eyewitness, assure thee, next to
ascending to the right hand of his eternal Father, nothing was so
highly estimated and earnestly desired by Him, as to offer Himself
for suffering and death and to deliver Himself up entirely to his
enemies. I wish also that thou lament with great sorrow the fact that
Judas, in his malice and treachery, has many more followers than
Christ. Many are the infidels, many the bad Catholics, many the
hypocrites, who under the name of a Christian, sell and deliver Him
and wish to crucify Him anew. Bewail all these evils, which thou
understandest and knowest, in order that thou mayest imitate and
follow me in this matter.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962836"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 6, Chapter 5</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">JESUS
BROUGHT BEFORE ANNAS AND CAIPHAS</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Having been taken prisoner and firmly
bound, the most meek Lamb Jesus was dragged from the garden to the
house of the highpriests, first to the house of Annas (John 18, 13).
The turbulent band of soldiers and servants, having been advised by
the traitorous disciple that his Master was a sorcerer and could
easily escape their hands, if they did not carefully bind and chain
Him securely before starting on their way, took all precautions
inspired by such a mistrust (Mark 14, 44). Lucifer and his compeers
of darkness secretly irritated and provoked them to increase their
impious and sacrilegious illtreatment of the Lord beyond all bounds
of humanity and decency. As they were willing accomplices of
Lucifer’s malice, they omitted no outrage against the person of
their Creator within the limits set them by the Almighty. They bound
Him with a heavy iron chain with such ingenuity, that it encircled as
well the waist as the neck. The two ends of the chain which remained
free, were attached to large rings or handcuffs, with which they
manacled the hands of the Lord, who created the heavens, the angels
and the whole universe. The hands thus secured and bound, they
fastened not in front, but behind. This chain they had brought from
the house of Annas the highpriest, where it had served to raise the
portcullis of a dungeon. They had wrenched it from its place and
provided it with padlock handcuffs. But they were not satisfied with
this unheard–of way of securing a prisoner; for in their
distrust they added two pieces of strong rope: the one they wound
around the throat of Jesus and, crossing it at the breast, bound it
in heavy knots all about the body, leaving two long ends free in
front, in order that the servants and soldiers might jerk Him in
different directions along the way. The second rope served to tie his
arms, being bound likewise around his waist. The two ends of this
rope were left hanging free to be used by two other executioners for
jerking Him from behind.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Author of our salvation, hiding
his power of annihilating his enemies in order that our Redemption
might be the more abundant, submitted to all the consequences of the
impious fury which Lucifer and his hellish squadron fomented in the
Jews. They dragged Him bound and chained under continued
ill–treatment to the house of Annas, before whom they presented
Him as a malefactor worthy of death. It was the custom of the Jews to
present thus bound those criminals who merited capital punishment;
and they now made use of this custom in regard to Jesus, in order to
intimate his sentence even before the trial. The sacrilegious priest
Annas seated himself in proud and arrogant state on the platform or
tribunal of a great hall. Immediately Lucifer placed himself at his
side with a multitude of evil spirits.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Imperiously and
haughtily the highpriest asked Him about his disciples (John 18,
191), and what doctrine He was preaching and teaching. This question
was put merely for the purpose of misinterpreting his answer, if
Jesus should utter any word that afforded such a chance. But the
Master of holiness, who is the Guide and the Corrector of the most
wise (Wis. 7, 15), offer to the eternal Father the humiliation of
being presented as a criminal before the highpriest and of being
questioned by him as a prevaricator and author of a false doctrine.
Our Redeemer with an humble and cheerful countenance answered the
question as to his doctrines: “I have spoken openly to the
world: I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple,
whither all the Jews resort: and in secret I have spoken nothing. Why
askest thou Me? ask these, who have heard what I have spoken unto
them: behold they know what I have said,”</span><sup> </sup><span lang="en-US">As
the doctrine of Christ our Lord came from his eternal Father, He
spoke for it and defended its honor. He referred them to his hearers,
both because those by whom He was now surrounded, would not believe
Him and wished to distort all He should say, and because the truth
and force of his teachings recommended and forced themselves upon the
minds of his greatest enemies by their own excellence.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Concerning the Apostles He said nothing, because
it was not necessary on this occasion and because were not reflecting
much credit upon their Master by their present conduct. Though his
answer was so full of wisdom and so well suited to the question, yet
one of the servants of the highpriest rushed up with raised hand and
audaciously struck the venerable and sacred face of Jesus, saying:
“Answerest Thou the high priest so?” The Lord accepted
this boundless injury, praying for the one who had inflicted it; and
holding Himself ready, if necessary, to turn and offer the other
cheek for a second stroke, according to the doctrine He had himself
inculcated (Matth. 5, 39). But in order that the atrocious and daring
offender might not shamelessly boast of his wickedness, the Lord
replied with great tranquillity and meekness: “If I have spoken
evil, give testimony of the evil; if well, why strikest thou Me?”
O sight most astounding to the supernal spirits! Since this is He, at
the mere sound of whose voice the foundations of the heavens tremble
and ought to tremble and the whole firmament is shaken! While this
ill–treatment of the Lord was going on, saint Peter and the
other disciple, who was none other than saint John arrived at the
house of Annas. Saint John, as being well known there, readily
obtained entrance, while saint Peter remained outside. Afterwards the
servant maid, who was an acquaintance of saint John, allowed also him
to enter and see what would happen to the Lord (John 18, 16). The two
disciples remained in the portico adjoining the court–hall of
the priest, and saint Peter approached the fire, which the soldiers,
on account of the coldness of the night, had built in the enclosure
near the portico. The servant maid, on closer inspection, noticed the
depressed bearing of saint Peter. Coming up to him she recognized him
as a disciple of Jesus, and said: “Art thou not perhaps one of
the disciples of this Man?” This question was asked by the maid
with an air of contempt and reproach. Peter in his great weakness and
hesitancy yielded to a sense of shame. Overcome also by his fear he
answered: “I am not his disciple.” Having given this
answer, he slipped away to avoid further conversation, and left the
premises. But he soon afterwards followed his Master to the house of
Caiphas, where he denied Him again at two different times, as I shall
relate farther on.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The denial of Peter caused greater
pain to the Lord than the buffet which He had received; for this sin
was directly opposed and abhorrent to his immense charity, while
pains and sufferings were sweet and welcome to Him, since He could
thereby atone for our sins. After this first denial of Peter, Christ
prayed for him to his eternal Father and ordained that through the
intercession of the blessed Mary he should obtain pardon even after
the third denial. The great Lady witnessed all that passed from her
oratory, as I have said. As She contained in her own breast the
propitiatory and sacrifice of her Son and Lord in sacramental form,
She directed her petitions and loving aspirations to Him, eliciting
most heroic acts of compassion, thanksgiving adoration and worship.
She bitterly wept over the denial of saint Peter, and ceased not,
until She perceived that the Lord would not refuse him the necessary
helps for effectually rising from his fall.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The whole rabble of infernal spirits
and merciless foes of Christ left the house of Annas and dragged our
Lord Savior through the streets to the house of Caiphas, exercising
upon Him all the cruelty of their ignominious fury. The highpriests
and his attendants broke out in loud derision and laughter, when they
saw Jesus brought amid tumultuous noise into their presence beheld
Him now subject to their power and jurisdiction without hope of
escape. O mystery of the most exalted wisdom of heaven! O foolishness
and ignorance of hell, and blind stupidity of mortals! What a
distance immeasurable do I see between the doings of the Most High
and yours!</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The highpriest Caiphas, filled with a
deadly envy and hatred against the Master of life, was seated in his
chair of state or throne. With him were Lucifer and all his demons,
who had come from the house of Annas. The scribes and pharisees, like
bloodthirsty wolves, surrounded the gentle Lamb; all of them were
full of the exultation of the envious, who see the object of their
envy confounded and brought down. By common consent they sought for
witnesses, whom they could bribe to bring false testimonies against
Jesus our Savior (Matth. 26, 59). Those that had been procured,
advanced to proffer their accusations and testimony; but their
accusations neither agreed with each other, nor could any of their
slander be made to apply to Him, who of his very nature was innocence
and holiness (Mark 25,56; Heb. 7,26).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Our Savior Jesus answered not a word to all
calumnies and lies brought forward against his innocence. Caiphas,
provoked by the patient silence of the Lord, rose up in his seat and
said to Him: “Why dost Thou not answer to what so many
witnesses testify against Thee?” But even to this the Lord made
no response. For Caiphas and the rest were not only indisposed to
believe Him; but they treacherously wished make use of his answer in
order to calumniate Him and satisfy the people in their proceedings
against the Galileean, so that they might not be thought to have
condemned Him to death without cause. This humble silence, which
should have appeased the wicked priest only infuriated him so much
the more because it frustrated his evil purpose. Lucifer, who incited
the high priest and all the rest, intently watched the conduct of the
Savior. But the intention of the dragon was different from that of
the high priest. He merely wanted to irritate the Lord, or to hear
some word, by which could ascertain whether he was true God.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
With this purpose satan stirred up Caiphas to the
highest pitch of rage and to ask in great wrath and haughtiness: “I
adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us, if Thou be the
Christ, the Son of God.” This question of the highpriest
certainly convicted him at once of the deepest folly and of dreadful
blasphemy for if it was sincere, he had permitted Christ to be
brought before his tribunal in doubt whether He was the true God or
not, which would make him guilty of the most formidable and audacious
crime. The doubt in such a matter should have been solved in quite
another way, conformable to the demands of right reason and justice.
Christ our Savior, hearing Himself conjured by the living God,
inwardly adored and reverenced the Divinity, though appealed to by
such sacrilegious lips. Out of reverence for the name of God He
therefore answered: “Thou hast said: I am He. Nevertheless I
say to you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man (who I am) sitting
on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of
heaven” (Matth. 26, 64).</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
But the highpriest, furious at the answer of the
Lord, instead of looking upon it as a solution of his doubt rose once
more in his seat, and rending his garments as an outward
manifestation of his zeal for the honor of God, loudly cried out: “He
hath blasphemed; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now
you have heard the blasphemy: what think you?” (Matth. 26, 65.)
The real blasphemy however consisted rather in these words of
Caiphas, since he denied the certain fact that Christ was the Son of
God by his very nature, and since he attributed to the divine
Personality sinfulness, which was directly repugnant to his very
nature. Such was the folly of the wicked priest, who by his office
should have recognized and proclaimed the universal truth. He made of
himself an execrable blasphemer in maintaining that He, who is
holiness itself, had blasphemed. Having previously, with satanical
instinct, abused his high office in prophesying that the death of one
man is better than the ruin of all the people, he now was hindered by
his sins from understanding his own prophecy. As the example and the
opinions of princes and prelates powerfully stirs up the flattery and
subserviency of inferiors, that whole gathering of wickedness was
incensed at the Savior Jesus: all exclaimed in a loud voice: “He
is guilty of death (Matth. 26, 66), let Him die, let Him die!”
Roused by satanic fury they all fell upon their most meek Master and
discharged upon Him their wrath. Some of them struck Him in the face,
others kicked Him, others tore out his hair, others spat upon his
venerable countenance others slapped or struck Him in the neck, which
was a treatment reserved among the Jews only for the most abject and
vile of criminals. All these affronts, reproaches and insults were
seen and felt by the most holy Mary causing in Her the same pains and
wounds in the same parts of her body and at the same time as
inflicted upon the Lord. The only difference was, that in our Lord
the blows and torments were inflicted by the Jews themselves, while
in his most pure Mother they were caused by the Almighty in a
miraculous manner and upon request of the Lady. According to natural
laws, the vehemence of her interior sorrow and anxiety would have put
an end to her life; but She was strengthened by divine power, so as
to be able to continue to suffer with her Son and Lord.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The interior acts performed by the Savior under
these barbarous and unheard of persecutions, cannot be fathomed by
human reason or faculties. Mary alone understood them fully, so as to
be able to imitate them with the highest perfection. But as the
divine Master now experienced in his own Person, how necessary his
sympathy would be for those who were to follow him and practice his
doctrine, He exerted Himself so much the more in procuring for them
grace and blessings on this occasion, in which He was teaching them
by his own example the narrow way of perfection. In the midst of
these injuries and torments, and those which followed thereafter, the
Lord established for his perfect and chosen souls the beatitudes,
which He had promised and proposed to them some time before. He
looked upon the poor in spirit, who were to imitate Him in this
virtue and said: “Blessed are you in being stripped of the
earthly goods; for by my Passion and Death I am to entail upon you
the heavenly kingdom as a secure and certain possession of voluntary
poverty. Blessed are those who meekly suffer and bear adversities and
tribulations; for, besides the joy of having imitated Me, they shall
possess the land of the hearts and the good will of men through the
peacefulness of their interactions and the sweetness of their
virtues. Blessed are they that weep while they sow in tears; for in
them, they receive the bread of understanding and life, and they
shall afterwards harvest the fruits of everlasting joy and bliss.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Blessed are
also those who hunger and thirst for justice and truth; for I shall
earn for them satiation far beyond all their desires, as well in the
reign of grace as in the reign of glory. Blessed are they, who,
imitating Me in my offers of pardon and friendship, mercifully pity
those that offend and persecute them; for I promise them the fulness
of mercy from my Father. Blessed be the pure of heart, who imitate Me
in crucifying their flesh in order to preserve the purity of their
souls. I promise them the vision of peace and of my Divinity, by
becoming like unto Me and by partaking of Me. Blessed are the
peaceful, who, yielding their rights, do not resist the evil–minded
and deal with them with a sincere and tranquil heart without
vengeance; they shall be called my children, because they imitate my
eternal Father and I shall write them in my memory and in my mind as
my adopted sons. Those that suffer persecution for justice’s
sake, shall be the blessed heirs of my celestial kingdom, since they
suffer with Me; and where I am, there also they shall be in eternity.
Rejoice, ye poor; be consoled all ye that are and shall be afflicted;
glory in your lot, ye little ones and despised ones of this world,
you who suffer in humility and longanimity, suffer with an interior
rejoicing; since all of you are following Me in the path of truth.
Renounce vanity, despise the pomp and haughtiness of the false and
deceitful Babylon; pass ye through the fires and the waters of
tribulation until you reach Me, who am the light, the truth and your
guide to the eternal rest and refreshment.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
By the ill–treatment, which the
Lord received in the presence of Caiphas, the wrath of this
high priest and of all his supporters and ministers was much gratified
though not at all satiated. But as it was already past midnight, the
whole council of these wicked men resolved to take good care, that
the Savior be securely watched and confined until the morning, lest
He should escape while they were asleep. For this purpose they
ordered Him to be locked, bound as He was, in one of the subterranean
dungeons, a prison cell set apart for the most audacious robbers and
criminals of the state. Scarcely any light penetrated into this
prison to dispel its darkness. It was filled with such uncleanness
and stench, that it would have infected the whole house, if it had
not been so remote and so well enclosed; for it had not been cleaned
for many years, both because it was so deep down and because of the
degradation of the criminals that were confined in it; for none
thought it worthwhile making it habitable than for mere wild beasts,
unworthy of all human kindness.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962837"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, to great deeds art thou
called and on account of the divine enlightenment thou receivest
concerning the mysteries of the sufferings of my most holy Son and of
myself for the human race, and on account of the knowledge which thou
hast obtained concerning the small return made by heartless and
ungrateful men for all our pains. Thou livest yet in mortal flesh and
art thyself subject to this ignorance and weakness; but by the force
of truth thou art now roused to great wonder, sorrow and compassion
at the want of attention displayed by mortals toward these great
sacraments and at the losses sustained by them through their
lukewarmness and negligence. What then are the thoughts of the angels
and saints, and what are my thoughts in beholding this world and all
the faithful in such a dangerous and dreadful state of carelessness,
when they have the Passion and Death of my divine Son before their
eyes, and when they have me, for their Mother and Intercessor and his
most pure life and mine for an example? I tell thee truly, my
dearest, only my intercession and the merits of his Son, which I
offer to the eternal Father, can delay the punishment and placate his
wrath, can retard the destruction of the world and the severe
chastisement of the children of the Church, who know his will and
fail to fulfill it (John 15, 15). But I am much incensed to find so
few who condole with me and try to console my Son in his sorrows, as
David says (Ps. 68, 21). This hardness of heart will cause great
confusion to them on the day of judgment; since they will then see
with irreparable sorrow, not only that they were ungrateful, but
inhuman and cruel toward my divine Son, toward me and toward
themselves.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Consider then thy
duty, my dearest, and raise thyself above all earthly things and
above thyself; for I am calling</span> <span lang="en-US">thee and
choose thee to imitate and follow me into the solitude, in which I am
left by creatures, whom my Son and I have pursued with so many
blessings and favors. Weigh in thy heart, how much it cost my Lord to
reconcile mankind to the eternal Father (Colos. 1, 22) and regain for
them his friendship. Weep and afflict thyself that so many should
live in such forgetfulness and that so many should labor with all
their might at destroying and losing what was bought by the blood of
God itself and all that I from the first moment of my Conception have
sought to procure and am procuring for their salvation. Awaken in thy
heart the deepest grief, that in his holy Church there should be many
followers of the hypocritical and sacrilegious priests who, under
cover of a false piety, still condemn Christ; that pride and
sumptuousness with other grave vices should be raised to authority
and exalted, while humility, truth, justice and all virtues be so
oppressed and debased and avarice and vanity should prevail. Few know
the poverty of Christ, and fewer embrace it. Holy faith is hindered
and is not spread among the nations on account of the boundless
ambition of the mighty of this earth; in many Catholics it is
inactive and dead; and whatever should be living, is near to death
and to eternal perdition. The counsels of the Gospel are forgotten,
its precepts trodden under foot, charity almost extinct. My son and
true God offers his cheeks in patience and meekness to be buffeted
and wounded (Thren. 3, 30). Who pardons an insult for the sake of
imitating Him? Just the contrary is set up as law in this world, not
only by the infidels, but by the very children of the faith and of
light.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In</span>
<span lang="en-US">recognizing these sins I desire that thou imitate
me in what I did during the Passion and during my whole life, namely
practice the virtues opposed to these vices. As a recompense for
their blasphemies, I blessed God; for their oaths, I praised Him; for
their unbelief, I excited acts of faith, and so for all the rest of
the sins committed. This is what I desire thee to do while living in
this world. Fly also from dangerous interactions with creatures,
taught by the example of Peter, for thou art not stronger than he,
the Apostle of Christ; and if thou fall in thy weakness, weep over
thy fault and immediately seek my intercession. Make up for thy
ordinary faults and weaknesses by thy patience in adversities, accept
them with a joyous mien and without disturbance, no matter what they
may be, whether they be sickness or the molestations coming from
creatures, or whether they arise from the opposition of the flesh to
the spirit, or from the conflicts with visible or invisible enemies.
In all these things canst thou suffer and must thou bear in faith,
hope and magnanimous sentiment. I remind thee that there is no
exercise more profitable and useful for the soul than to suffer: for
suffering gives light, undeceives, detaches the heart from visible
things and raises it up to the Lord. He will come to meet those in
suffering, because He is with the afflicted and sends to them his
protection and help (Ps. 40,15).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO - THE LORD'S PRAYER</b></span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text3"><br />
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<b>ARTICLE 3<br />THE SEVEN PETITIONS</b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2803"></a><b>2803</b>
After we have placed ourselves in the presence of God our Father to
adore and to love and to bless him, the Spirit of adoption stirs up in
our hearts seven petitions, seven blessings. The first three, more
theological, draw us toward the glory of the Father; the last four, as
ways toward him, commend our wretchedness to his grace. "Deep calls to
deep."<sup>63</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2804"></a><b>2804</b> The first series of petitions carries us toward him, for his own sake: <i>thy </i>name, <i>thy </i>kingdom, <i>thy </i>will!
It is characteristic of love to think first of the one whom we love. In
none of the three petitions do we mention ourselves; the burning
desire, even anguish, of the beloved Son for his Father's glory seizes
us:<sup>64</sup> "hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be
done. . . . " These three supplications were already answered in the
saving sacrifice of Christ, but they are henceforth directed in hope
toward their final fulfillment, for God is not yet all in all.<sup>65</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2805"></a><b>2805</b>
The second series of petitions unfolds with the same movement as
certain Eucharistic epicleses: as an offering up of our expectations,
that draws down upon itself the eyes of the Father of mercies. They go
up from us and concern us from this very moment, in our present world:
"give <i>us </i>. . . forgive <i>us </i>. . . lead <i>us </i>not . . . deliver <i>us</i>.
. . . " The fourth and fifth petitions concern our life as such - to be
fed and to be healed of sin; the last two concern our battle for the
victory of life - that battle of prayer.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2806"></a><b>2806</b>
By the three first petitions, we are strengthened in faith, filled with
hope, and set aflame by charity. Being creatures and still sinners, we
have to petition for us, for that "us" bound by the world and history,
which we offer to the boundless love of God. For through the name of his
Christ and the reign of his Holy Spirit, our Father accomplishes his
plan of salvation, for us and for the whole world.<br />
<br />
<b> </b></span><br />
<span class="text"><b>I. "HALLOWED BE THY NAME"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2807"></a><b>2807</b>
The term "to hallow" is to be understood here not primarily in its
causative sense (only God hallows, makes holy), but above all in an
evaluative sense: to recognize as holy, to treat in a holy way. And so,
in adoration, this invocation is sometimes understood as praise and
thanksgiving.<sup>66</sup> But this petition is here taught to us by
Jesus as an optative: a petition, a desire, and an expectation in which
God and man are involved. Beginning with this first petition to our
Father, we are immersed in the innermost mystery of his Godhead and the
drama of the salvation of our humanity. Asking the Father that his name
be made holy draws us into his plan of loving kindness for the fullness
of time, "according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ," that
we might "be holy and blameless before him in love."<sup>67</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2808"></a><b>2808</b> In the decisive moments of his economy
God reveals his name, but he does so by accomplishing his work. This
work, then, is realized for us and in us only if his name is hallowed by
us and in us.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2809"></a><b>2809</b>
The holiness of God is the inaccessible center of his eternal mystery.
What is revealed of it in creation and history, Scripture calls "glory,"
the radiance of his majesty.<sup>68</sup> In making man in his image
and likeness, God "crowned him with glory and honor," but by sinning,
man fell "short of the glory of God."<sup>69</sup> From that time on,
God was to manifest his holiness by revealing and giving his name, in
order to restore man to the image of his Creator.<sup>70</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2810"></a><b>2810</b> In the promise to Abraham and the oath that accompanied it,<sup>71</sup>
God commits himself but without disclosing his name. He begins to
reveal it to Moses and makes it known clearly before the eyes of the
whole people when he saves them from the Egyptians: "he has triumphed
gloriously."<sup>72</sup> From the covenant of Sinai onwards, this
people is "his own" and it is to be a "holy (or "consecrated": the same
word is used for both in Hebrew) nation,"<sup>73</sup> because the name of God dwells in it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2811"></a><b>2811</b>
In spite of the holy Law that again and again their Holy God gives them
- "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" - and although
the Lord shows patience for the sake of his name, the people turn away
from the Holy One of Israel and profane his name among the nations.<sup>74</sup>
For this reason the just ones of the old covenant, the poor survivors
returned from exile, and the prophets burned with passion for the name.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2812"></a><b>2812</b>
Finally, in Jesus the name of the Holy God is revealed and given to us,
in the flesh, as Savior, revealed by what he is, by his word, and by
his sacrifice.<sup>75</sup> This is the heart of his priestly prayer:
"Holy Father . . . for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also
may be consecrated in truth."<sup>76</sup> Because he "sanctifies" his own name, Jesus reveals to us the name of the Father.<sup>77</sup>
At the end of Christ's Passover, the Father gives him the name that is
above all names: "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."<sup>78</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2813"></a><b>2813</b>
In the waters of Baptism, we have been "washed . . . sanctified . . .
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our
God."<sup>79</sup> Our Father calls us to holiness in the whole of our
life, and since "he is the source of [our] life in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God, and . . .sanctification,"<sup>80</sup> both his glory and our life depend on the hallowing of his name in us and by us. Such is the urgency of our first petition.
<br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">By whom is God hallowed, since he is the
one who hallows? But since he said, "You shall be holy to me; for I the
LORD am holy," we seek and ask that we who were sanctified in Baptism
may persevere in what we have begun to be. And we ask this daily, for we
need sanctification daily, so that we who fail daily may cleanse away
our sins by being sanctified continually. . . . We pray that this
sanctification may remain in us.<sup>81</sup> </span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2814"></a><b>2814</b> The sanctification of his name among the nations depends inseparably on our <i>life </i>and our <i>prayer</i>:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">We ask God to hallow his name, which by
its own holiness saves and makes holy all creation . . . . It is this
name that gives salvation to a lost world. But we ask that this name of
God should be hallowed in us through our actions. For God's name is
blessed when we live well, but is blasphemed when we live wickedly. As
the Apostle says: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you." We ask then that, just as the name of God is holy, so
we may obtain his holiness in our souls.<sup>82</sup> When we say
"hallowed be thy name," we ask that it should be hallowed in us, who are
in him; but also in others whom God's grace still awaits, that we may
obey the precept that obliges us to pray for everyone, even our enemies.
That is why we do not say expressly "hallowed be thy name 'in us,"' for
we ask that it be so in all men.<sup>83</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2815"></a><b>2815</b> This petition embodies all the others. Like the six petitions that follow, it is fulfilled by the <i>prayer of Christ</i>. Prayer to our Father is our prayer, if it is prayed in the name of Jesus.<sup>84</sup> In his priestly prayer, Jesus asks: "Holy Father, protect in your name those whom you have given me."<sup>85</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="II">II. "THY KINGDOM COME"</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2816"></a><b>2816</b> In the New Testament, the word <i>basileia </i>can
be translated by "kingship" (abstract noun), "kingdom" (concrete noun)
or "reign" (action noun). The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is
brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the
whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ's death and Resurrection. The
Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the
Eucharist, it is in our midst. The kingdom will come in glory when
Christ hands it over to his Father:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">It may even be . . . that the Kingdom of
God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose
coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our
resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the
Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.<sup>86</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2817"></a><b>2817</b> This petition is "<i>Marana tha</i>," the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: "Come, Lord Jesus."
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Even if it had not been prescribed to
pray for the coming of the kingdom, we would willingly have brought
forth this speech, eager to embrace our hope. In indignation the souls
of the martyrs under the altar cry out to the Lord: "O Sovereign Lord,
holy and true, how long before you judge and avenge our blood on those
who dwell upon the earth?" For their retribution is ordained for the end
of the world. Indeed as soon as possible, Lord, may your kingdom come!<sup>87</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2818"></a><b>2818</b> In the Lord's Prayer, "thy kingdom come" refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ's return.<sup>88</sup>
But, far from distracting the Church from her mission in this present
world, this desire commits her to it all the more strongly. Since
Pentecost, the coming of that Reign is the work of the Spirit of the
Lord who "complete[s] his work on earth and brings us the fullness of
grace."<sup>89</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2819"></a><b>2819</b> "The kingdom of God [is] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."<sup>90</sup>
The end-time in which we live is the age of the outpouring of the
Spirit. Ever since Pentecost, a decisive battle has been joined between
"the flesh" and the Spirit.<sup>91</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Only a pure soul can boldly say: "Thy
kingdom come." One who has heard Paul say, "Let not sin therefore reign
in your mortal bodies," and has purified himself in action, thought and
word will say to God: "Thy kingdom come!"<sup>92</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2820"></a><b>2820</b>
By a discernment according to the Spirit, Christians have to
distinguish between the growth of the Reign of God and the progress of
the culture and society in which they are involved. This distinction is
not a separation. Man's vocation to eternal life does not suppress, but
actually reinforces, his duty to put into action in this world the
energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace.<sup>93</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text"> <b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="III">III. "THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN"</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2822"></a><b>2822</b> Our Father "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."<sup>95</sup> He "is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish."<sup>96</sup> His commandment is "that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."<sup>97</sup> This commandment summarizes all the others and expresses his entire will.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2823"></a><b>2823</b>
"He has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure that he set forth in Christ . . . to gather up all things in
him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also
obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose
of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will."<sup>98</sup> We ask insistently for this loving plan to be fully realized on earth as it is already in heaven.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2824"></a><b>2824</b>
In Christ, and through his human will, the will of the Father has been
perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering into this
world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God."<sup>99</sup> Only Jesus can say: "I always do what is pleasing to him."<sup>100</sup> In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will: "not my will, but yours be done."<sup>101</sup>
For this reason Jesus "gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the
present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father."<sup>102</sup> "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."<sup>103</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2825"></a><b>2825</b> "Although he was a Son, [Jesus] learned obedience through what he suffered."<sup>104</sup>
How much more reason have we sinful creatures to learn obedience - we
who in him have become children of adoption. We ask our Father to unite
our will to his Son's, in order to fulfill his will, his plan of
salvation for the life of the world. We are radically incapable of this,
but united with Jesus and with the power of his Holy Spirit, we can
surrender our will to him and decide to choose what his Son has always
chosen: to do what is pleasing to the Father.<sup>105</sup>
<br />
</span><br />
<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">In committing ourselves to [Christ], we
can become one spirit with him, and thereby accomplish his will, in such
wise that it will be perfect on earth as it is in heaven.<sup>106</sup> Consider
how Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our
virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He
commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the
whole world. For he did not say "thy will be done in me or in us," but
"on earth," the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it,
truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on
it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.<sup>107</sup> </span></span></dd></dl>
<span class="text">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2826"></a><b>2826</b> By prayer we can discern "what is the will of God" and obtain the endurance to do it.<sup>108</sup> Jesus teaches us that one enters the kingdom of heaven not by speaking words, but by doing "the will of my Father in heaven."<sup>109</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2827"></a><b>2827</b> "If any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him."<sup>110</sup>
Such is the power of the Church's prayer in the name of her Lord, above
all in the Eucharist. Her prayer is also a communion of intercession
with the all-holy Mother of God<sup>111</sup> and all the saints who have been pleasing to the Lord because they willed his will alone:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">It would not be inconsistent with the
truth to understand the words, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven," to mean: "in the Church as in our Lord Jesus Christ himself";
or "in the Bride who has been betrothed, just as in the Bridegroom who
has accomplished the will of the Father."<sup>112</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
<b>IV. "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2828"></a><b>2828</b> "<i>Give us</i>":
The trust of children who look to their Father for everything is
beautiful. "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends
rain on the just and on the unjust."<sup>113</sup> He gives to all the living "their food in due season."<sup>114</sup> Jesus teaches us this petition, because it glorifies our Father by acknowledging how good he is, beyond all goodness.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2829"></a><b>2829</b>
"Give us" also expresses the covenant. We are his and he is ours, for
our sake. But this "us" also recognizes him as the Father of all men and
we pray to him for them all, in solidarity with their needs and
sufferings.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2830"></a><b>2830</b> "<i>Our bread</i>":
The Father who gives us life cannot not but give us the nourishment
life requires - all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and
spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust
that cooperates with our Father's providence.<sup>115</sup> He is not inviting us to idleness,<sup>116</sup> but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">To those who seek the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since
everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for
nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.<sup>117</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2831"></a><b>2831</b>
But the presence of those who hunger because they lack bread opens up
another profound meaning of this petition. The drama of hunger in the
world calls Christians who pray sincerely to exercise responsibility
toward their brethren, both in their personal behavior and in their
solidarity with the human family. This petition of the Lord's Prayer
cannot be isolated from the parables of the poor man Lazarus and of the
Last Judgment.<sup>118</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2832"></a><b>2832</b> As leaven in the dough, the newness of the kingdom should make the earth "rise" by the Spirit of Christ.<sup>119</sup>
This must be shown by the establishment of justice in personal and
social, economic and international relations, without ever forgetting
that there are no just structures without people who want to be just.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2833"></a><b>2833</b>
"Our" bread is the "one" loaf for the "many." In the Beatitudes
"poverty" is the virtue of sharing: it calls us to communicate and share
both material and spiritual goods, not by coercion but out of love, so
that the abundance of some may remedy the needs of others.<sup>120</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2834"></a><b>2834</b> "Pray and work."<sup>121</sup> "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you."<sup>122</sup>
Even when we have done our work, the food we receive is still a gift
from our Father; it is good to ask him for it and to thank him, as
Christian families do when saying grace at meals.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2835"></a><b>2835</b>
This petition, with the responsibility it involves, also applies to
another hunger from which men are perishing: "Man does not live by bread
alone, but . . . by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,"<sup>123</sup>
that is, by the Word he speaks and the Spirit he breathes forth.
Christians must make every effort "to proclaim the good news to the
poor." There is a famine on earth, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD."<sup>124</sup> For this
reason the specifically Christian sense of this fourth petition
concerns the Bread of Life: The Word of God accepted in faith, the Body
of Christ received in the Eucharist.<sup>125</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2836"></a><b>2836</b> "<i>This day</i>" is also an expression of trust taught us by the Lord,<sup>126</sup>
which we would never have presumed to invent. Since it refers above all
to his Word and to the Body of his Son, this "today" is not only that
of our mortal time, but also the "today" of God.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">If you receive the bread each day, each
day is today for you. If Christ is yours today, he rises for you every
day. How can this be? "You are my Son, today I have begotten you."
Therefore, "today" is when Christ rises.<sup>127</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2837"></a><b>2837</b> "Daily" (<i>epiousios</i>) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Taken in a temporal sense, this word is a pedagogical repetition of "this day,"<sup>128</sup>
to confirm us in trust "without reservation." Taken in the qualitative
sense, it signifies what is necessary for life, and more broadly every
good thing sufficient for subsistence.<sup>129</sup> Taken literally (<i>epi-ousios</i>:
"super-essential"), it refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body
of Christ, the "medicine of immortality," without which we have no life
within us.<sup>130</sup> Finally in this connection, its heavenly
meaning is evident: "this day" is the Day of the Lord, the day of the
feast of the kingdom, anticipated in the Eucharist that is already the
foretaste of the kingdom to come. For this reason it is fitting for the
Eucharistic liturgy to be celebrated each day.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">The Eucharist is our daily bread. The
power belonging to this divine food makes it a bond of union. Its effect
is then understood as unity, so that, gathered into his Body and made
members of him, we may become what we receive. . . . This also is our
daily bread: the readings you hear each day in church and the hymns you
hear and sing. All these are necessities for our pilgrimage.<sup>131</sup> The
Father in heaven urges us, as children of heaven, to ask for the bread
of heaven. [Christ] himself is the bread who, sown in the Virgin, raised
up in the flesh, kneaded in the Passion, baked in the oven of the tomb,
reserved in churches, brought to altars, furnishes the faithful each
day with food from heaven.<sup>132</sup><br />
<sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
<b>V. "AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2838"></a><b>2838</b>
This petition is astonishing. If it consisted only of the first phrase,
"And forgive us our trespasses," it might have been included,
implicitly, in the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer, since
Christ's sacrifice is "that sins may be forgiven." But, according to the
second phrase, our petition will not be heard unless we have first met a
strict requirement. Our petition looks to the future, but our response
must come first, for the two parts are joined by the single word "as."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2839"></a><b>And forgive us our trespasses . . .</b>
<br />
<b>2839</b> With
bold confidence, we began praying to our Father. In begging him that his
name be hallowed, we were in fact asking him that we ourselves might be
always made more holy. But though we are clothed with the baptismal
garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new
petition, we return to him like the prodigal son and, like the tax
collector, recognize that we are sinners before him.<sup>133</sup> Our
petition begins with a "confession" of our wretchedness and his mercy.
Our hope is firm because, in his Son, "we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins."<sup>134</sup> We find the efficacious and undoubted sign of his forgiveness in the sacraments of his Church.<sup>135</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2840"></a><b>2840</b>
Now - and this is daunting - this outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate
our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed
against us. Love, like the Body of Christ, is indivisible; we cannot
love the God we cannot see if we do not love the brother or sister we do
see.<sup>136</sup> In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our
hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the
Father's merciful love; but in confessing our sins, our hearts are
opened to his grace.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2841"></a><b>2841</b> This petition is so important that it is
the only one to which the Lord returns and which he develops explicitly
in the Sermon on the Mount.<sup>137</sup> This crucial requirement of the covenant mystery is impossible for man. But "with God all things are possible."<sup>138</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2842"></a><b>. . . as we forgive those who trespass against us</b>
<br />
<b>2842</b> This
"as" is not unique in Jesus' teaching: "You, therefore, must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect"; "Be merciful, even as your Father
is merciful"; "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."<sup>139</sup>
It is impossible to keep the Lord's commandment by imitating the divine
model from outside; there has to be a vital participation, coming from
the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of
our God. Only the Spirit by whom we live can make "ours" the same mind
that was in Christ Jesus.<sup>140</sup> Then the unity of forgiveness becomes possible and we find ourselves "forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave" us.<sup>141</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2843"></a><b>2843</b> Thus the Lord's words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end,<sup>142</sup>
become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which
crowns the Lord's teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these
words: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you
do not forgive your brother from your heart."<sup>143</sup> It is there,
in fact, "in the depths of the heart," that everything is bound and
loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but
the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into
compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into
intercession. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2844"></a><b>2844</b> Christian prayer extends to the <i>forgiveness of enemies</i>,<sup>144</sup>
transfiguring the disciple by configuring him to his Master.
Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to
God's compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears
witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin. The martyrs of
yesterday and today bear this witness to Jesus. Forgiveness is the
fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with
their Father and of men with one another.<sup>145</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2845"></a><b>2845</b> There is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness,<sup>146</sup> whether one speaks of "sins" as in <i>Luke </i>(11:4), "debts" as in <i>Matthew </i>(6:12). We are always debtors: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another."<sup>147</sup>
The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of truth
in every relation ship. It is lived out in prayer, above all in the
Eucharist.<sup>148</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">God does not accept the sacrifice of a
sower of disunion, but commands that he depart from the altar so that he
may first be reconciled with his brother. For God can be appeased only
by prayers that make peace. To God, the better offering is peace,
brotherly concord, and a people made one in the unity of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.<sup>149</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
<b>VI. "AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2846"></a><b>2846</b>
This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our sins
result from our consenting to temptation; we therefore ask our Father
not to "lead" us into temptation. It is difficult to translate the Greek
verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both "do not allow
us to enter into temptation" and "do not let us yield to temptation."<sup>150</sup> "God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one";<sup>151</sup>
on the contrary, he wants to set us free from evil. We ask him not to
allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in the battle
"between flesh and spirit"; this petition implores the Spirit of
discernment and strength.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2847"></a><b>2847</b> The Holy Spirit makes us <i>discern </i>between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man,<sup>152</sup> and temptation, which leads to sin and death.<sup>153</sup>
We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to
temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose
object appears to be good, a "delight to the eyes" and desirable,<sup>154</sup> when in reality its fruit is death.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">God does not want to impose the good,
but wants free beings. . . . There is a certain usefulness to
temptation. No one but God knows what our soul has received from him,
not even we ourselves. But temptation reveals it in order to teach us to
know ourselves, and in this way we discover our evil inclinations and
are obliged to give thanks for the goods that temptation has revealed to
us.<sup>155</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2848"></a><b>2848</b> "Lead us not into temptation" implies a <i>decision of the heart</i>: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. . . . No one can serve two masters."<sup>156</sup> "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."<sup>157</sup>
In this assent to the Holy Spirit the Father gives us strength. "No
testing has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful,
and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the
temptation will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able
to endure it."<sup>158</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2849"></a><b>2849</b>
Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer.
It is by his prayer that Jesus vanquishes the tempter, both at the
outset of his public mission and in the ultimate struggle of his agony.<sup>159</sup> In this petition to our heavenly Father, Christ unites us to his battle and his agony. He urges us to <i>vigilance </i>of
the heart in communion with his own. Vigilance is "custody of the
heart," and Jesus prayed for us to the Father: "Keep them in your name."<sup>160</sup> The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to awaken us to keep watch.<sup>161</sup> Finally, this petition takes on all its dramatic meaning in relation to the last temptation of our earthly battle; it asks for <i>final perseverance</i>. "Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake."<sup>162</sup></span></div>
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<b>VII "BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL"</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2850"></a><b>2850</b>
The last petition to our Father is also included in Jesus' prayer: "I
am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to
protect them from the evil one."<sup>163</sup> It touches each of us
personally, but it is always "we" who pray, in communion with the whole
Church, for the deliverance of the whole human family. The Lord's Prayer
continually opens us to the range of God's economy of salvation. Our
interdependence in the drama of sin and death is turned into solidarity
in the Body of Christ, the "communion of saints."<sup>164</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2851"></a><b>2851</b>
In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person,
Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (<i>dia-bolos</i>) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2852"></a><b>2852</b> "A murderer from the beginning, . . . a liar and the father of lies," Satan is "the deceiver of the whole world."<sup>165</sup>
Through him sin and death entered the world and by his definitive
defeat all creation will be "freed from the corruption of sin and
death."<sup>166</sup> Now "we know that anyone born of God does not sin,
but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch
him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of
the evil one."<sup>167</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">The Lord who has taken away your sin and
pardoned your faults also protects you and keeps you from the wiles of
your adversary the devil, so that the enemy, who is accustomed to
leading into sin, may not surprise you. One who entrusts himself to God
does not dread the devil. "If God is for us, who is against us?"<sup>168</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2853"></a><b>2853</b> Victory over the "prince of this world"<sup>169</sup>
was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to
death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the
prince of this world is "cast out."<sup>170</sup> "He pursued the woman"<sup>171</sup>
but had no hold on her: the new Eve, "full of grace" of the Holy
Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death (the
Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God,
Mary, ever virgin). "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went
off to make war on the rest of her offspring."<sup>172</sup> Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus,"<sup>173</sup> since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2854"></a><b>2854</b>
When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be
freed from all evils, present, past, and future, of which he is the
author or instigator. In this final petition, the Church brings before
the Father all the distress of the world. Along with deliverance from
the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of
peace and the grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ's return By
praying in this way, she anticipates in humility of faith the gathering
together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death
and Hades," who "is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."<sup>174</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Deliver us, Lord, we beseech you, from
every evil and grant us peace in our day, so that aided by your mercy we
might be ever free from sin and protected from all anxiety, as we await
the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.<sup>175</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
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63 <i>Ps</i> 42:7.<br />
64 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 22:14; 12:50.<br />
65 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 15:28.<br />
66 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 111:9; <i>Lk</i> 1:49.<br />
67 <i>Eph</i> 1:9,4.<br />
68 Cf. <i>Ps</i> 8; <i>Isa</i> 6:3.<br />
69 <i>Ps</i> 8:5; <i>Rom</i> 3:23; cf. <i>Gen</i> 1:26.<br />
70 <i>Col</i> 3:10.<br />
71 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 6:13.<br />
72 <i>Ex</i> 15:1; cf. 3:14.<br />
73 Cf. <i>Ex</i> 19:5-6.<br />
74 <i>Ezek</i> 20:9,14,22,39; cf. <i>Lev</i> 19:2.<br />
75 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 1:21; <i>Lk</i> 1:31; <i>Jn</i> 8:28; 17:8; 17:17-19.<br />
76 <i>Jn</i> 17:11,19.<br />
77 Cf. <i>Ezek</i> 20:39; 36:20-21; <i>Jn</i> 17:6.<br />
78 <i>Phil</i> 2:9-11.<br />
79 <i>2 Cor</i> 6:11.<br />
80 <i>1 Cor</i> 1:30; cf. <i>1 Thess</i> 4:7.<br />
81 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 12:PL 4,527A; <i>Lev</i> 20:26.<br />
82 St. Peter Chrysologus, <i>Sermo</i> 71,4:PL 52:402A; cf. <i>Rom</i> 2:24; <i>Ezek</i> 36:20-22. <br />
83 Tertullian, <i>De orat.</i> 3:PL 1:1157A.<br />
84 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 14:13; 15:16; 16:24, 26.<br />
85 <i>Jn</i> 17:11.<br />
86 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 13:PL 4,528A.<br />
87 Tertullian, <i>De orat.</i> 5:PL 1,1159A; cf. <i>Heb</i> 4:11; <i>Rev</i> 6:9; 22:20.<br />
88 Cf. <i>Titus</i> 2:13.<br />
89 <i>Roman Missal</i>, Eucharistic Prayer IV,118.<br />
90 <i>Rom</i> 14:17.<br />
91 Cf. <i>Gal</i> 5:16-25.<br />
92 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, <i>Catech. myst.</i> 5,13:PG 33,1120A; cf. <i>Rom</i> 6:12.<br />
93 Cf. <i>GS</i> 22; 32; 39; 45; <i>EN</i> 31.<br />
94 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:17-20; <i>Mt</i> 5:13-16; 6:24; 7:12-13.<br />
95 <i>1 Tim</i> 2:3-4.<br />
96 <i>2 Pet</i> 3:9; cf. <i>Mt</i> 18:14.<br />
97 <i>Jn</i> 13:34; cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 3; 4; <i>Lk</i> 10:25-37.<br />
98 <i>Eph</i> 1:9-11.<br />
99 <i>Heb</i> 10:7; <i>Ps</i> 40:7.<br />
100 <i>Jn</i> 8:29.<br />
101 <i>Lk</i> 22:42; cf. <i>Jn</i> 4:34; 5:30; 6:38.<br />
102 <i>Gal</i> 1:4.<br />
103 <i>Heb</i> 10:10.<br />
104 <i>Heb</i> 5:8.<br />
105 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 8:29.<br />
106 Origen, <i>De orat.</i> 26:PG 11,501B.<br />
107 St. John Chrysostom, <i>Hom. in Mt.</i> 19,5:PG 57,280.<br />
108 <i>Rom</i> 12:2; cf. <i>Eph</i> 5:17; cf. <i>Heb</i> 10:36.<br />
109 <i>Mt</i> 7:21. <br />
110 <i>Jn</i> 9:31; cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 5:14.<br />
111 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 1:38,49.<br />
112 St. Augustine, <i>De serm. Dom.</i> 2,6,24:PL 34,1279.<br />
113 <i>Mt</i> 5:45.<br />
114 <i>PS</i> 104:27.<br />
115 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:25-34.<br />
116 Cf. <i>2 Thess</i> 3:6-13. <br />
117 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 21:PL 4,534A.<br />
118 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 16:19-31; <i>Mt</i> 25:31-46.<br />
119 Cf. <i>AA</i> 5.<br />
120 Cf. <i>2 Cor</i> 8:1-15.<br />
121 Cf. St. Benedict, <i>Regula</i>, 20,48.<br />
122 Attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola, cf. Joseph de Guibert, SJ, <i>The Jesuits: Their Spiritual Doctrine and Practice</i>, (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1964), 148, n. 55.<br />
123 <i>Deut</i> 8:3; <i>Mt</i> 4:4.<br />
124 <i>Am</i> 8:11.<br />
125 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 6:26-58.<br />
126 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:34; <i>Ex</i> 16:19.<br />
127 St. Ambrose, <i>De Sacr.</i> 5,4,26:PL 16,453A; cf. <i>Ps</i> 2:7.<br />
128 Cf. <i>Ex</i> 16:19-21.<br />
129 Cf. <i>1 Tim</i> 6:8.<br />
130 St. Ignatius Of Antioch, <i>Ad Eph.</i> 20,2:PG 5,661; <i>Jn</i> 6:53-56.<br />
131 St. Augustine, <i>Sermo</i> 57,7:PL 38,389.<br />
132 St. Peter Chrysologus, <i>Sermo</i> 67:PL 52,392; cf. <i>Jn</i> 6:51.<br />
133 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 15:11-32; 18:13.<br />
134 <i>Col</i> 1:14; <i>Eph</i> 1:7.<br />
135 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 26:28; 20:23.<br />
136 Cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 4:20.<br />
137 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:14-15; 5:23-24; <i>Mk</i> 11:25.<br />
138 <i>Mt</i> 19:26. <br />
139 <i>Mt</i> 5:48; <i>Lk</i> 6:36; <i>Jn</i> 13:34.<br />
140 Cf. <i>Gal</i> 5:25; <i>Phil</i> 2:1,5.<br />
141 <i>Eph</i> 4:32.<br />
142 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 13:1.<br />
143 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 18:23-35.<br />
144 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:43-44.<br />
145 Cf. <i>2 Cor</i> 5:18-21; John Paul II, <i>DM</i> 14.<br />
146 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 18:21-22; <i>Lk</i> 17:3-4.<br />
147 <i>Rom</i> 13:8.<br />
148 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:23-24; <i>1 Jn</i> 3:19-24.<br />
149 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 23:PL 4,535-536; cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:24.<br />
150 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 26:41.<br />
151 <i>Jas</i> 113.<br />
152 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 8:13-15; <i>Acts</i> 14:22; <i>Rom</i> 5:3-5; <i>2 Tim</i> 3:12.<br />
153 Cf. <i>Jas</i> 1:14-15.<br />
154 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 3:6.<br />
155 Origen, <i>De orat.</i> 29:PG 11,544CD.<br />
156 <i>Mt</i> 6:21, 24.<br />
157 <i>Gal</i> 5:25.<br />
158 <i>1 Cor</i> 10:13.<br />
159 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 4:1-11; 26:36-44.<br />
160 <i>Jn</i> 17:11; cf. <i>Mk</i> 13:9,23,33-37; 14:38; <i>Lk</i> 12:35-40.<br />
161 Cf. <i>1 Cor</i> 16:13; <i>Col</i> 4:2; <i>1 Thess</i> 5:6; <i>1 Pet</i> 5:8.<br />
162 <i>Rev</i> 16:15.<br />
163 <i>Jn</i> 17:15.<br />
164 Cf. <i>RP</i> 16.<br />
165 <i>Jn</i> 8:44; <i>Rev</i> 12:9.<br />
166 <i>Roman Missal</i>, Eucharistic Prayer IV,125.<br />
167 <i>1 Jn</i> 5:18-19.<br />
168 St. Ambrose, <i>De Sacr.</i> 5,4,30:PL 16,454; cf. <i>Rom</i> 8:31. <br />
169 <i>Jn</i> 14:30.<br />
170 <i>Jn</i> 12:31; <i>Rev</i> 12:10.<br />
171 <i>Rev</i> 12:13-16.<br />
172 <i>Rev</i> 12:17.<br />
173 <i>Rev</i> 22:17,20. <br />
174 <i>Rev</i> 1:8,18; cf. <i>Rev</i> 1:4; <i>Eph</i> 1:10.<br />
175 <i>Roman Missal</i>, Embolism after the Lord's Prayer, 126: <i>Libera
nos, quæsumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, da propitius pacem in diebus
nostris, ut, ope misericordiæ tuæ adiuti, et a peccato simus semper
liberi, et ab omni perturbatione securi: expectantes beatam spem et
adventum Salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi.</i>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-56200836092981509992018-02-11T14:14:00.001-06:002018-02-11T14:14:39.212-06:00February 11, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: Mercy; Reading 1, Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11; Reading 2, First Corinthians 10:31--11:1; Gospel, Mark 1:40-45; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes ; The History of the Sanctuary of Lourdes; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 4 Chapter 8 the Flight to Egypt; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 2 Our Father Who art In Heaven; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>February 11, 2018 - Litany Lane Blog: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Mercy; </i><i>Reading 1, <i>Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46</i>; Responsorial Psalm, <i>Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11;</i></i><i> Reading 2, <i>First Corinthians 10:31--11:1;</i>
Gospel, Mark 1:40-45; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes ; The History of the Sanctuary of Lourdes; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 4 Chapter 8 the Flight to Egypt; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 2 Our Father Who art In Heaven; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: B - Gospel of Mark - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Inspirational Hymns</span></center>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b> </b></center>
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Standard YouTube License</center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
</center>
</center>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<br />
<b>February 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
<br />
<b> </b>Dear children, you whom my Son loves, you whom I love with an
immeasurable motherly love, do not permit for selfishness, for self
love, to rule the world. Do not permit for love and goodness to be
hidden. You who are loved, who have come to know the love of my Son,
remember that to be loved means to love.<br />
<br />
My children, have faith. When you have faith you are happy and are spreading peace; your soul trembles with joy. My<span class="text_exposed_show">
Son is in such a soul. When you are giving yourself for the faith, when
you are giving yourself for love, when you are doing good to your
neighbor, my Son smiles in your soul.<br /> Apostles of my love, I am
turning to you as a mother. I am gathering you around myself and I
desire to lead you on the way of love and faith, on the way which leads
to the light of the world.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> I am here for the sake of love, for the
sake of faith, because with my motherly blessing I desire to give you
hope and strength on your way – because the way which leads to my Son is
not easy. It is full of renunciation, giving, sacrifice, forgiveness
and much, much love. But this way leads to peace and happiness.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> My
children, do not believe lying voices which speak to you about false
things, false glitter. You, my children, return to the Scripture. I am
looking at you with immeasurable love, and through God’s grace am making
myself evident to you. My children, set out with me. May your soul
tremble with joy. Thank you. ~Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<br />
<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<br />
(Vatican Radio)<br />
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!<br />
<br />
The Sunday Gospel, according to Mark, present us with Jesus
healing the sick of all kinds. The World Day of the Sick is well placed
in this context, which is why we celebrate it today, February 11th, the
feast-day of Our Lady of Lourdes.<br />
<br />
With our hearts turned toward the cave of Massabielle, therefore, we
contemplate Jesus as the true physician of our bodies and souls – Jesus,
whom God the Father sent into the world to heal humanity, marked by sin
and its consequences.<br />
<br />
Today's Gospel presents us with the healing of a man suffering from
leprosy, a disease which in the Old Testament was considered a serious
impurity and involved the separation of the leper from the community.
His condition was particularly painful, because the mentality of the
time made him feel impure before God and other people. That is why the
leper in the Gospel begs Jesus with these words: "If you want to, you
can purify me!".<br />
<br />
When He hears this, Jesus feels compassion. It is very important to
focus our attention on this interior resonance of Jesus, as we did for a
long time during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. We can never understand the
work of Christ, we can never understand Christ Himself, if we do not
enter His heart full of compassion. This is what drives Him to reach out
to the man suffering from leprosy, to touch him and to say to him: "I
want to: be cleansed!".<br />
<br />
The most disturbing fact is that Jesus touches the leper, because
this was absolutely forbidden by the Law of Moses. Touching a leper
meant you were infected, interiorly as well, spiritually: in other
words, you become impure. But in this case the impurity does not flow
from the leper to Jesus to transmit the disease, but from Jesus to the
leper to purify him. In this act of healing we admire both Jesus’
compassion, and His audacity: He is not worried about the disease or the
law. He is moved only by the desire to free that man from the curse
that oppresses him.<br />
<br />
No illness causes impurity. Disease certainly involves the whole
person, but in no way does it affect or impede that person’s
relationship with God. On the contrary, a sick person can be even more
united to God. Instead, it is sin that makes us unclean! Selfishness,
pride, entering the world of corruption, these are diseases of the heart
from which we need to be cleansed, turning to Jesus like the leper did:
"If you want to, you can cleanse me!".<br />
<br />
Every time we approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a
repentant heart, the Lord repeats to us too: "I want to: be cleansed!"
Thus the leprosy of sin disappears, we return to live with joy our
filial relationship with God and we are readmitted fully into the
community.<br />
<br />
Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, our Immaculate Mother,
we ask the Lord, who brought healing to the sick, to heal our inner
wounds with His infinite mercy, to give us back hope and peace in our
hearts.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Pope Francis' Remarks after the Angelus</h2>
<i><br /> Following the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis opened
registration for World Youth Day and greeted pilgrims and visitors
present in St Peter's Square</i><br />
<br />
Dear brothers and sisters,<br />
<br />
Registration opens today for World Youth Day, which will take place
in Panama in January 2019. Right now, along with two young people, I too
will register on the internet...<br />
<br />
<br />
There. I am now enrolled as a pilgrim to World Youth Day. I invite
all young people around the world to live this event of grace and
fraternity with faith and enthusiasm, either by going to Panama or by
participating in their communities.<br />
<br />
On February 15<sup>th</sup>, in the Far East and in various parts of
the world, millions of men and women will celebrate the Lunar New Year. I
send my cordial greetings to all their families, with the hope that
they will live ever more in solidarity, fraternity, desiring to do good,
to help create a society in which every person is welcomed, protected,
promoted and integrated. I invite you to pray for the gift of peace, a
precious treasure to be pursued with compassion, foresight and courage.<br />
<br />
I greet families, parishes, associations and all those who come from
around Italy and from many parts of the world: in particular, pilgrims
from Murcia (Spain) and the children of Guimarães (Portugal). I greet
the Congolese Community in Rome and I join in its prayer for peace in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I remind you that this intention
will be particularly present on the Day of Prayer and Fasting that I
have called for February 23<sup>rd</sup>.<br />
<br />
Today there are many Italian parishes present and many young people
who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, your profession of
faith and the catechism. I cannot name each group, but I thank you all
for your presence and I encourage you to continue to journey with joy
and generosity, witnessing to the goodness and mercy of the Lord
everywhere.<br />
<br />
I wish everyone a pleasant Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 02/211/2017<i> </i> </li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - mercy </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">merh-cee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">1125-75;</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">merci</span> </span></span><span>< </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Old</span> <span class="oneClick-link">French,</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">earlier</span> </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">mercit</span> </span></span><span>< </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">mercēd-</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">(stem</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">mercēs</span></span></span><span>) <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">wages</span> ( </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Late</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Latin,</span> </span></span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span><span class="oneClick-link">Medieval</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Latin:</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">heavenly</span> <span class="oneClick-link">reward),</span> <span class="oneClick-link">derivative</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> </span><span class="dbox-italic"><span><span class="oneClick-link">merx</span> </span></span><span><span class="oneClick-link">goods</span> </span><br />
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<div class="def-list">
<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}">
<header class="luna-data-header">
<span class="dbox-pg">noun</span>, <span class="dbox-pg">plural </span><span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="mer·cies ">mercies </span><span class="dbox-roman">for 4, 5.</span> </header>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1. </span>compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an
enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or
benevolence: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">Have mercy on the poor sinner.</span><div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">2.</span> the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> an adversary wholly without mercy.</span><div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">3.</span> the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to
mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the
death penalty. <span class="def-number"></span>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">4.</span> an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.</span><div class="def-content">
</div>
</div>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">5.</span> something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.</span></div>
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}">
<header class="luna-data-header">
<span class="dbox-pg">Idioms</span> </header>
<div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">6.</span><span class="dbox-bold"> at the mercy of, </span>entirely in the power of; subject to: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">They were at the mercy of their captors.</span><div class="def-content">
<div class="def-block">
Also, <span class="dbox-bold">at one's mercy</span>. </div>
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</div>
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<span class="dbox-roman">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ<span class="dbox-roman">▬♥▬●▬</span>ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i><em>Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46</em></h2>
<sup>1</sup> Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,<br />
<sup>2</sup> 'If a swelling or scab or spot appears on someone's skin, which could develop into a contagious skin-disease, that person must then be taken to the priest, either Aaron or one of his sons.<br />
<sup>44</sup> the person has such a disease: he is unclean. The priest will declare him unclean; he has a contagious skin-disease of the head.<br />
<sup>45</sup> 'Anyone with a contagious skin-disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair; and will cover the upper lip and shout, "Unclean, unclean."<br />
<sup>46</sup> As long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will live alone and live outside the camp.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span><em>Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11</em></h2>
<sup>1</sup> [Of David Poem] How blessed are those whose offence is forgiven, whose sin blotted out.<br />
<sup>2</sup> How blessed are those to whom Yahweh imputes no guilt, whose spirit harbours no deceit.<br />
<sup>5</sup> I made my sin
known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, 'I shall confess my
offence to Yahweh.' And you, for your part, took away my guilt, forgave
my sin.<br />
<sup>11</sup> Rejoice in Yahweh, exult all you upright, shout for joy, you honest of heart.<br />
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●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i><em>First Corinthians 10:31--11:1</em></h2>
<sup>31</sup> Whatever you eat, then, or drink, and whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God.<br />
<sup>32</sup> Never be a cause of offence, either to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God,<br />
<sup>33</sup>
just as I try to accommodate everybody in everything, not looking for
my own advantage, but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they
may be saved.<br />
<sup>1</sup> Take me as your pattern, just as I take Christ for mine.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><b>Mark 1: 40-45 </b><i> </i></h2>
<i>Jesus heals a leper. Reintroducing the marginalized into human society.</i>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Mark 1:40-45</i></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
1. Opening prayer</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us
to read the Scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the
disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the
Bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the
disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that
seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and
of resurrection.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Create in us silence so that we may
listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in
people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so
that we, too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may
experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You
are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We
ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and
sent us Your Spirit. Amen.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
2. Reading</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
a) A key to the reading:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Gospel of this sixth Sunday of
Ordinary Time tells us how Jesus receives a leper. In those days, lepers
were the most excluded people of society, avoided by all. Lepers could
not take part in anything. In olden days, the lack of effective
medicines, the fear of contagion and the necessity of defending the life
of society led people to isolate and exclude lepers. Besides, among the
people of God whose defense of the gift of life was one of the most
sacred duties, they thought that the exclusion of lepers was a divine
duty because it was the only way to defend the community from deadly
contagion. Thus, in Israel, the leper felt impure and excluded not only
by society, but even by God (cf. Lev 14:1-32). Gradually, however, as
better remedies came to light and, above all, thanks to the deep
experience communicated to us by Jesus concerning God our Father, lepers
began to be accepted and reintegrated as brothers and sisters in human
society.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In spite of two thousand years of
Christianity, the exclusion and marginalization of some categories of
people goes on even today, whether in society or in the Church. For
instance, those suffering from AIDS, migrants, homosexuals, divorced
persons, etc. Today, in your society and in the Church, what are the
categories of excluded and avoided people? With these questions in mind,
let us read and meditate on the Gospel for this Sunday.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
b) A division of the text as a help to our reading:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:40: The state of abandonment and exclusion of a leper</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:41-42: Jesus welcomes and heals the leper</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:43-44: Reintroducing those excluded into fraternal society</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:45: The leper proclaims the good Jesus did to him, and Jesus becomes an excluded person</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
c) Text:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged Him and
said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he
stretched out His hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be
made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning the him sternly, He dismissed him at once. He said to him,
"See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof
for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He
spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a
town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept
coming to Him from everywhere.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
3. A moment of prayerful silence</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
4. Some questions</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
to help us in our personal reflection.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
a) What did you like best and what touched you most in this text? Why?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
b) How does this text express the exclusion of lepers?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
c) How does Jesus welcome, heal and reinstate the leper? Try to observe each detail carefully.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
d) How can we, today, imitate Jesus’ attitude towards those excluded?</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A) The context of then and of today:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whether in the 70’s, when Mark was
writing, or today in our times, it was and still is very important to
hold to some criteria or models to know how to live and proclaim the
Good News of God and how to carry out our mission as Christians. In
verses 16 to 45 of the first chapter of Mark, in gathering together
eight episodes, describes how Jesus proclaimed the Good News. Each
episode contains the criterion for the community of His time, so that
people then could examine their own mission. This Sunday’s text makes
concrete the eighth criterion: reinstating those excluded. Here is the
overall scheme to clarify what follows:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
TEXT ACTIVITIES OF JESUS AIM OF THE GOOD NEWS</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:16-20</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus calls His first disciples</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
forming community</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:21-22</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The people are amazed at His teaching</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
creating a critical conscience</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:23-28</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus drives out an evil spirit</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
fighting against the power of evil</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:29-31</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
restoring life through service</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:32-34</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The healing of the sick and those possessed by devils</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
welcoming the marginalized</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:35</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus gets up to pray while it is still dark</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
staying united with the Father</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:36-39</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus goes on proclaiming the Good News</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
not allowing results to stop us</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:40-45</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus heals a leper</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
reinstating those excluded</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
b) A commentary on the text:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:40: <i>The state of abandonment and exclusion of a leper</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A leper approaches Jesus. He was an
excluded man, impure! He was to be sent away from human society. Anyone
who came close to him would also be impure. But the leper had much
courage. He broke the rules of religion so as to approach Jesus. He
says, “<i>If You are willing, You can cleanse me!”</i> In other words,
“There is no need for You to touch me! If You are just willing that is
enough to heal me!” This sentence reveals two evils: 1) the evil of the <i>disease</i> called leprosy that made him impure; 2) the evil of <i>solitude </i>to which he was condemned by society and religion. It also reveals the great faith people had in the power of Jesus.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:41-42: <i>By receiving and healing the leper, Jesus reveals a new face of God</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Deeply compassionate, Jesus heals both
evils. Firstly, to heal the evil of solitude, He touches the leper. It
is as though He says to him, "For Me you are not an outcast. I welcome
you as a brother!" Secondly, He heals the disease called leprosy,
saying, “<i>I am willing. Be cleansed!” </i>In order to come into
contact with Jesus, the leper had broken the rules of the law. For Jesus
to be able to help this excluded one and thus reveal a new face of God,
He breaks the laws of His religion and touches the leper. In those
days, anyone who touched a leper became impure in the sight of the
religious authorities and before the law of that time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:43-44: <i>Reinstating those excluded into fraternal life</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not only does Jesus heal, but He wills
that the healed person be able to live with others. Reinstating a person
to society. In those days, for a leper to be received within the
community, he or she had to have a declaration of healing from a priest.
Thus it was written in the law concerning the purification of a leper
(Lev 14:1-32). This still happens today. The sick person leaves the
hospital with a letter signed by the doctor of a particular section.
Jesus obliges the leper to get the document from the competent authority
so that he may be reinstated into normal society. He is thus obliging
the authorities to confirm that the man has been healed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mark 1:45: <i>The leper proclaims the good that Jesus worked for him and Jesus becomes excluded.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus had forbidden the leper from speaking of his healing. But the leper did speak. The leper <i>started
freely proclaiming the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer
go openly into any town, but stayed away in desert places</i>. Why did
Jesus stay away in desert places? Jesus had touched the leper. Thus,
according to opinion in those days, now He was impure and had to live
away from all. He could not enter any city. But Mark implies that people
did not much care about official rules, because <i>people from all around kept coming to Him!</i> A complete turn around!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The double news that Mark conveys to the
communities of his time and to all of us is this: 1) that proclaiming
the Good News means witnessing to the concrete experience that one has
of Jesus. What does the leper proclaim? He proclaims to others the good
that Jesus did to him. That’s all! And it is precisely this witness that
drives others to accept the Good News that Jesus proclaims. Anyone who
has no experience of Jesus will have little to proclaim to others. 2) To
take the Good News to others one need not fear breaking religious rules
that are contrary to God’s plan and that render communication, dialogue
and a life of love difficult, even if such an attitude may create
difficulties for people as it did for Jesus!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
c) Further information:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The eight criteria for evaluating the mission of the Community</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A double slavery marked the situation of
people at the time of Jesus: the slavery of the official religion,
upheld by the religious authorities of the time, and the slavery of
Herod’s politics, upheld by the Roman Empire and supported by the whole
organized system of exploitation and repression. Because of all this,
many of the people were excluded by religion and by society: the very
contrary of the fraternity that God dreamt of for all! And it is
precisely in this context that Jesus begins to carry out His mission of
proclaiming the Good News of God.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This Sunday’s Gospel is part of a
broader literary unit (Mk 1:16-45). Apart from the description of the
preparation of the Good News (Mk 1:1-13) and of the proclamation (Mk
1:14-15), Mark brings together eight activities of Jesus to describe His
mission of proclamation of the Good News and to describe how the
mission of the community should be (Mk 1:16-45). This is the same
mission that Jesus received from the Father (Jn 20:21). Mark puts
together these episodes, which were passed on orally in the communities,
and links them together like old bricks in a new wall. These eight
episodes are eight criteria that serve the community to revise and check
whether they are carrying out their mission well. Let us see:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
i) Mk 1:16-20: <i>Creating community</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first thing that Jesus does is to call people to follow Him. A fundamental task of <i>mission</i> is to gather people around Jesus in order to create community.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
ii) Mk 1:21-22: <i>Creating a critical conscience</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first thing that people see is the difference between the teaching of Jesus and that of the . Part of <i>mission </i>is to create a critical conscience in people, even in the face of the official religion.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
iii) Mk 1:23-28: <i>Fighting the power of evil</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus’ first miracle is the driving out of an impure spirit. Part of <i>mission </i>is fighting the power of evil that destroys life and alienates people from themselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
iv) Mk 1:29-31: <i>Restoring life through service</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and she gets up and begins to serve. Part of <i>mission</i> is the care of the sick, so that they may be able to get up and once more serve others.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
v) Mk 1:32-34: <i>Welcoming the marginalized</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After the Sabbath, people bring to Jesus
the sick and the possessed that He may heal them, and, by laying His
hands, He heals them all. Part of <i>mission </i>is to welcome the marginalized.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
vi) Mk 1:35: <i>Staying united with the Father through prayer</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a day of labor that extends far into the night, Jesus gets up quickly so that He may pray in a desert place. Part of <i>mission </i>is staying united with the source of the Good News, that is, the Father, through prayer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
vii) Mk 1:36-39: <i>Keeping up an awareness of mission</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The disciples were happy with the results and wanted Jesus to return. But He carried on with His journey. Part of <i>mission </i>is not to be content with results, but to keep alive an awareness of mission.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
viii) Mk 1:40-45: <i>Reinstating the marginalized into human society</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jesus heals a leper and asks him to
present himself to a priest so that he may be declared healed and may be
able to live among people. Part of <i>mission </i>is reinstating the excluded to human society.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These eight points, so well chosen by
Mark, indicate the purpose of Jesus’ mission: “I came that all may have
life, and may have it abundantly!” (Jn 10:10). These same eight points
may serve to evaluate our own community. Thus we can see how Mark built
up his Gospel - a beautiful structure that keeps in mind two things at
once: (1) it informs people of what Jesus did and taught; (2) and it
forms the community and people in the mission of proclaimers of the Good
News of God.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
6. Praying a psalm: Psalm 125 (124)</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyone who trusts in the Lord will not waver!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whoever trusts in Yahweh is like Mount Zion:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
unshakable, it stands for ever.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jerusalem! The mountains encircle her:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
so Yahweh encircles His people,</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
henceforth and forever.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The scepter of the wicked will not come to rest</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
over the heritage of the upright;</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
or the upright might set their own hands to evil.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Do good, Yahweh,</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
to those who are good,</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
to the sincere at heart.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But the crooked, the twisted, turn them away,</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yahweh, with evil-doers. Peace to Israel!</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
7. Final Prayer</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word
that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May
Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice
what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not
only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with
the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ev</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr class=""><th scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Feast Day: Our Lady Of Lourdes</b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Feast Day</b>: <b>February<b> 1</b>1</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Patron Saint</b>: Heavenly Mother, Patroness of the World</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Attributes</b>:
She was dressed all in white, apart from the blue belt fastened around
her waist and the golden yellow roses, one on each foot, the colour of
her rosary</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Bernadette2.jpg/220px-Bernadette2.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="148" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernadette witnessing the apparition<br />
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Stained glass, Bonneval.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<b>Our Lady of Lourdes</b>
is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary invoked by Roman Catholics in
honor of the Marian apparitions which are said to have taken place
before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes,
France.<br />
<br />
Most prominently among these is the apparition
of 11 February 1858, when Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old
peasant girl admitted to her mother that a "lady" spoke to her in the
cave of Massabielle, (a mile from the town) while gathering firewood
with her sister and a friend.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> Similar appearances of the "lady" were reported on seventeen further occasions that year.<br />
<br />
Bernadette
Soubirous was later canonized as a Saint, and Roman Catholics and some
Protestants believe her apparitions have been validated by the
overwhelming popularity and testament of healings claimed to have taken
place at the Lourdes water spring.<br />
<br />
In 1862, Pope Pius
IX authorized the Bishop Bertrand-Sévère Laurence to permit the
veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes. This Marian title, <i>Our Lady of Lourdes</i> has been widely copied and reproduced, often displayed in shrines or homes, most notably in garden landscape.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEheq2EgPHgQUFFP72CyU-tYLjiFslqr4CWR1F_MTXdO0q4Uq2l3cCwohyphenhyphenx5myJ5-Ay2nOrqeiWpV_85W-2R6Eskcy9nVIJ7ez1b0OwXxvcGru9aCudNsbPmwO1m1jZOKlG6vK35pwzmO/s1600/Our+Lady+of+Lourdes+Logo+Bdr+600x1094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEheq2EgPHgQUFFP72CyU-tYLjiFslqr4CWR1F_MTXdO0q4Uq2l3cCwohyphenhyphenx5myJ5-Ay2nOrqeiWpV_85W-2R6Eskcy9nVIJ7ez1b0OwXxvcGru9aCudNsbPmwO1m1jZOKlG6vK35pwzmO/s320/Our+Lady+of+Lourdes+Logo+Bdr+600x1094.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>
On 11
February 1858, Bernadette Soubirous went with her sisters Toinette and
Jeanne Abadie to collect some firewood and bones in order to buy some
bread. After taking off her shoes and stockings to wade through the
water near the Grotto of Massabielle, she said she heard the sound of
two gusts of wind (coups de vent) but the trees and bushes nearby did
not move. A wild rose in a natural niche in the grotto, however, did
move. From the niche, or rather the dark alcove behind it, "came a
dazzling light, and a white figure." She was dressed all in white,
apart from the blue belt fastened around her waist and the golden
yellow roses, one on each foot, the colour of her rosary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup>
Bernadette tried to keep this a secret, but Toinette told her mother.
After parental cross-examination, she and her sister received corporal
punishment for their story.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-laurentin_3-0">[3]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-harris_4-0">[4]</sup><br />
<br />
Three
days later, Bernadette returned to the Grotto. She had brought holy
water as a test that the apparition was not of evil provenance, and
demanded that if she were from God, she must stay, but if she were
evil, she must go away; however, she said the vision only inclined her
head gratefully when the water was cast and she made her demands.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-harris_4-1">[4]</sup><br />
<br />
Bernadette's
companions are said to have become afraid when they saw her in
ecstasy. She remained ecstatic even as they returned to the village. On
18 February, she spoke of being told by the Lady to return to the
Grotto over a period of two weeks. She quoted the apparition: <i>I promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-laurentin_3-1">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
After
that the news spread and her parents took interest. Bernadette was
ordered by her parents to never go there again. It was a shock when
people heard her story as it was so unlikely. She went anyway, and on 24
February, Bernadette related that the apparition asked for prayer and
penitence for the conversion of sinners. The next day, she said the
apparition asked her to dig in the ground and drink from the spring she
found there. This made her disheveled and some of her supporters were
dismayed, but this act revealed the stream that soon became a focal
point for pilgrimages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup><br />
<br />
Although
it was muddy at first, the stream became increasingly clean. As word
spread, this water was given to medical patients of all kinds, and many
reports of miraculous cures followed. Seven of these cures were
confirmed as lacking any medical explanations by Professor Verges in
1860. The first person with a “certified miracle” was a woman whose
right hand had been deformed as a consequence of an accident. Several
miracles turned out to be short-term improvement or even hoaxes, and
Church and government officials became increasingly concerned.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lauretin_162_6-0">[6]</sup>
The government fenced off the Grotto and issued stiff penalties for
anybody trying to get near the off-limits area. In the process, Lourdes
became a national issue in France, resulting in the intervention of
emperor Napoleon III with an order to reopen the grotto on 4 October
1858. The Church had decided to stay away from the controversy
altogether.<br />
<br />
Bernadette, knowing the local area well,
managed to visit the barricaded grotto under cover of darkness. There,
on 25 March, she said she was told: "I am the Immaculate Conception" (<i>"que soy era immaculada concepciou"</i>).
On Easter Sunday, 7 April, her examining doctor stated that
Bernadette, in ecstasy, was observed to have held her hands over a lit
candle without sustaining harm.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lauretin_162_6-1">[6]</sup> On 16 July, Bernadette went for the last time to the Grotto. <i>I have never seen her so beautiful before,</i> she reported.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lauretin_162_6-2">[6]</sup><br />
<br />
The
Church, faced with nationwide questions, decided to institute an
investigative commission on 17 November 1858. On 18 January 1860, the
local bishop finally declared that: <i>The Virgin Mary did appear indeed to Bernadette Soubirous.</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lauretin_162_6-3">[6]</sup>
These events established the Marian veneration in Lourdes, which
together with Fátima, is one of the most frequented Marian shrines in
the world, and to which between 4 and 6 million pilgrims travel
annually.<br />
<br />
In 1863, Joseph-Hugues Fabisch was charged
to create a statue of the Virgin according to Bernadette's description.
The work was placed in the grotto and solemnly dedicated on 4 April
1864 in presence of 20,000 pilgrims.<br />
<br />
The veracity of
the apparitions of Lourdes is not an article of faith for Catholics.
Nevertheless, all recent Popes visited the Marian shine. Benedict XV,
Pius XI, and John XXIII went there as bishops, Pius XII as papal
delegate. Working with <i>Le Pelerinage de Lourdes</i> he also issued,
an encyclical on the hundredth anniversary of the apparitions in 1958.
John Paul II visited Lourdes three times.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Position_of_the_Catholic_Church">Position of the Catholic Church</span></h2>
<dl>
<dt> </dt>
<dt>Approval of Lourdes</dt>
</dl>
On 18 January 1862, Bishop Laurence, the Bishop of Tarbes, gave the solemn declaration: <i>"We
are inspired by the Commission comprising wise, holy, learned and
experienced priests who questioned the child, studied the facts,
examined everything and weighed all the evidence. We have also called on
science, and we remain convinced that the Apparitions are supernatural
and divine, and that by consequence, what Bernadette saw was the Most
Blessed Virgin. Our convictions are based on the testimony of
Bernadette, but above all on the things that have happened, things which
can be nothing other than divine intervention</i>".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-encounters_7-0">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<dl>
<dt>Nature of approval</dt>
</dl>
Because the apparitions are private, and not public revelations,
Catholics are not required to believe them. They do not add any
additional material to the truths of the Catholic Church as expressed in
<i>public revelation</i>. In Roman Catholic belief, God chooses whom
he wants cured, and whom he does not, and by what means. Bernadette
said, "One must have faith and pray; the water will have no virtue
without faith."<br />
<br />
<dl>
<dt>Holy Mass of "Our Lady of Lourdes"</dt>
</dl>
The Catholic Church celebrates a mass in honor of "Our Lady of
Lourdes" (optional memorial) in many countries on February 11 of each
year — the anniversary of the first apparition. There had long been a
tradition of interpreting the Song of Songs as an allegory of God's love
for the Church, so up until the liturgical reforms following Vatican
II, a passage from this Old Testament book was used during the mass for
its reference to the <i>"beloved"</i> appearing in a cleft of a rock<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup> and its parallel with what Catholics have described as the "Mother of the Church"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup> being seen in the cleft of a rock in Lourdes.<br />
<br />
<dl>
<dt>Act of consecration</dt>
</dl>
The following prayer is said by Catholics as an act of consecration to Our Lady of Lourdes.<br />
<br />
<i>Holy
Mary, Mother of God, Virgin Immaculate, you appeared 18 times to
Bernadette at the grotto in Lourdes to remind Christians of what the
truths in the Gospel require of them. You call them to prayer, penance,
the Eucharist and the life of the church. To answer your call more
fully, I dedicate myself, through you, to your Son Jesus. Make me
willing to accept what he said. By the fervour of my faith, by the
conduct of my life in all its aspects, by my devotion to the sick, let
me work with you in the comforting of those who suffer and in the
reconciliation of people that the church may be one and there be peace
in the world. All this I ask, confident that you, Our Lady, will fully
answer my prayer. Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.</i><br />
<br />
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St. Bernadette, pray for us. <i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Popes_and_Lourdes">Popes and Lourdes</span> </h2>
In
the past 150 years, popes have taken great interest in Marian
apparitions such as Fatima and Lourdes. Pope Pius IX approved the
veneration in Lourdes and welcomed and supported the building of the
Cathedral in 1870 to which he donated several gifts. He approved the
veneration and promoted Marian piety in Lourdes with the granting of
special indulgences and the formation of local Lourdes associations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup> Pope Leo XIII crowned Our Lady of La Salette and issued an apostolic letter <i>Parte Humanae Generi</i> in commemoration of the consecration of the new Cathedral in Lourdes in 1879.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12"> </sup>Pope
Benedict XV, when archbishop of Bologna, organized a diocesan
pilgrimage to Lourdes, asking for the veneration of the Immaculate
Virgin there. In 1907, Pope Pius X introduced the feast of the
apparition of the Immaculate Virgin of Lourdes. In the same year he
issued his encyclical <i>Pascendi Dominici Gregis</i>, in which he specifically repeated the permission to venerate the virgin in Lourdes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
<br />
During
the pontificate of Pope Pius XI reported apparitions occurred in Our
Lady of Beauraing and Our Lady of Banneux. In 1937, Pius XI nominated
Eugenio Pacelli as his <i>Papal Delegate</i> to personally visit and
venerate in Lourdes. Pius XI actively furthered the venerations in
Lourdes by beatifying Bernadette Soubirous on 6 June 1925. He canonized
her on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1933 and
determined her Feast Day to be 18 February.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup>
Bernadette, who suffered from asthma and bone cancer, had lived on the
borderline of social acceptance within the Church during her lifetime.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup> 18 February is the day the Virgin Mary reportedly told Bernadette <i>that she did not promise to make me happy in this world, but in the next.</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Catholic_Pilgrims_16-0">[16]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
Pope
Pius XII, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the Immaculate
conception dogma, announced a Marian year, the first one on Church
history. In his encyclical <i>Fulgens Corona</i>, he described the events in Lourdes as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>It seems that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself wished to confirm
by some special sign the definition, which the Vicar of her Divine Son
on earth had pronounced amidst the applause of the whole Church. For
indeed four years had not yet elapsed when, in a French town at the foot
of the Pyrenees, the Virgin Mother, youthful and benign in appearance,
clothed in a shining white garment, covered with a white mantle and
girded with a hanging blue cord, showed herself to a simple and innocent
girl at the grotto of Massabielle. And to this same girl, earnestly
inquiring the name of her with whose vision she was favored, with eyes
raised to heaven and sweetly smiling, she replied: "I am the Immaculate
Conception."</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup></li>
</ul>
<br /></div>
<div class="main" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Le Pelerinage de Lourdes</i>,
the only encyclical written on Lourdes, was issued on the centenary of
the apparitions at Lourdes. The encyclical represents one of the
strongest pronouncements of the papal magisterium on Marian apparitions
in the history of the Catholic Church. The Pope presents Mary as the
model of alternative life-style. The school of Mary teaches everybody
selflessness and charity.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>In the school of Mary one can learn to live, not only to give
Christ to the world, but also to await with faith the hour of Jesus, and
to remain with Mary at the foot of the cross. Wherever providence has
placed a person, there is always more to be done for God's cause.
Priests should with supernatural confidence, show the narrow road which
leads to life. Consecrated and Religious fight under Mary's banner
against inordinate lust for freedom, riches, and pleasures. In response
to the Immaculate, they will fight with the weapons of prayer and
penance and by triumphs of charity. Go to her, you who are crushed by
material misery, defenseless against the hardships of life and the
indifference of men. Go to her, you who are assailed by sorrows and
moral trials. Go to her, beloved invalids and infirm, you who are
sincerely welcomed and honoured at Lourdes as the suffering members of
our Lord. Go to her and receive peace of heart, strength for your daily
duties, joy for the sacrifice you offer.</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup> </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
One
of the churches built at the site, the Basilica of St. Pius X can
accommodate 25,000 people. At the request of Pius XII, it was
consecrated on 25 March 1958, by the Patriarch of Venice, cardinal
Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII. Giovanni Battista Montini,
the future Pope Paul VI, had visited Lourdes as archbishop of Milan. He
became the first pope to visit a 19th century Marian apparition site,
when he went to Fatima at the fiftieth anniversary of the first
apparition on 17 May 1967.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup>
Pope John Paul II undertook three pilgrimages to Lourdes, the last one
shortly before his death. Pope Benedict XVI visited Lourdes
commemorating the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in September
2008.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Lourdes_water">Lourdes water</span></h2>
<br />
<b><i>"anyone
who drinks the water that I shall give will never thirst again: the
water that I shall give will turn into a spring within them, welling up
to eternal life."</i></b> (John 4:14)<br />
<br />
The
location of the spring was described to Bernadette Soubirous by an
apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes on 25 February 1858. Since that time
many thousands of pilgrims to Lourdes have followed the instruction of
Our Lady of Lourdes to "drink at the spring and wash in it".<br />
<br />
Although
never formally encouraged by the Church, Lourdes water has become a
focus of devotion to the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. Since the apparitions,
many people have claimed to have been cured by drinking or bathing in
it,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ruth_Harris_1999.2C_p._312_21-0">[21]</sup> and the Lourdes authorities provide it free of charge to any who ask for it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup><br />
<br />
An
analysis of the water was commissioned by Mayor Anselme Lacadé of
Lourdes in 1858. It was conducted by a professor in Toulouse, who
determined that the water was potable and that it contained the
following: oxygen, nitrogen, carbonic acid, carbonates of lime and
magnesia, a trace of carbonate of iron, an alkaline carbonate or
silicate, chlorides of potassium and sodium, traces of sulphates of
potassium and soda, traces of ammonia, and traces of iodine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-civil_23-0">[23]</sup>
Essentially, the water is quite pure and inert. Lacadé had hoped that
Lourdes water might have special mineral properties which would allow
him to develop Lourdes into a spa town, to compete with neighbouring
Cauterets and Bagnères-de-Bigorre.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ruth_Harris_1999.2C_p._312_21-1">[21]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Secular_views">Secular views</span></h2>
<br />
Miracles
are important events in the Christian Bible and are thus part of
divine revelation for the faithful Christians. Yet the advent of
rationalism and the social sciences renewed the search for natural
explanations of miracles in general and the events in Lourdes in
particular. Historical, psychological, natural analogies and other
empirical explanations have been forwarded, all of which are welcomed by
the Catholic Church, provided they are generally open-ended and
unbiased.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[24]</sup> Analogies
are most common in Marian apparitions, they indicate that the person
involved used popular images and common language. They do not by
themselves support arguments for or against the apparition itself.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bernadette described the apparition as <i>uo petito damizelo</i>
("a tiny maiden") of about twelve years old. Bernadette insisted that
the apparition was no taller than herself. At 1.40 m tall, Bernadette
was diminutive even by the standards of other poorly nourished children.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[25]</sup><br />
<br />
Bernadette
described that the apparition was dressed in a flowing white robe,
with a blue sash around her waist. This was the uniform of a religious
group called the Children of Mary, which, on account of her poverty,
Bernadette was not permitted to join (although she was admitted after
the apparitions).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[26]</sup> Her Aunt Bernarde was a long-time member.<br />
<br />
The
statue that currently stands in the niche within the grotto of
Massabielle (illustrated above) was created by the Lyonnais sculptor
Joseph-Hugues Fabisch in 1864. Although it has become an iconographic
symbol of Our Lady of Lourdes, it depicts a figure which is not only
older and taller than Bernadette's description, but also more in
keeping with orthodox and traditional representations of the Virgin
Mary. On seeing the statue, Bernadette was profoundly disappointed with
this representation of her vision.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[27]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27"> </sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Historical_context">Historical context</span></h3>
Many
Marian apparitions, although they may occur in different ages and
cultures, share similarities. Bernadette's visions took place against a
cultural backdrop of apparitions and other supernatural events that
bear some resemblance to Bernadette's experiences. It is likely that
Bernadette would have known of, and may even have been influenced by,
such events, which were woven into the fabric of her society.<br />
<br />
For
example, in nearby Lestelle-Bétharram, only a few kilometres from
Lourdes, some shepherds guarding their flocks in the mountains observed
a vision of a ray of light which guided them to the discovery of a
statue of the Virgin Mary. Two attempts were made to remove the statue
to a more prominent position; each time it disappeared and returned to
its original location, at which a small chapel was built for it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[29]</sup><br />
<br />
More importantly, in the early sixteenth century, a twelve-year-old shepherdess called <b>Anglèze de Sagazan</b> received a vision of the Virgin Mary near the spring at <b>Garaison</b>
(part of the commune of Monléon-Magnoac), somewhat further away.
Anglèze's story is strikingly similar to that of Bernadette: she was a
pious but illiterate and poorly educated girl, extremely impoverished,
who spoke only in the local language, Gascon Occitan, but successfully
convinced authorities that her vision was genuine and persuaded them to
obey the instructions of her apparitions. Like Bernadette, she was the
only one who could see the apparition (others could apparently hear
it); however, the apparition at Garaison's supernatural powers tended
toward the miraculous provision of food, rather than healing the sick.<br />
<br />
Mid-nineteenth
century commentators noted the parallels between the events at
Massabielle and Garaison, and interestingly, interpreted the
similarities as proof of the divine nature of Bernadette's claims.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30]</sup> At the time of Bernadette, Garaison was a noted center of pilgrimage and Marian devotion.<br />
<br />
There
are also several similarities between the apparition at La Salette,
near Grenoble, and Lourdes. La Salette is many hundreds of kilometres
from Lourdes, and the events at La Salette predate those in Lourdes by
11 years. However, the lady of La Salette was large and maternal, not
petite and girlish, and had a darker, more threatening series of
messages. It is not certain if Bernadette was aware of the events at La
Salette.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]</sup> Contemporary
Catholic interpreters had great difficulties explaining Bernadette's
claim on the Immaculate Conception, of which she knew nothing.
Ecclesiastical authorities tried unsuccessfully to ridicule her
statement to that effect as not credible.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Similarity_to_other_visions">Similarity to other visions</span></h3>
When
comparing the various visions of Jesus and Mary, Saint Bernadette's
vision in Lourdes is somewhat similar to the case of Saint Juan Diego's
vision in 1531 in Mexico. Both saints reported visions in which a
miraculous lady on a hill asked them to request that the local priests
build a chapel at that site of the vision. Both visions had a reference
to roses and led to very large churches being built at the sites. Like
Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a major
Catholic symbol in Mexico. And like the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
in France, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the largest
and most visited Catholic churches in the Americas.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Sanctuary">The Sanctuary</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the <b>Domain</b> (as it is most commonly known) is an area of ground surrounding the shrine (<b>Grotto</b>)
to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France. This ground is
owned and administrated by the Church, and has several functions,
including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick
pilgrims and their helpers.</div>
<br />
The Domain includes
the Grotto itself, the nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and
the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as several churches
and basilicas. It comprises an area of 51 hectares, and includes 22
separate places of worship [1]. There are six official languages of the
Sanctuary: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Lourdes_Medical_Bureau">The Lourdes Medical Bureau</span></h2>
To
ensure claims of cures were examined properly and to protect the town
from fraudulent claims of miracles, the Lourdes Medical Bureau (Bureau
Medical) was established at the request of Pope Pius X. It is
completely under medical and not ecclesiastical supervision.
Approximately 7000 people have sought to have their case confirmed as a
miracle, of which 68 have been declared a scientifically inexplicable
miracle by both the Bureau and the Catholic Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-telegraph_32-0">[32]</sup><br />
<br />
The
officially recognized miracle cures in Lourdes are among the least
controversial in the Catholic world, because Lourdes from the very
beginning was subject to intense medical investigation from skeptical
doctors around the world. All medical doctors with the appropriate
specialization in the area of the cure have unlimited access to the
files and documents of the Lourdes Medical Bureau (Bureau Medical),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup>
which also contains all approved and disapproved miracles. Most
officially recognized cures in Lourdes were openly discussed and
reported on in the media at the time. Nevertheless, there were a few
instances where medically ascertained incomprehension turned out not to
be miracles, because the illness reappeared in later years. In the vast
number of cases however, the judgement of the medical and
ecclesiastical authorities was upheld as beyond medical explanation in
later on critical investigations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Pilgrimages">Pilgrimages</span> </h2>
The
pilgrimage site is visited by millions of Catholics each year, and
Lourdes has become one of the greatest pilgrimage sites of the world.
Various unusual occurrences are reported to take place, not
onlysubsequent to bathing in or drinking the water of the Lourdes
Spring, but also during the dailyEucharistic procession. Miraculous
healings have been claimed, and a number of these have been documented
by the Lourdes Medical Commission. Large numbers of sick pilgrims
travel to Lourdes each year in the hope of physical healing or
spiritual renewal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="In_popular_culture">In popular culture</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>In 1943, the events became the basis of the film <i>The Song of Bernadette</i>.
Jennifer Jones played the title role while Linda Darnell portrayed the
Virgin Mary. The film won several Academy Awards, including an Academy
Award for Best Actress for Jones. At the first Golden Globes ceremony
in 1944, Jones received the award for Best Actress and the film won
Best Picture.</li>
<li>In 1959, singer Andy Williams recorded a song entitled "The Village of St. Bernadette".</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<center>
<b> </b></center>
<center>
<b>Song of Bernadette (1943)</b></center>
<center>
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<center>
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Standard YouTube License</center>
<center>
</center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Song of Bernadette">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Song of Bernadette"><i> </i> (Google Play • Amazon Video • You Tube) </span></b></center>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008LDO7/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008LDO7&linkCode=as2&tag=zaryastudides-20&linkId=VIP7QHCIFZJI6UTS" rel="nofollow">The Song of Bernadette</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=zaryastudides-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00008LDO7" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Contents</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Song of Bernadette</b>
is a 1943 drama film which tells the story of Saint Bernadette
Soubirous, who from February to July 1858 in Lourdes, France, reported
eighteen visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was directed by Henry
King. The film was adapted by George Seaton from a novelization of
Bernadette's story, written by Franz Werfel. The plot follows the novel
by Franz Werfel, which is not a documentary but a historical novel
blending fact and fiction. Posted as Fair Use for educational viewing.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
**Copyright Disclaimer - <i>Under
Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for
purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching,
scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use
permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in
favor of fair use. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Online: Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes First Apparition</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Taylor, Thérèse (2003). Bernadette of Lourdes. Burns and Oates. ISBN 0-86012-337-5</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-laurentin-3" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^</span> <span class="reference-text">L Laurentin, Lourdes, Marienlexikon, Eos Verlag, Regenburg, 1988, 161</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-harris-4" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span> <span class="reference-text">Harris, Ruth. <i>Lourdes</i>, Allen Lane, London, 1999, p 4</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Harris 7</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Lauretin_162-6" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span> <span class="reference-text">Lauretin 162</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-encounters-7" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lourdes France: The encounters with the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Song of Songs", 2:14, retrieved 29 May 2007</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church", Catechism of the Catholic Church 963, retrieved 29 May 2007.Vatican.va</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Act of Consecration</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Josef Schmidlin, Papstgeschichte, München 1934, 317</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bäumer Leo XIII, Marienlexikon, 97</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bäumer, Pius X Marienlexikon, 246</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Hahn Baier, Bernadette Soubirous, Marienlexikon, 217</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Hahn Baier 217</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Catholic_Pilgrims-16" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Pilgrims: Apparitions at Lourdes</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Fulgens Corona, 3</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Le Pelerinage de Lourdes 57</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Le Pelerinage de Lourdes, 40 ff</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bäumer Paul VI, 128</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Ruth_Harris_1999.2C_p._312-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ </span><span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books,1999, p. 312.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard Clarke, 2008 <i>Lourdes, Its Inhabitants, Its Pilgrims, And Its Miracles</i> ISBN 1-4086-8541-8 page 38</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-civil-23" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lourdes 4</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-24" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Stöger, Erscheinungen in Marienlexikon, 395 ff</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-25" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 72.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-26" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 43.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-27" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Visentin, M.C. (2000). "María Bernarda Soubirous (Bernardita)". In Leonardi, C.; Riccardi, A.; Zarri, G. (in Spanish). <i>Diccionario de los Santos</i>. Spain: San Pablo. pp. 1586–1596. ISBN 84-285-2259-6.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-28" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">14th century fresco from the Visoki Dečani monastery</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-29" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 39.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-30" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 41.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-31" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 60.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-telegraph-32" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Where Scientists are looking for God</i>, <i>The Telegraph</i>, 16 January 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2012</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-33" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Müller, 767</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-34" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Müller 768</span></li>
</ol>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes</b></h2>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awWsomdEFcY/URlQO_ww2GI/AAAAAAAAIhw/2UXcPWjmEsw/s1600/Our_Lady_of_Lourdes_Basilica.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awWsomdEFcY/URlQO_ww2GI/AAAAAAAAIhw/2UXcPWjmEsw/s1600/Our_Lady_of_Lourdes_Basilica.jpg" /></a></div>
The <b>Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes</b> or the <b>Domain</b> (as it is most commonly known) is an area of ground surrounding the Catholic shrine (<b>Grotto</b>)
to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France. The Sanctuary is
a destination for pilgrimage; sick pilgrims are reputed to be
miraculously healed by Lourdes water. This ground is owned and
administrated by the Roman Catholic Church, and has several functions,
including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick
pilgrims and their helpers. The Domain includes the Grotto itself, the
nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and the offices of the
Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as several churches and basilicas. It
comprises an area of 51 hectares, and includes 22 separate places of
worship.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> There are six official languages of the Sanctuary: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.<br />
<br />
Grottos
intended as replicas of the one at Our Lady of Lourdes, and other
grottos in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, are often described as
"Lourdes grottos".<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Administration">Administration</span></h2>
The
Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes is responsible for the spiritual
governance of the Domain. He appoints a local representative, who is
called the Rector. The Domain is run independently of the parish of
Lourdes, which is responsible for the spiritual needs of the Lourdais
themselves.<br />
<br />
Thirty full-time chaplains work in the
Domain, from dioceses and religious communities worldwide. As of 2010
there were 292 full-time lay employees and a further 120 seasonal
employees working in 63 different divisions, with an annual running
budget of €18 million, 90% from donations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
The
Domain is open all year round. In winter there are many fewer
visitors, a reduced timetable of services and devotional activity, and
no processions. The winter season runs from 1 November (the feast of All
Saints) until Easter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup> On 11 February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a full programme of activities usually takes place.<br />
<br />
The
Domain is fully active between Easter and All Saints each year, and has
a programme of devotional activities including Mass, processions (see
below), Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Many activities are carried out in several languages; in
some services the liturgy is repeated in different languages.<br />
<br />
The grounds are open daily from 5am until midnight;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup> outside these times the Grotto is accessible via the Lacets Gate behind the Upper Basilica.<br />
<br />
An
estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860 [3].
The Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized 67 miracle
healings, the 67th of which was the cure of Anna Santaniello in 1952,
recognised on 9 November 2005. [4]<br />
<br />
About 800 tonnes of wax is burnt annually in devotional candles.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> The Domain publishes the monthly <i>Lourdes Magazine</i>, with news and featured articles about the Domain and Lourdes generally<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Lourdes_water">Lourdes water</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4s2X6XY2mGk/URlRGYYFHjI/AAAAAAAAIig/OaS5IkfcTrk/s1600/lourdes_source_grotte_apparitions.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4s2X6XY2mGk/URlRGYYFHjI/AAAAAAAAIig/OaS5IkfcTrk/s320/lourdes_source_grotte_apparitions.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>"anyone
who drinks the water that I shall give will never thirst again: the
water that I shall give will turn into a spring within them, welling up
to eternal life."</b><i> (John 4:14) </i><br />
<br />
Lourdes
water flows from a spring at the same spot where it was discovered by
Bernadette. The original spring can be seen within the Grotto, lit from
below and protected by a glass screen.<br />
<br />
Pilgrims drink
Lourdes water due to its reputed healing power. The water from Lourdes
was thoroughly analysed by independent chemists in 1858 and 1859, and
does not appear to have a latent power to cure and has no special
scientific or medicinal properties.<br />
<br />
Despite this, the
water is itself a strong symbol of devotion for Lourdes pilgrims, and
many buy statues and rosary beads containing small vials of it, and take
home large plastic containers of it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Baths">Baths</span></h3>
Each year about 350,000 pilgrims bathe in the water at the baths (<i>Piscines)</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Processions">Processions</span></h2>
<div class="mise_en_avant">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VyzNJi0GBQ0/URlQVqtWFpI/AAAAAAAAIh4/yC42BfgWpEI/s1600/big_05_05_04_lourdes_signe_foules_esplanade_rosaire.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VyzNJi0GBQ0/URlQVqtWFpI/AAAAAAAAIh4/yC42BfgWpEI/s1600/big_05_05_04_lourdes_signe_foules_esplanade_rosaire.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="gros_texte">A quote from the Bible, dealing with the crowd</span><b>: </b></div>
<b>After this I looked, </b><b>and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,</b><i> Revelations (7:9) </i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Who comes to Lourdes?</b>
Pilgrimss, Tourists, children, teenagers, parents, grand-parents,
healthy people, sick or disabled people, God seekers or believers from
different religions...<br />
<br />
<b>For over 150 years, the crowd is always there, coming from all the continents . </b>The
world success of Lourdes, however,was not written in advance. In the
Pyrenees, a young poor and ignorant visionnary girl transmits penance
messages that she doesn't always understand. She says a "beautiful lady"
gives her these messages. During the first apparition, on 11th
February 1858, Bernadette is only accompanied by her sister: Toinette
and her friend: Jeanne Abadie. In a few weeks, Lourdes becomes the
“city of miracles”. Hundreds, then thousands of curious people come
from the surroundings.<br />
<br />
<b>At the period of the
apparitions, many people laugh at the sick and healthy believers coming
to pray in this dirty place- the Grotto is out of the town - and
rather inaccessible. </b>After the official recognition of the
Apparitions in 1862, the first local pilgrimages get organized. "The
fact of Lourdes" becomes very controversial. Medias come to Lourdes. So
do the crowd.<br />
<br />
<b>The celebrity of Lourdes becomes international in the early years of the twentieth century.</b> After World War 2, the world needs reconciliation. And in Lourdes,<span class="short_text"><span class="hps"> all differences</span> <span class="hps">are overcome</span></span>: those that are linked with the color of the skin, language, culture, age, wealth, poverty, handicap, and disease.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Processions are held in the Domain, with the Torchlight Procession being perhaps the best-known and most visually impressive.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Blessed_Sacrament_procession">Blessed Sacrament Procession</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55U1Jgov7ig/URljA1OuKWI/AAAAAAAAIkc/BFtei-sx9JY/s1600/220px-Monstrans.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55U1Jgov7ig/URljA1OuKWI/AAAAAAAAIkc/BFtei-sx9JY/s320/220px-Monstrans.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
The <b>Blessed Sacrament procession</b>
is held daily at 4.30pm. The procession begins at the open-air altar
in the Prairie, and is usually led by a priest or bishop carrying a
monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. Typically the bearer of the
Blessed Sacrament is sheltered from the elements by a mobile awning
carried by four assistants.<br />
<br />
The exact order of the
procession varies from time to time. The Blessed Sacrament may be
preceded by bearers carrying leafy branches, incense burners or other
devotional items. These bearers are usually lay people who may be
invited specially. The Blessed Sacrament is usually followed by a group
of priests who concelebrate the rite. Following these are groups of
pilgrims, usually under a group banner, and in no particular order,
although larger groups tend to dominate the procession near the front.<br />
<br />
The
procession makes its way across the Gave, alongside the ramps, and
past the Crowned Statue, along the Esplanade to the Cross at the far
end, and then around it, and down into the Underground Basilica (where
participants may be seated). Pilgrims in wheelchairs are brought to the
front in each case.<br />
<br />
During the procession there are
meditations, prayers, hymns and chants, in several languages. When all
the participants have assembled, there follows a period of Eucharistic
Adoration, and the Blessing of the Sick.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Torchlight_Procession">Torchlight Procession</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 212px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Bas_at_night.jpg/210px-Bas_at_night.jpg" height="158" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="210" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosary Basilica at night, looking across Rosary Square during the Torchlight Procession</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
The <b>Torchlight Marian Procession</b>
takes place daily at 8.45pm. It begins outside the Grotto and follows
the same route as the Blessed Sacrament Procession. In extreme weather
an indoor ceremony may be held in the Underground Basilica instead.<br />
<br />
The procession is led by pilgrims bearing a replica of the <b>Cabuchet Statue</b>
of the Virgin Mary. As before, groups usually proceed together under
their group banner. Most participants carry a candle with a paper shade
which diffuses the light and makes the candle less likely to blow out.<br />
<br />
The
focus of this procession is the rosary. All five decades are recited,
usually in a variety of languages. The Lourdes Hymn is also sung, with
verses in different languages. Intercessions may be invoked followed by
the <i>Laudate Mariam</i>. There is a final blessing in Latin, and then an invitation to exchange the <b>Sign of peace</b> with fellow pilgrims.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Main_churches_of_the_Domain">Main churches of the Domain</span></h2>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Crypt"> </span></h3>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Crypt">Crypt</span></h3>
The <b>Crypt</b>
was the first of the churches to be completed in the Domain, and is
today among the smallest. Construction was started by Abbé Peyramale
and Mgr. Laurence. Bernadette's father worked on its construction and
was present at its official opening, on Pentecost Sunday, 1866.<br />
<br />
The
nave is small and a notable feature are the enormous pillars which
support the weight of the Upper Basilica, which was constructed on top
of it. The Crypt is entered along a corridor, whose entrance is
dominated by a large bronze statue of St. Peter, holding the Keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven. Opposite stands a statue of Pius X. The walls of the
corridor and nave are lined with small marble plaques, known as <i>ex voto</i> plaques, donated in thanks of spiritual favours received.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Upper_Basilica">Upper Basilica</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5xKebzpZv8s/URlQsmmPKBI/AAAAAAAAIiI/1chBTv8oNL8/s1600/250px-Sanctuary_NDL_3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5xKebzpZv8s/URlQsmmPKBI/AAAAAAAAIiI/1chBTv8oNL8/s1600/250px-Sanctuary_NDL_3.jpg" /></a></div>
The <b>Basilica of the Immaculate Conception</b>, known widely as the <b>Upper Basilica</b>,
was the second of the churches to be completed, consecrated in 1876.
It is an impressive, elaborate building in Gothic style, designed by
architect Hyppolyte Durand, and on one side seems to emerge directly
from the rock of Massabielle (the sanctuary is directly above the
Grotto). The walls are lined with <i>ex voto</i> plaques, and banners
from official National Pilgrimages of the past. It has a series of
stained-glass windows depicting various events in the story of Lourdes;
the clerestory windows depict Mary as the Second Eve.<br />
<br />
The
exterior is dominated by a 70m spire, and two lesser spires (not
completed until 1908). Above the entrance is a mosaic depicting Pope
Pius IX, who defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[15]</sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15"> </sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15"> </sup><br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_Basilica">Rosary Basilica</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QHJRu_9sp3E/URlQzB5klcI/AAAAAAAAIiQ/PAfiidGJv0E/s1600/220px-Rosary_Basilica_5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QHJRu_9sp3E/URlQzB5klcI/AAAAAAAAIiQ/PAfiidGJv0E/s1600/220px-Rosary_Basilica_5.jpg" /></a></div>
The <b>Rosary Basilica</b>
is the third of the churches to be completed, in 1899 and designed by
architect Leopold Hardy. It was consecrated in 1901 and has a capacity
of 1,500 worshippers. Its style is influenced by Byzantine
architecture. The nave is open and circular, surmounted by a dome. The
exterior of the dome is surmounted by a dramatic gilded crown and
cross, which were a gift from the people of Ireland in 1924. The
exterior facade of the basilica was modified in 2007 to include a
depiction of the <b>Luminous Mysteries</b>, which were added to the traditional fifteen by Pope John Paul II in 2002.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Crowned_Statue_and_Rosary_Square">Crowned Statue and Rosary Square</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7e/RosarySquare.jpg/220px-RosarySquare.jpg" height="293" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out onto <i>Rosary Square</i> from the roof of the Basilica</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The open space in front of the Rosary Basilica is known as <b>Rosary Square</b>.
The entrances to the Crypt and the Upper Basilica, both of which are
built on top of Massabielle, are far above ground level. To facilitate
access, two enormous ramps were constructed, which curve down either
side of Rosary Square. The image of the entrance of the Rosary Basilica,
flanked by the two ramps and surmounted by the spires of the Upper
Basilica, has become one of the iconic symbols of Lourdes, and a
stylised form of this image has been adopted by the Domain itself as its
logo.<br />
<br />
The <b>Statue of the Crowned Virgin</b>, often known as the "Crowned Statue" (French: <i>La Vierge Couronnée</i>),
stands across Rosary Square from the Rosary Basilica and faces the
entrance. This prominent statue is a familiar landmark and a traditional
meeting point. The statue is 2.5m high and cast in bronze, painted
white and blue in the traditional colours. Her rosary is of the
Birgittine style and incorporates six decades.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[16]</sup> Behind the Crowned Statue is the <b>Esplanade</b>, a large open walkway which is used in the processions.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Underground_Basilica">Underground Basilica</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SCvsPNIdxeQ/URlQ7IZipxI/AAAAAAAAIiY/57fkh0-MaAo/s1600/250px-Basilique_Saint-Pie_X_Luc_Viatour.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SCvsPNIdxeQ/URlQ7IZipxI/AAAAAAAAIiY/57fkh0-MaAo/s1600/250px-Basilique_Saint-Pie_X_Luc_Viatour.jpg" /></a></div>
The <b>Basilica of St. Pius X</b>, known as the <b>Underground Basilica</b>,
is the largest and most controversial of the Domain's churches. It was
designed by the architect Pierre Vago and completed in 1958 in
anticipation of the enormous crowds expected in Lourdes for the
centenary of the Apparitions. A modern, concrete building, it is almost
entirely underground (part of the building lies beneath the Boulevard
Père Rémi Sempé above). When full it can accommodate 25,000
worshippers.<br />
<br />
The Underground Basilica is stylistically
very different from the previous two basilicas. The concrete of its
construction has been left bare throughout, making it gloomy and
uninviting inside, and it draws comparisons with an underground
carpark. Therefore, although it provided a practical solution to the
problem of accommodating very large numbers, it remains unpopular with
many visitors to Lourdes.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Church_of_St._Bernadette">Church of St. Bernadette</span></h3>
The most recent of the major centres of worship is the <b>Church of St. Bernadette</b>,
which was consecrated in 1988. It was built opposite the Grotto across
the Gave, on the spot where Bernadette stood during the final (18th)
Apparition.<br />
<br />
The Church of St. Bernadette is a modern
building with comparatively little adornment. It was designed to allow
as much natural light as possible into the nave, and light-coloured
materials have been used, making it noticeably brighter than the
Underground Basilica. It was designed by the architect Jean-Paul Felix.<br />
<br />
It
is also a more versatile building. The nave has provision for 5,000
seated worshippers and 350 wheelchairs, but partitions can be drawn
which divide the nave into smaller sections. In addition, it includes
the <b>Hemicycle</b>, a large lecture room which may be used for
worship, and an assortment of conference rooms and smaller rooms which
may be used for devotional or non-devotional activity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[17]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Chapel_of_Reconciliation">Chapel of Reconciliation</span></h3>
The <b>Chapel of Reconciliation</b>
formerly occupied a site slightly more remote, at the entrance of the
Upper Stations of the Cross. It was moved several years ago into a more
prominent position, into the building previously known as the <b>Accueil Notre Dame</b>, near the Crowned Statue and facing the Esplanade.<br />
<br />
The
Chapel of Reconciliation is somewhat unusual in that no masses or other
services take place there; instead it is given over entirely to the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests from different countries observe a
duty roster, which means that, at almost any time of day, pilgrims
from Europe (and occasionally further away) can find a priest who will
hear their confession in their own language.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="St._Joseph.27s_Chapel">St. Joseph's Chapel</span></h3>
<b>St. Joseph's Chapel</b>
is situated at the far end of the Esplanade, near St. Michael's Gate.
It is a modern, concrete church, mostly underground, with little
natural light. It was also designed by Pierre Vago, and was consecrated
on 1 May 1968. It has provision for 450 seated worshippers and 80
wheelchairs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[18]</sup><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Grotto">Grotto</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 282px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Grotte_Massabielle.jpg/280px-Grotte_Massabielle.jpg" height="187" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="280" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grotto of Massabielle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<span class="gros_texte">The Bible tells us that God is our rock. He is the rock on whom we can rely.</span><br />
<b><br />
<i>"My God is the rock where I take refuge. Long life to the Lord, my rock"</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i> </i></b>In
contrast to the grandness of Rosary Square and the various basilicas,
the grotto at Massabielle where St Bernadette's visions took place is
very simple and stark. The recess of the grotto itself is undecorated,
although a plain stone altar and lectern have been placed there so that
Mass can be said. Above the main recess is the niche where the
apparitions took place and Fabisch's statue now stands. A large stand
of candles next to the altar is kept burning during the season.<br />
<br />
The
spring Bernadette is said to have dug can be seen at the rear of the
grotto, shielded by a glass cover. Pilgrims can process through the
grotto and it is traditional to touch the rocks directly under the
statue; indeed so many people have done this that the stones have become
polished. Also at the rear of the grotto is a metal box into which
written prayers or petitions may be deposited; they are collected daily
and burnt.<br />
<br />
Rows of benches allow visitors to sit and
pray or contemplate. Pilgrims are asked to remain silent while in the
vicinity to create an atmosphere of devotion. One of the spots where
Bernadette prayed to the Virgin is marked by a special paving slab.<br />
<br />
Some
of the rock walls around the grotto bear clear signs of deliberate
alteration, presumably to improve access for pilgrims. It is no longer
clear what the original configuration of the grotto was.<br />
<br />
At
least one contemporary account describes a series of chambers behind
the statue's niche, which can only be reached by climbing "like a
lizard" through clefts in the rocks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[19]</sup><br />
<br />
The
actions that Bernadette carried out were the actions of freeing
something. The Grotto was choked with grass and mud. But why does she
free this Grotto? Because it hides an immense treasure, which must be
brought out into the open. Thus, at the ninth Apparition, "the Lady"
asked Bernadette to scrape the ground, at the back of this "pigs’
shelter", saying to her: "Go to the spring, drink of it and wash
yourself there". There is only a little muddy water to begin with,
enough for Bernadette to drink. At first this water is muddy and dirty
then, little by little, it becomes clear.<br />
<br />
By these
actions, the mystery of the heart of Jesus is revealed for us: "A
soldier pierced his heart with his lance and there immediately flowed
out blood and water." It is, as well, the depths of the mystery of the
heart of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God:
"The water that I shall give you will become, in you, a spring welling
up to eternal life". The grass and the mud signify the human heart,
wounded by sin. But in the bottom of this heart, there is the life of
God, as signified by the spring<br />
<br />
Bernadette
was asked: 'Did the Lady say something to you?' She replied: 'Yes, now
and again she would say: "Penance, penance, penance, pray for sinners".
By penance we understand conversion. Conversion in the Church, as we
learn from Christ, involves turning our heart towards God and towards
others. "Pray for sinners". Praying brings us to the Spirit of God. Thus
we understand that sin does not make us happy. We must understand that
sin is something that is contrary to the love of God that is revealed to
us through the Gospel. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19"> </sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19"> </sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Accueils_and_hospitals">Accueils and hospitals</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 282px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Accueil_Notre_Dame.jpg/280px-Accueil_Notre_Dame.jpg" height="185" width="280" /> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mise_en_avant">
<span class="gros_texte">A quote from the Bible dealing with the sick and the hospitaliers</span><br />
<br />
<i>"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."<br />
Gospel of Matthhew (25:40)</i></div>
<div class="mise_en_avant">
<br /></div>
Across the river from the grotto and the churches is the <b>Accueil Notre Dame</b>, a modern facility built in 1996 to house sick pilgrims during their time in Lourdes.<br />
<br />
The
Accueil Notre Dame was built to replace the two older Accueils that
were present within the Domain. The old Accueil Notre Dame stood
opposite the Underground Basilica, and has been extensively remodelled,
being divided into two buildings by removing a section. One building
now contains the Chapel of Reconciliation, which used to be the
refectory, and also houses the convent of the Sisters of Charity of
Nevers. The other section is now known as the <b>Accueil John Paul II</b>,
and contains several chapels (e.g. St Cosmos & St Damien), the
First Aid post and Dispensary, and the offices of the Hospitalité. The
other was the <b>Accueil St. Bernadette</b>, which stood across the river from the old Accueil Notre Dame, and was demolished to make way for the new one.<br />
<br />
Since
Easter 1997 sick pilgrims from all over the world have been housed in
the Accueil Notre Dame, an airy modern building. The Accueil is
organised into two wings, each consisting of six storeys, with the
Reception area on the ground floor and the Transit Lounge on the fifth.
Each floor from one to four is named after a specific saint, with
female saints honoured on one side and male ones on the other. Each
floor has a central refectory area where pilgrims congregate to eat.<br />
<br />
The
rooms, each with bathroom and shower, accommodate from one to six
people. Each room has a window, with some fortunate ones having a view
of the Grotto, and storage cupboards and a table and chairs. Each room
opens onto a communal area.<br />
<br />
Linking the two sides is
the Administration Area, with two panoramic lifts bringing visitors to
each floor. The administration offices are on the sixth and seventh
floors, and there are kitchens for each side.<br />
<br />
Typically
pilgrims arrive at the Accueil Notre Dame in buses from Lourdes
airport or train station, and will be welcomed in the transit lounge on
the 5th floor. From there they are taken to their rooms. Pilgrims also
depart from the transit lounge.<br />
<br />
Another accueil, the <b>Accueil Marie St. Frai</b>, is located a short distance outside the domain; it is similar in design and atmosphere to the Accueil Notre Dame.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prairie"><i>Prairie</i></span></h2>
Across the Gave from the Grotto is a wide, open, uncluttered space covered with grass and known in French as the 'prairie<i>, or in English, the meadow.</i><br />
<br />
In the corner of the <i>prairie</i> is the tent-like <b>Chapel of Adoration</b>,
consecrated in 1995 and given over entirely to veneration of the
Blessed Sacrament, and there is an open-air altar for outdoor ceremonies
in fine weather.<br />
<br />
In 2002 the <b>Water Walk</b> was
introduced, across the Gave and slightly downstream from the Grotto. It
consists of a series of nine stations at which there is a small
Lourdes water font.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Candles_and_Bruli.C3.A8res">Candles and Brulières</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Bruliere.jpg/220px-Bruliere.jpg" height="306" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brulière full of devotional candles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<span class="gros_texte">This is the Light of Christ.</span><br />
<b><br />
<i>"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life"</i></b><i> (John 8:12)</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i>A
further iconic image of Lourdes is the tall, conical stand containing
votive candles which are burnt constantly in the Grotto. Pilgrims may
purchase candles (white, with a blue base) to be burnt here as a
devotional gesture, or bring their own. Candles of many different sizes
may be burnt in the Domain; the largest are two metres tall and
require more than one person to lift them—such candles are usually
bought by groups of pilgrims, and typically burn continuously for over a
week.<br />
<br />
<b>Near the Grotto, millions of candles continuously burn since 19th February 1858.</b>
That day, Bernadette arrived at the Grotto with a blessed candle that
kept burning in her hand until the end of the apparition. Before she
left, the Virgin Mary asked her to let the candle burn at the Grotto.
The same day, a few people came to the Grotto to burn candles. This
tradtion has never ceased.The candles offered by the pilgrims keep
burning day and night. Burning a candle at the Grotto does not replace a
prayer, but it's a tangible sign supporting a secret demand, an
offering or an acknowledgement.<br />
<br />
<b>Each year, 700 tons of candles burn for you and those who have not been able to come .</b>
The volutes of smoke represent millions of intentions of prayers and
wishes. Also, light is a very important sign in the sacred history. The
bible talks about sin as captivity and darkness. On the opposite,
Jesus-Christ brings deliverance and illumination. This is why priests
bless the flame and the light of the candles during the celebration of
Easter, before blessing the water for baptism. Even if they are not
aware of this, the pilgrims and visitors in procession with a candle in
their hand know it expresses a kind of hope.<br />
<br />
For safety as well as convenience, candles are burnt together in large metal stands called <i>brulières</i>. Pilgrims may light their own candles, or leave candles to be burnt later. The brulières are tended by <i>feutiers</i>,
attendants whose job is to ensure candles are burnt safely and evenly,
and to remove the trays of melted wax which collects under each
brulière.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Scepticism_and_criticism">Scepticism and criticism</span></h2>
Since
the earliest of the apparitions, Lourdes has been the subject of
intense debate regarding their nature. The earliest investigators,
including the priest Abbé Dominique Peyramale and the Chief of Police,
Dominique Jacomet, were both initially convinced they were dealing with a
hoax (each later changed his mind), and several researchers have since
called several aspects of the Lourdes phenomenon into question.<br />
The
apparitions at Lourdes took place against the backdrop of a rich
network of popular piety, which was common throughout the Pyrenean
region in the 19th century. In the decades leading up to 1858, several
children in small Pyrenean villages (on both sides of the border)
claimed to see apparitions of the Virgin Mary in remote locations. Some
consider that Bernadette was simply repeating a well-tried trick to
gain attention and notoriety. Others argue that this is not likely,
since Bernadette claimed the Lady called herself "the Immaculate
Conception", a name which she had no way of knowing.<br />
<br />
Although
Bernadette herself shunned attention and personal gain from the
apparitions, it is clear that her family, previously in severe poverty,
became very wealthy and influential as a result. Critics argue that
the family encouraged Bernadette in order to escape their poverty.<br />
<br />
Modern
Lourdes has no shortage of glitz on display. Some visitors may dislike
the commercialism of parts of Lourdes, with neon-emblazoned gift shops
overflowing with what Malcolm Muggeridge, a supporter of the shrine,
called "tawdry relics, the bric-a-brac of piety".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[20]</sup>
Lourdes has been called the "Disneyland of the Catholic Church".
Critics argue that the Lourdes phenomenon is nothing more than a
significant money-spinner for the town and the region, which therefore
has a strong vested interest in keeping the pilgrims coming.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[21]</sup>
The church, however, distances itself from commercialisation. The many
trinket stalls are privately owned, and hawkers are strictly forbidden
inside the sanctuary.<br />
<br />
Many people remain sceptical
about Lourdes and its supposed healing power, arguing that any
improvement offered by the shrine is no more than the placebo effect,
and that the ceremonies and processions are no better than faith-healing
on a grand scale. Richard Dawkins, British evolutionary biologist and
atheist, expressed scepticism about the healing ability of Lourdes in
his documentary <i>The Root of All Evil?</i>, noting the lack of
statistical evidence that there have been any miraculous healings.
Dawkins also points out that the cures are invariably for ailments that
may have healed naturally (nobody has reported a miraculous regrowing
of a missing limb, for example).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[22]</sup><br />
<br />
Official Website of the Sanctuary if our Lady of Lourdes: http://en.lourdes-france.org/<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
</div>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&id=431&id_rubrique=431</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 52.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 53.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 41.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 365.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 365.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lourdes website: The Domain, accessed 17 March 2010</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 52-3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 77.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 41.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 151.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 155.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 42-3.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 43.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 41.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 45.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Oliver Todd, <i>The Lourdes Pilgrim</i>, Matthew James Publishing, 2003, p. 46.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ruth Harris, <i>Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age</i>, Penguin Books, 1999.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Muggeridge contrasts the <i>"tawdry relics, the bric-a-brac of piety"</i> with the spiritual phenomena he describes experiencing in Lourdes. (<i>Jesus Rediscovered</i>, A Visit To Lourdes, Fontana 1969.[1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>"Consuming Visions--Mass Culture and the Lourdes Shrine, Suzanne Kaufman"</i>, Book reviewed by Lawrence S. Cunningham University of Notre Dame, Commonweal 23 September 2005.[2]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">BBC collective: Review of "The Root of all Evil?</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
</h2>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ul></ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul></ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="color: #274e13;">
<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> </span> <br />
<center>
<u><h3>
<b>Featured Item from Litany Lane</b></h3>
</u></center>
<br />
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
</ul>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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<blockquote>
"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 4, Chapter 8</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
FLIGHT TO EGYPT</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our heavenly Pilgrims left Jerusalem
and entered upon their banishment while yet the silence and obscurity
of night held sway. They were full of solicitude for the Pledge of
heaven, which they carried with them into a strange and unknown land.
Although faith and hope strengthened them (for in no other beings
could these virtues be more firmly and securely established than in
our Queen and her most faithful spouse), nevertheless the Lord
afforded them occasion for anxiety. Their love for the Infant Jesus
would naturally excite in them anxiety and suffering on an occasion
like this. They knew not what would happen during such a long
journey, nor when it should end, nor how they would fare in Egypt,
where they would be entire strangers, nor what comfort or convenience
they would find there for raising the Child, nor even how they would
be able to ward off great sufferings from Him on the way to Egypt.
Therefore the hearts of these holy Parents were filled with many
misgivings and anxious thoughts when they parted with so much haste
from their lodging–place; but their sorrow was much relieved
when the ten thousand heavenly courtiers above mentioned again
appeared to them in human forms and in their former splendor and
beauty, and when they again changed the night into the brightest day
for the holy Pilgrims. As they set forth from the portals of the city
the holy angels humiliated themselves and adored the incarnate Word
in the arms of the Virgin Mother. They also encouraged Her by again
offering their homage and service, stating that it was the will of
the Lord that they guide and accompany Her on the journey.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">In this town of
Gaza they remained two days, for saint Joseph and the beast of burden
which carried the Queen were worn out by the fatigue of the journey.
From that place they sent back the servant of saint Elisabeth, taking
care to caution him not to tell any one of their whereabouts. But God
provided still more effectually against this danger; for He took away
from this man all remembrance of what saint Joseph had charged him to
conceal, so that he retained only his message to saint Elisabeth.
Most holy Mary expended the presents sent by Elisabeth in
entertaining the poor; for She, who was Mother of the poor, could not
bear to pass them by unassisted. Of the clothes sent to Her She made
a cloak for the divine Infant, and one for saint Joseph, to shelter
Them from the discomforts of the season and of the journey. She also
used other things in their possession for</span> <span lang="en-US">the
comfort of her Child and of saint Joseph. The most prudent Virgin
would not rely on miraculous assistance whenever She could provide
for the daily needs by her own diligence and labor; for in these
matters She desired to subject Herself to the natural order and
depend upon her own efforts. During the two days which they spent in
that city the most pure Mary, in order to enrich it with great
blessings, performed some wonderful deeds. She freed two sick persons
from the danger of death and cured their ailments. She restored to
another person, a crippled woman, the use of her limbs. In the souls
of many, who met Her and conversed with Her, She caused divine
effects of the knowledge of God and of a change of</span> <span lang="en-US">life.
All of them felt themselves moved to praise their Creator. But
neither Mary nor Joseph spoke a word about their native country, nor
of the destination or object of their journey; for if this
information had been added to the public notice caused by their
wonderful actions, the attention of Herod’s agents might have
been drawn toward them, and they might have found sufficient
inducement to follow them after their departure.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the third day after our Pilgrims
had touched Gaza, they departed from that city for Egypt. Soon
leaving the inhabited parts of Palestine, they entered the sandy
deserts of Bersabe, which they were obliged to traverse for sixty
leagues in order to arrive and take their abode in Heliopolis, the
present Cairo in Egypt. This journey through the desert consumed a
number of days, for the distance they could travel each day was but
short, not only on account of the laborious progress over the deep
sand, but also on account of the hardships occasioned by the want of
shelter. There were many incidents on their way through this
solitude; I will mention some of them, from which others can be
conjectured; for it is not necessary to relate all of them. In order
to understand how much Mary and Joseph and also the Infant Jesus
suffered on their pilgrimage, it must be remembered that the Almighty
permitted his Onlybegotten, with his most holy Mother and saint
Joseph, to suffer the inconveniences and hardships naturally
connected with travel through this desert. And although the heavenly
Lady made no complaints, yet She was much afflicted, which was also
true of her most faithful husband. For both of them suffered many
personal inconveniences and discomforts, while the Mother, in
addition thereto, was afflicted still more on account of the
sufferings of her Son and of saint Joseph; and the latter was deeply
grieved not to be able by his diligence and care to ease the
hardships of the Child and his Spouse.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During all this journey of sixty
leagues through desert they had no other night–shelter than the
sky and open air; moreover, it was in the time of winter, for journey
took place in the month of February, only six days after the
Purification, as was indicated in the last chapter. In the first
night on these sandy plains they rested at the foot of a small hill,
this being the only protection they could find. The Queen of heaven
with the Child in her arms seated Herself on the earth, and with her
husband She ate of the victuals brought with them from Gaza. The
Empress of heaven also nursed the Infant Jesus at her breast and He
on his part rejoiced his Mother and her husband by his contentment.
In order to furnish them with some kind of shelter against the open
air; however narrow and humble it might be, saint Joseph formed a
sort of tent for the divine Word and most holy Mary by means of his
cloak and some sticks. During that night the ten thousand angels who,
full of marvel, assisted these earthly Pilgrims in visible human
shapes, formed a guard around their King and Queen. The great Lady
perceived that her divine Son offered up to the eternal Father the
hardships and labors both of Himself and of Mary and Joseph. In these
prayers and in the other acts of his deified Soul, the Queen joined
him for the greater part of the night. The divine Infant slept for a
short time in her arms, while She continued wakeful and engaged in
heavenly colloquies with the Most High and his angels. Saint Joseph
slept upon the ground, resting his head upon the chest, which
contained the clothing and other articles of their baggage.</div>
<div class="western">
On the next day they pursued their journey and
their little store of fruit and bread was soon exhausted, that they
began to suffer great want and to feel the hunger. Although Joseph
was more deeply concerned, yet both of them felt this privation very
much. On one of the first days of their journey they partook of no
sustenance until nine o’clock at night, not having any more
even of the coarse and poor food which until then had sustained them
in their hardships and labor. As nature demanded some refreshment
after the exertion and weariness of travel, and as there was no way
of supplying their want by natural means, the heavenly Lady addressed
Herself to the Most High in these words: “Eternal, great and
powerful God, I give Thee thanks and bless Thee for thy magnificent
bounty; and also that, without my merits, only on account of thy
merciful condescension, Thou gavest me life and being and preservest
me in it, though I am but dust and a useless creature. I have not
made a proper return for all these benefits; therefore how can I ask
for myself what I cannot repay? But, my Lord and Father; look upon
thy Onlybegotten and grant me what is necessary to sustain my natural
life and also that of my spouse, so that I may serve thy Majesty and
thy Word made flesh for the salvation of men.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In order that the clamors of the
sweetest Mother might proceed from yet greater tribulation, the Most
High permitted the elements to afflict them more than at other times
and in addition to the sufferings caused by their fatigue,
destitution and hunger. For there arose a storm of wind and rain,
which harassed and blinded them by its fury. This hardship grieved
still more the tender–hearted and loving Mother on account of
the delicate Child, which was not yet fifty days old. Although She
tried to cover and protect Him as much as possible, yet She could not
prevent Him from feeling the inclemency of the weather, so that He
shed tears and shivered from the cold in the same manner as other
children are wont to do. Then the anxious Mother, making use of her
power as Queen and Mistress of creatures, commanded the elements not
to afflict their Creator, but to afford Him shelter and refreshment,
and wreak their vengeance upon Her alone. And, as related once
before, at the occasion of the birth of Christ and of the journey to
Jerusalem, again the wind immediately moderated and the storm abated,
not daring to approach Mother and Child. In return for this loving
forethought, the Infant Jesus commanded his angels to assist his
kindest Mother and to serve Her as a shield against the inclemency of
the weather. They immediately complied and constructed a resplendent
and beautiful globe round about and over their incarnate God, his
Mother and her spouse. In this they were protected and defended more
effectually than all the wealthy and powerful of the world in their
palaces and rich garments. The same they did several times during the
journey through the desert.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Nevertheless, they were in want of
food, and they were destitute of other things unprovidable by their
own mere human effort. But the Lord allowed them to fall into this
need in order that, listening to the acceptable prayers of his
Spouse, He might make provision also for this by the hands of the
angels. They brought them delicious bread and well–seasoned
fruits, and moreover a most delicious drink; all of which they
administered and served with their own hands. Then all of them
together sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, who gives
food to all creatures at opportune times, in order that the poor may
eat and be filled (Ps. 135, 25) whose eyes and hopes are fixed upon
his kingly Providence and bounty. Of such a kind was the delicate
feast, with which the Lord regaled his three exiled Wanderers in the
desert of Bersabe (III Ivings 19, 3), for it was the same desert in
which Elias, fleeing from Jezabel, was comforted by the hearth cake,
brought to him by the angel in order that he might travel to Horeb
mount.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
So then the Infant Jesus, with his
Mother and saint Joseph, reached the inhabited country of Egypt. On
entering the towns the divine Infant, in the arms of his Mother,
raised his eyes and his hands to the Father asking for the salvation
of these inhabitants held captive by satan. And immediately He made
use of his sovereign and divine power and drove the demons from the
idols and hurled them to the infernal abyss. Like lightning flashed
from the clouds they darted forth and descended to the lowermost
caverns of hell and darkness (Luke 10, 4). At the same instant the
idols crashed to the ground, the altars fell to pieces, and the
temples crumbled to ruins. The cause of these marvelous effects were
known to the heavenly Lady, for She united her prayers with those of
her most holy Son as Co–operatrix of his salvation. Saint
Joseph also knew this to be the work of the incarnate Word; and He
praised and extolled Him in holy admiration. But the demons, although
they felt the divine power, knew not whence this power proceeded.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Egyptian people were astounded at
these inexplicable happenings; although among the more learned, ever
since the sojourn of Jeremias in Egypt, an ancient tradition was
current that a King of the Jews would come and that the temples of
the idols would be destroyed. Yet of this prophecy the common people
had no knowledge, nor did the learned know how it was to be
fulfilled: and therefore the terror and confusion was spread among
all of them, as was prophesied by Isaias (Is. 9, 1). In this
disturbance and fear, some, reflecting on these events, came to our
great Lady and saint Joseph; and, in their curiosity at seeing these
strangers in their midst, they also spoke to them about the ruin of
their temples and their idols. Making use of this occasion the Mother
of wisdom began to undeceive these people, speaking to them of the
true God and teaching them that He is the one and only Creator of
heaven and earth, who is alone to be adored, and acknowledged as God;
that all others are but false and deceitful gods, nothing more than
the wood, or clay, or metal of which they are made, having neither
eyes, nor ears, nor any power; that the same artisans that made them,
and any other man, could destroy them at pleasure; since any man is
more noble and powerful than they; that the oracles which they gave
forth were answers of the lying and deceitful demons within them; and
that the latter had no power, since there is but one true God.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The heavenly Lady was so sweet and
kind in her words, and at the same time so full of life and force;
her appearance was so charming, and all her interaction was
accompanied by such salutary effects, that the rumor of the arrival
of these strange Pilgrims quickly spread about in the different
towns, and many people gathered to see and hear Them. Moreover, the
powerful prayers of the incarnate Word wrought a change of hearts,
and the crumbling of the idols caused an incredible commotion among
these people, instilling into their minds knowledge of the true God
and sorrow for their sins without their knowing whence or through
whom these blessings came to them. Jesus, Mary and Joseph pursued
their way through many towns of Egypt, performing these and many
other miracles driving out the demons not only from the idols, but
out of many bodies possessed by them, curing many that were
grievously and dangerously ill, enlightening the hearts by the
doctrines of truth and eternal life. By these temporal benefits and
others, so effectual in moving the ignorant, earthly–minded
people, many were drawn to listen to the instructions of Mary and
Joseph concerning a good and salutary life.</div>
<div class="western">
The traditions, which in many parts of Egypt kept
alive the remembrance of wonders wrought by the incarnate Word, gave
rise to differences of opinion among the sacred and other writers in
regard to the city, in which our Exiles lived during their stay in
Egypt. Some of them assert that they dwelt in this city, some in
another. But all of them may be right and in accordance with facts,
since each one may be speaking of a different period of the sojourn
of our Pilgrims in Memphis, or Babylon of Egypt, or in Matarieh; for
they visited not only these cities, but many others. I for my part
have been informed that they passed through these and then reached
Heliopolis, where they took up their abode. Their holy guardian
angels instructed the heavenly Queen and saint Joseph, that They were
to settle in this city. For, besides the ruin of the temples and
idols, which, just as in other places, took place at their arrival
here, the Lord had resolved to perform still other miracles for his
glory and for the rescue of souls; and the inhabitants of this city,
(according to the good fortune already prognosticated in its name as
“City of the Sun”), were to see the Sun of justice and
grace arise over them and shine upon them. Following these orders,
saint Joseph sought to purchase for a suitable price some dwelling in
the neighborhood; and the Lord ordained that he should find a poor
and humble, yet serviceable house, at small distance from the city,
just such as the Queen of heaven desired.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most prudent Lady and her spouse,
forsaken and destitute of all temporal help, accommodated themselves
joyfully to the poverty of their little dwelling. Of the three rooms,
which it contained, they assigned one to be the sanctuary or temple
of the Infant Jesus under the tender care of the most pure Mother;
there they placed the cradle and her bare couch, until, after some
days, by the labor of the holy spouse, and through the kindness of
some pious women, they could obtain wherewith to cover it. Another
room was set aside for the sleeping place and oratory of saint
Joseph. The third served as a workshop for plying his trade. In view
of their great poverty, and of the great difficulty of sufficient
employment as a carpenter, the great Lady resolved to assist him by
the work of her hands to earn a livelihood. She immediately executed
her resolve by seeking to obtain needlework through the intervention
of the pious women, who, attracted by her modesty and sweetness, were
beginning to have interactions with Her. As all that She attended to
or busied Herself with was so perfect, the reputation of her skill
soon spread about, so that She never was in want of employment
whereby to eke out the slender means of livelihood for her Son, the
true God and man.</div>
<div class="western">
In order to obtain the indispensable victuals and
clothing, furnish the house ever so moderately, and pay the necessary
expenses, it seemed to our Queen that She must employ all day in work
and consume the night in attending to her spiritual exercises. This
She resolved upon, not for any motives of gain, or because She did
not continue in her contemplations during the day; for this was her
incessant occupation in the presence of the infant God, as I have so
often said and shall repeat hereafter. But some of the hours, which
She was wont to spend in special exercises, She wished to transfer to
the night–time in order to be able to extend the hours of
manual labor, not being minded to ask or expect God’s
miraculous assistance for anything which She could attain by greater
diligence and additional labor on her own part. In all such cases we
ask for miraculous help more for our own convenience than on account
of necessity. The most prudent Queen asked the eternal Father to
provide sustenance for her divine Son; but at the same time She
continued to labor. Like one who does not trust in herself, or in her
own efforts, She united prayer with her labors, in order to obtain
the necessities of life like other men.</div>
<div class="western">
On account of the excessive heat prevailing in
Egypt, and on account of many disorders rampant among the people, the
distempers of the Egyptians were wide–spread and grievous.
During the years of the stay of the Infant Jesus and his most holy
Mother, pestilence devastated Heliopolis and other places. On this
account, and on account of the report of their wonderful deeds,
multitudes of people came to them from all parts of the country and
returned home cured in body and soul. In order that the grace of the
Lord might flow more abundantly, and in order that his kindest Mother
might have assistance in her works of mercy, God, at the instance of
the heavenly Mistress, ordained saint Joseph as her helper in the
teaching and healing of the infirm. For this purpose He was endowed
with new light and power of healing. The holy Mary began to make use
of his assistance in the third year of their stay in Egypt; so that
now he ordinarily taught and cured the men, while the blessed Lady
attended to the women. Incredible was the fruit resulting from their
labors in the souls of men for her uninterrupted beneficence and the
gracious efficacy of her words drew all toward our Queen, and her
modesty and holiness filled them with devoted love. They offered her
many presents and large possessions, anxious to see Her make use of
them: but never did She receive anything for Herself, or reserve it
for her own use; for they continued to provide for their wants by the
labor of her hands and the earnings of saint Joseph. When at time the
blessed Lady was offered some gift that seemed serviceable and proper
for helping the needy and the poor, She would accept it for that
purpose. Only with this understanding would She ever yield to the
pious and affectionate importunities of devout persons; and even then
She often made them a present in return of things made by her own
hands. From what I have related we can form some idea how great and
how numerous were the miracles wrought by the holy Family during
their seven years’ stay in Egypt and Heliopolis; for it would
be impossible to enumerate and describe all of them.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Neither the tongue
of creatures can describe nor intellect comprehend, the vast merits
and increase of sanctity accumulating in the most holy Mary through
these continued and wonderful works; for in all things She acted with
a prudence more than angelic. What moved Her to the greatest
admiration, love and praise of the</span> <span lang="en-US">Almighty
was to see how, at the intercession of Herself and her Son for the
holy Innocents, his providence showed itself so liberal toward them.
She knew as if She were present the great number of children that
were killed and that all of them, though some were only eight days,
two or six months old, and none of them over two years, had the use
of their reason; that they all received a high knowledge of the being
of God, perfect love, faith and hope, with which they performed
heroic acts of faith, worship, and love of God, reverence and
compassion for their parents. They prayed for their parents and, in
reward for their sufferings, obtained for them light and grace for
advance in spiritual things. They willingly submitted to martyrdom,
in spite of the tenderness of their age, which made their sufferings
so much the greater and consequently augmented their merits. A
multitude of angels assisted them and bore them to limbo or to the
bosom of Abraham. By their arrival they rejoiced the holy ancients
and confirmed them in the hope of speedy liberation. All these were
effects of the prayers of the divine Child and his Mother. Aware of
all these wonders, She was inflamed with ardor and exclaimed: “Praise
the Lord, ye children”; and joined with them in the praise of
the Author of these magnificent works, so worthy of his Goodness and
Omnipotence. Mary alone knew of them and appreciated them properly.</span></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962811"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, in what thou hast
written I wish that thou learn a lesson from the very sorrow and
apprehension with which thou hast performed this task. Well–founded
is thy sorrow to see how such a noble creature as man, made according
to the likeness and image of the Lord, endowed with such divine
qualities, and gifted with the power of knowing, loving, seeing, and
enjoying God eternally, should allow himself to be degraded and
defiled by such brutal and abominable passions as to shed the
innocent blood of those who can do no harm to any one. This should
induce thee to weep over the ruin of so many souls; especially in the
times in which thou livest, when that same ambition which incited
Herod has kindled such great hatred and enmity among the children of
the Church, occasioning the ruin of countless souls and causing the
waste and loss of the blood of my most holy Son, poured out for the
salvation of men. Do thou bitterly deplore this loss.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">But likewise be
warned by what thou hast seen in others; ponder the effects of
passions admitted into the heart; for if once they have mastered the
heart, they will either smother it in lust when it finds success, or
consume it with wrath at meeting any opposition. Fear thou, my
daughter, this danger, not only on account of the results thou seest
of ambition in Herod, but also on account of what</span> <span lang="en-US">thou
seest going on every hour in other persons. Be very careful not to
allow thyself to be mastered by anything, be it ever so small; for in
order to start a great conflagration the smallest spark is
sufficient. I have often repeated to thee this same warning, and I
shall continue to do so more often in the future; for the greatest
difficulty in practicing virtue consists in dying to</span> <span lang="en-US">all
that is pleasurable to the senses. Thou canst not be a fit instrument
in the hands of the Lord, such as He desires thee to be, if thou dost
not cleanse thy faculties even of the images of all creatures, so
that they do not find entrance into thy desires. I wish it to be to
thee an</span> <span lang="en-US">inexorable law that all things,
except God, his angels and</span> <span lang="en-US">saints, be to
thee as if they did not exist. These should be thy sole possession;
on this account the Lord has opened to thee his secrets, honors thee
with his familiarity and intimacy, and for this purpose also do I
honor thee with mine, that thou neither live nor wish to live without
the Lord.</span></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962812"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 4, Chapter 9</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
SWEET AND INTIMATE COMMUNICATIONS OF JESUS AND MARY; THEIR RETURN
FROM EGYPT</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During one of the conversations of
Mary with Joseph concerning the mysteries of the Lord, the Infant
Jesus, having reached the age of one year, resolved to break the
silence and speak in plain words to Joseph, who so faithfully
fulfilled the duties of a foster–father. As I have already
mentioned in chapter the tenth, He had thus conversed with his
heavenly Mother from the time of his Birth. The two holy Spouses were
speaking of the infinite being of God, of his goodness and excessive
love, which induced Him to send his Onlybegotten Son as the Teacher
and Savior of men, clothing Him in human form in order that He might
converse with them and suffer the punishments of their depraved
natures. Saint Joseph was lost in wonder at the works of the Lord and
inflamed by affectionate gratitude and exaltation of the Lord.
Seizing upon this occasion the infant God, resting upon the arms of
his Mother as upon the seat of wisdom, began to speak to saint Joseph
in an intelligible voice, saying: “My father, I came from
heaven upon this earth in order to be the light of the world, and in
order to rescue it from darkness of sin; in order to seek and know my
sheep as a good Shepherd, to give them nourishment of eternal life,
teach them the way of heaven, open its gates, which had been closed
by their sins. I desire that you both be children of the Light, which
you have so close at hand.”</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">These words of the
Infant Jesus, being full of divine life, filled the heart of the
patriarch saint Joseph with new love, reverence and joy. He fell on
his knees before the infant God with the profoundest humility and
thanked Him for having called Him “father” by the very
first word spoken to him. He besought the Lord with many tears to
enlighten him and enable him to fulfill entirely his most holy will,
to teach him to be thankful for</span> <span lang="en-US">the
incomparable benefits flowing from his generous hands. Parents who
love their children very much are touched with consolation and pride
to see their children show great signs of wisdom and virtue; and even
when this is not the case, they are naturally inclined to extol and
make much of their childish pranks and sayings; for all this is the
result of their tender affection for their young offspring. Although
saint Joseph was not the natural, but the foster–father of
Jesus, his love for Him exceeded by far all the love of parents for
their children, since in him grace, or even natural love, was more
powerful than others, yea than in all the parents together. Hence the
joy of his soul is to be measured by this love and appreciation of
saint Joseph as being the foster–father of the Infant Jesus.
For he at the same time heard himself called the father of the Son of
the eternal Father, and saw Him so beautiful in grace, while
listening to such exalted wisdom and knowledge in the Child.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">During the whole
of this first year his sweetest Mother had wrapped the infant God in
clothes and coverings usual with other children; for He did not wish
to be distinguished in this from others, and He wished to bear</span>
<span lang="en-US">witness to his true humanity and to his love for
mortals, enduring this inconvenience otherwise not required of Him.
His boundless love for mortals inflamed Her with loving gratitude
toward the Lord and produced in her</span> <span lang="en-US">heroic
acts of many virtues. Seeing that the Child Jesus desired no footgear
and only one garment, She said to Him: “My Son and my Lord, thy
Mother has not the heart to allow Thee to go barefoot upon the ground
at thy tender age; permit me, my Love, to provide some kind of
covering to protect them. I also fear that the rough garment, which
Thou askest of me, will wound thy tender body, if thou permit no
linen to be worn beneath.” “My Mother, I will permit a
slight and ordinary covering for my feet until the time of my public
preaching shall come, for this I must do barefooted. But I do not
wish to wear linen, because it foments carnal pleasures, and is the
causes of many vices in men. I wish to teach many by my example to
renounce it for love and imitation of Me.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Immediately the great Queen set
diligently about fulfilling the will of her most holy Son. Procuring
some wool in its natural and uncolored state, She spun it very finely
with her own hands and of it She wove a garment of one piece and
without any seam, similar to knitted stuff, or rather like twilled
cloth; for it was woven of twisted cords, not like smooth–woven
goods. She wove it upon a small loom, by meshes, crocheting it of one
seamless piece in a mysterious manner (John 19, 23). Two things were
wonderful about it: that it was entirely even and uniform, without
any folds, and that, at her request, the natural color was changed to
a more suitable one, which was a mixture of brown and a most
exquisite silver–gray, so that it could not be called either,
appearing to be neither altogether brown, nor silvery, nor gray, but
having a mixture of them all. She also wove a pair of sandals of
strong thread, like hempen shoes, with which She covered the feet of
the infant God. Besides these She made a half tunic of linen, which
was to serve as an undergarment. In the next chapter I shall tell
what happened when She clothed the Infant Jesus.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
From the time the Child Jesus was on his feet He
commenced to retire and spent certain hours of the day in the oratory
of his Mother. As the most prudent Mother was anxious to know his
wishes in regard to her interactions with Him, the Lord responded to
her mute appeal, saying: “My Mother, enter and remain with Me
always in order that thou mayest imitate Me in my works for I wish
that in thee be modeled and exhibited the high perfection which I
desire to see accomplished in the souls. For if they had not resisted
my first intentions (I Tim. 2, 4), they would have been endowed with
my most abundant and copious gifts; but since the human race has
hindered this, I have chosen thee as the vessel of all perfection and
of the treasures of my right hand, which the rest of the creatures
have abused and lost. Observe me therefore in all my actions for the
purpose of imitating Me.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Thus the heavenly Lady was installed
anew as the Disciple of her most holy Son. Thenceforward passed such
great and hidden mysteries between these Two, that not until the day
of eternity will they be known. Many times the divine Child
prostrated Himself on the ground, at others He was raised from the
ground in the form of a cross, earnestly praying to the eternal
Father for the salvation of mortals. In all this his most loving
Mother imitated Him. For to Her were manifest the interior operations
of his most holy soul, just as well as the exterior movements of his
body. Of this knowledge of most pure Mary I have spoken in other
parts of this history and it is necessary to point it out often,
because this was the source of the light which guided Her in her holy
life. It was such a singular blessing that all creatures together
will not be able to understand or describe it by their united powers.
The great Lady did not always enjoy visions of the Divinity; but
always the sight of the most holy humanity and soul of her Son with
all their activities. In a special manner She was witness of the
effects of the hypostatic and beatific union of the humanity with the
Divinity. Although She did not always see this glory and this union
substantially; yet She perceived the interior acts by which his
humanity reverenced, loved and magnified the Divinity to which it was
united; and this privilege was reserved solely to most holy Mary.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On these occasions it often happened
that the Child Jesus in the presence of his most holy Mother wept and
perspired blood, for this happened many times before his agony in the
garden. Then the blessed Lady would wipe his face interiorly
perceiving and knowing the cause of this agony, namely the loss of
the foreknown and of those who would be ungrateful for the benefits
of their Creator and Redeemer and in whom the works of the infinite
power and goodness of the Lord would be wasted. At other times the
blessed Mother would find Him refulgent with heavenly light and
surrounded by angels that sang sweet hymns of praise; and She was
made aware, that the heavenly Father was pleased in his beloved and
Onlybegotten Son (Matth. 17, 5). All these wonders commenced from the
time when at the age of one year He began to walk, witnessed only by
his most holy Mother, whose heart was to be the treasure–house
of his wonders. The works of love, praise and worshipful gratitude,
his petitions for the human race, all exceed my ability to describe.
I must refer the understanding of it to the faith and piety of the
Christians.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Many of the children of Heliopolis
gathered around the Child Jesus, as it is natural with children of
similar age and condition. Since they were free from great malice and
were not given to inquire, whether He was more than man, but freely
admitted the heavenly light, the Master of truth welcomed them as far
as was befitting. He instilled into them the knowledge of God and of
the virtues; He taught and catechised them in the way of eternal
life, even more abundantly than the adults. As his words were full of
life and strength. He won their hearts and impressed his truths so
deeply upon them, that all those, who had this good fortune,
afterwards became great and saintly men; for in the course of time
they ripened in themselves the fruit of this heavenly seed sown so
early into their souls.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The Child Jesus
reached the end of his seventh year</span> <span lang="en-US">while
in Egypt, which was also the term set by the eternal Wisdom for his
mysterious sojourn in that land. In order that the prophecies might
he fulfilled, it was necessary that He return to Nazareth. This
decree the eternal</span> <span lang="en-US">Father intimated to his
most holy Son on a certain</span> <span lang="en-US">day in the
presence of his holy Mother and while She was with Him in prayer. She
saw it mirrored in his deified soul and She saw how He submitted to
it in obedience to the Father. Therein the great Lady joined Him,
although they had already become better acquainted and habituated to
their present abode than to their own native city of Nazareth.
Neither the Mother nor the Son made known to saint Joseph this new
decree of heaven. But in that very night the angel of the Lord spoke
to him in his sleep, as Matthew relates (Matth. 2, 19), and bade him
take the Child and its Mother and return to the land of Israel for
Herod and those who with him had sought the life of the Child, were
dead. So much value does the Almighty set on the proper order in
created things, that, though Jesus was the true God and his Mother so
highly exalted above saint Joseph in sanctity, He did not permit the
arrangements of this journey to proceed from his Son nor from his
Mother, but from saint Joseph, who was the head of this Family. God
intended to teach all mortals, that He wishes all things to be
governed by the natural order set up by his Providence; and that the
inferiors and subjects of the mystical body of the Church, even
though they may excel in virtue and in certain other respects, must
obey and submit to their superiors and prelates in the visible order.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
They departed for Palestine in the
company of angels as on their way thence. The great Queen sat on the
ass with the divine Child on her lap and saint Joseph walked afoot,
closely following the Son and Mother. On account of the loss of such
great Benefactors their acquaintances and friends were very sorrowful
at the news of their departure; with incredible weeping and sighing
they saw Them leave, knowing and loudly complaining, that they were
now losing all their consolation and refuge in their necessities. If
the divine power had not interfered, the holy Family would have found
great difficulty in leaving Heliopolis; for its inhabitants began to
feel the night of their miseries secretly setting upon their hearts
at the parting of the Sun, which had dispersed and brightened its
darkness (John 1, 9). In traversing the inhabited country they passed
through some towns of Egypt, where They scattered their graces and
blessings. The news of their passage spreading about, all the sick,
the afflicted and disconsolate gathered to seek Them out, and they
found themselves relieved in body and soul. Many of the sick were
cured, many demons were expelled without their knowing who it was
that thus hurled them back to hell. Yet they felt the divine power,
which compelled them and wrought such blessings among men.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">They reached
Nazareth, their home, for the Child was to be called a Nazarene. They
found their former humble house in charge of the devout cousin of
saint Joseph, who, as I have mentioned in the twelfth chapter of the
third book, had offered to serve him while our Queen was absent in
the house of Elisabeth. Before They had left Judea for Egypt, saint
Joseph had written to</span> <span lang="en-US">this woman, asking
her to take care of the house and what it contained. They found it
all in good condition and his cousin received Them with great joy on
account of</span> <span lang="en-US">her love for the great Queen,
though at the same time she</span> <span lang="en-US">did not know of
her dignity. The heavenly Lady entered with her Son and saint Joseph,
and immediately She prostrated Herself in adoration of the Lord and
in thanksgiving for having led Them, safe from the cruelty of</span>
<span lang="en-US">Herod, to this retreat, and preserved Them in the
dangers of their banishment and their long and arduous journeys.
Above all did She render thanks for having returned in company with
her Son, now grown both in years and in grace and virtue (Luke 2,
40).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Taking counsel with her divine Child
She proceeded to set up a rule of life and regulate her pious
practices; not that She had failed to observe a rule of life on her
journey; for the most prudent Lady, in imitation of her Son, had
always observed the most perfect order according to circumstances.
But being now peacefully settled in her home She wished to include
many exercises, which on the journey were impossible. Her greatest
solicitude was always to cooperate with her most holy Son for the
salvation of souls which was the work most urgently enjoined upon her
by the eternal Father. Toward this most high end our Queen directed
all her practices in union with the Redeemer, and this was their
constant occupation, as we shall see in the course of this second
part. The holy Joseph also ordered his occupations and his work so as
most worthily to earn sustenance for the divine Child and his Mother
as well as for himself. That which in other sons of Adam is
considered a punishment and a hardship was to this holy Patriarch a
great happiness. For while others were condemned to sustain their
natural life by the labor of their hands in the sweat of their brows,
saint Joseph was blessed and consoled beyond measure to know, that he
had been chosen by his labor and sweat to support God himself and his
Mother, to whom belonged heaven and earth and all that they contain
(Esther 13, 10).</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Queen of the angels herself
undertook to pay the debt of gratitude due to saint Joseph for his
labors and solicitude. Accordingly She provided his meals and
attended to his comforts with incredible care and most loving
gratitude. She was obedient to him in all things and humbled Herself
before Him as if She were his handmaid and not his spouse, or, what
is more, not the Mother of the Creator and Lord of all. She accounted
Herself unworthy of existence and of being suffered to walk upon the
earth; for She thought it just, that She should be in want of all
things. In the consciousness of having been created out of nothing
and therefore unable to make any return for either this benefit or,
according to her estimation, for any of the others, She established
in Herself such a rare humility, that She thought Herself less than
the dust and unworthy to mingle with it. For the least favor She gave
admirable thanks to the Lord, as to the first cause and origin of
them all, and to creatures as to the instruments of his bounty. To
some She gave thanks because they conferred favors upon Her, to
others because they had denied them; and to others again because they
bore with Her in patience. She acknowledged Herself as indebted to
all of them, though She filled them with the blessings of sweetness
and placed herself at the feet of all, seeking ingenious means and
artifices to let no instant and no occasion pass for practicing the
most perfect and exalted virtues to the Admiration of the angels and
the pleasure and the delight of the Most High.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962813"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">My daughter, while
journeying at the command of the Lord from one country to another and
during the works</span> <span lang="en-US">enjoined upon me, my heart
was never troubled nor my spirit cast down; for I always held myself
prepared to fulfill entirely the will of God. Although the Lord made
known to Me his high ends, yet this was not always done at the
beginning, thus permitting me to endure</span> <span lang="en-US">so
much the greater sufferings; for in obeying the Lord no further
reason is necessary than that the Lord Creator so commands and
disposes. The souls must accustom themselves to look for this motive
alone and to learn solely to please the Lord, without distinguishing
between fortunate or unfortunate events and without looking to their
own inclinations. In this kind of wisdom I wish that thou advance. In
imitation of me and to satisfy thy obligations toward my most holy
Son, do thou receive prosperity or adversity in this mortal life with
unmoved countenance and with equanimity and peace or mind. Let not
the one grieve, nor the other vainly rejoice thee; but attend only to
all that which the Almighty ordains according to his pleasure.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Human life is interwoven thus
variously with both kinds of events; some of them according, others
contrary to the likings of mortals; some which they, abhor others
which they desire. As the human heart is limited and narrow it
immoderately inclines to extremes, boundlessly desiring what it loves
and likes, and, on the other hand, grieving and sorrowing at what it
abhors and dislikes. These changeful moods and fluctuations create
danger for all or many virtues. The disorderly love for one creature
which it cannot attain, moves the soul presently to desire another,
expecting a balm for its disappointment in the former. And if it is
successful, the soul becomes involved and flurried in the desire of
retaining what it possesses, thus casting itself by these velleities
into still greater disorders and passions. Attend, therefore,
dearest, to this danger and attack it at the root by preserving thy
heart independent and riveted only on the divine Providence, without
ever allowing it to incline toward what it desires or longs for, or
to abhor what is painful to it. Let the will of the Lord be thy only
delight and joy. Let neither thy desires draw thee on, nor thy fears
dishearten thee. Let not thy exterior occupations, and much less thy
regard or attention to creatures, ever impede thee or divert thee
from thy holy exercises, attending always to my example. Seek thou
lovingly and diligently to follow in my footsteps.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO - THE LORD'S PRAYER</b></span></span></h4>
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<b>ARTICLE 2<br />OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN"</b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="I"><b>I. "WE DARE TO SAY"</b></a>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2777"></a><b>2777</b>
In the Roman liturgy, the Eucharistic assembly is invited to pray to
our heavenly Father with filial boldness; the Eastern liturgies develop
and use similar expressions: "dare in all confidence," "make us worthy
of. . . . " From the burning bush Moses heard a voice saying to him, "Do
not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground."<sup>26</sup> Only Jesus could
cross that threshold of the divine holiness, for "when he had made
purification for sins," he brought us into the Father's presence: "Here
am I, and the children God has given me."<sup>27</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Our awareness of our status as slaves
would make us sink into the ground and our earthly condition would
dissolve into dust, if the authority of our Father himself and the
Spirit of his Son had not impelled us to this cry . . . 'Abba, Father!'
. . . When would a mortal dare call God 'Father,' if man's innermost
being were not animated by power from on high?"<sup>28</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2778"></a><b>2778</b>
This power of the Spirit who introduces us to the Lord's Prayer is
expressed in the liturgies of East and of West by the beautiful,
characteristically Christian expression: <i>parrhesia</i>, straightforward simplicity, filial trust, joyous assurance, humble boldness, the certainty of being loved.<sup>29</sup><br />
<br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="II">II. ABBA - "FATHER!"</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2779"></a><b>2779</b>
Before we make our own this first exclamation of the Lord's Prayer, we
must humbly cleanse our hearts of certain false images drawn "from this
world." <i>Humility </i>makes us recognize that "no one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone
to whom the Son chooses to reveal him," that is, "to little children."<sup>30</sup> The <i>purification </i>of
our hearts has to do with paternal or maternal images, stemming from
our personal and cultural history, and influencing our relationship with
God. God our Father transcends the categories of the created world. To
impose our own ideas in this area "upon him" would be to fabricate idols
to adore or pull down. To pray to the Father is to enter into his
mystery as he is and as the Son has revealed him to us.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">The expression God the Father had never
been revealed to anyone. When Moses himself asked God who he was, he
heard another name. The Father's name has been revealed to us in the
Son, for the name "Son" implies the new name "Father."<sup>31</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2780"></a><b>2780</b> We can invoke God as "Father" because <i>he is revealed to us</i>
by his Son become man and because his Spirit makes him known to us. The
personal relation of the Son to the Father is something that man cannot
conceive of nor the angelic powers even dimly see: and yet, the Spirit
of the Son grants a participation in that very relation to us who
believe that Jesus is the Christ and that we are born of God.<sup>32</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2781"></a><b>2781</b> When we pray to the Father, we are <i>in communion with him</i> and with his Son, Jesus Christ.<sup>33</sup>
Then we know and recognize him with an ever new sense of wonder. The
first phrase of the Our Father is a blessing of adoration before it is a
supplication. For it is the glory of God that we should recognize him
as "Father," the true God. We give him thanks for having revealed his
name to us, for the gift of believing in it, and for the indwelling of
his Presence in us.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2782"></a><b>2782</b> We can adore the Father because he has caused us to be reborn to his life by <i>adopting </i>us
as his children in his only Son: by Baptism, he incorporates us into
the Body of his Christ; through the anointing of his Spirit who flows
from the head to the members, he makes us other "Christs."
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">God, indeed, who has predestined us to
adoption as his sons, has conformed us to the glorious Body of Christ.
So then you who have become sharers in Christ are appropriately called
"Christs."<sup>34</sup> The new man, reborn and restored to his God by grace, says first of all, "Father!" because he has now begun to be a son.<sup>35</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2783"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">2783</a></b> Thus the Lord's Prayer <i>reveals us to ourselves</i> at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.<sup>36</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">O man, you did not dare to raise your
face to heaven, you lowered your eyes to the earth, and suddenly you
have received the grace of Christ all your sins have been forgiven. From
being a wicked servant you have become a good son. . . . Then raise
your eyes to the Father who has begotten you through Baptism, to the
Father who has redeemed you through his Son, and say: "Our Father. . . .
" But do not claim any privilege. He is the Father in a special way
only of Christ, but he is the common Father of us all, because while he
has begotten only Christ, he has created us. Then also say by his grace,
"Our Father," so that you may merit being his son.<sup>37</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2784"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">2784</a></b> The free gift of adoption requires on our part continual conversion and <i>new life</i>. Praying to our Father should develop in us two fundamental dispositions: <br />
First, <i>the desire to become like him</i>: though created in his image, we are restored to his likeness by grace; and we must respond to this grace.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">We must remember . . . and know that when we call God "our Father" we ought to behave as sons of God.<sup>38</sup> You
cannot call the God of all kindness your Father if you preserve a cruel
and inhuman heart; for in this case you no longer have in you the marks
of the heavenly Father's kindness.<sup>39</sup> <br />
We must contemplate the beauty of the Father without ceasing and adorn our own souls accordingly.<sup>40</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2785"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">2785</a></b> Second, a <i>humble and trusting heart</i> that enables us "to turn and become like children":<sup>41</sup> for it is to "little children" that the Father is revealed.<sup>42</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">[The prayer is accomplished] by the
contemplation of God alone, and by the warmth of love, through which the
soul, molded and directed to love him, speaks very familiarly to God as
to its own Father with special devotion.<sup>43</sup> Our Father: at
this name love is aroused in us . . . and the confidence of obtaining
what we are about to ask. . . . What would he not give to his children
who ask, since he has already granted them the gift of being his
children?<sup>44</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="III">III. "OUR" FATHER</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2786"></a><b>2786</b>
"Our" Father refers to God. The adjective, as used by us, does not
express possession, but an entirely new relationship with God.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2787"></a><b>2787</b> When we say "our" Father, we recognize first that all his promises of love announced by the prophets are fulfilled in the <i>new and eternal covenant </i>in
his Christ: we have become "his" people and he is henceforth "our" God.
This new relationship is the purely gratuitous gift of belonging to
each other: we are to respond to "grace and truth" given us in Jesus
Christ with love and faithfulness.<sup>45</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2788"></a><b>2788</b> Since the Lord's Prayer is that of his
people in the "end-time," this "our" also expresses the certitude of our
hope in God's ultimate promise: in the new Jerusalem he will say to the
victor, "I will be his God and he shall be my son."<sup>46</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2789"></a><b>2789</b>
When we pray to "our" Father, we personally address the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. By doing so we do not divide the Godhead, since the
Father is its "source and origin," but rather confess that the Son is
eternally begotten by him and the Holy Spirit proceeds from him. We are
not confusing the persons, for we confess that our communion is with the
Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in their one Holy Spirit. The <i>Holy Trinity</i>
is consubstantial and indivisible. When we pray to the Father, we adore
and glorify him together with the Son and the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2790"></a><b>2790</b>
Grammatically, "our" qualifies a reality common to more than one
person. There is only one God, and he is recognized as Father by those
who, through faith in his only Son, are reborn of him by water and the
Spirit.<sup>47</sup> The <i>Church </i>is this new communion of God and
men. United with the only Son, who has become "the firstborn among many
brethren," she is in communion with one and the same Father in one and
the same Holy Spirit.<sup>48</sup> In praying "our" Father, each of the
baptized is praying in this communion: "The company of those who
believed were of one heart and soul."<sup>49</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2791"></a><b>2791</b>
For this reason, in spite of the divisions among Christians, this
prayer to "our" Father remains our common patrimony and an urgent
summons for all the baptized. In communion by faith in Christ and by
Baptism, they ought to join in Jesus' prayer for the unity of his
disciples.<sup>50</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2792"></a><b>2792</b> Finally, if we pray the Our Father
sincerely, we leave individualism behind, because the love that we
receive frees us from it. The "our" at the beginning of the Lord's
Prayer, like the "us" of the last four petitions, excludes no one. If we
are to say it truthfully, our divisions and oppositions have to be
overcome.<sup>51</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2793"></a><b>2793</b>
The baptized cannot pray to "our" Father without bringing before him
all those for whom he gave his beloved Son. God's love has no bounds,
neither should our prayer.<sup>52</sup> Praying "our" Father opens to us
the dimensions of his love revealed in Christ: praying with and for all
who do not yet know him, so that Christ may "gather into one the
children of God."<sup>53</sup> God's care for all men and for the whole
of creation has inspired all the great practitioners of prayer; it
should extend our prayer to the full breadth of love whenever we dare to
say "our" Father.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="IV">IV. "WHO ART IN HEAVEN"</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2794"></a><b>2794</b>
This biblical expression does not mean a place ("space"), but a way of
being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is
not "elsewhere": he transcends everything we can conceive of his
holiness. It is precisely because he is thrice holy that he is so close
to the humble and contrite heart.
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">"Our Father who art in heaven" is
rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in
his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray should
desire the one they invoke to dwell in them.<sup>54</sup> "Heaven" could also be those who bear the image of the heavenly world, and in whom God dwells and tarries.<sup>55</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2795"></a><b>2795</b>
The symbol of the heavens refers us back to the mystery of the covenant
we are living when we pray to our Father. He is in heaven, his dwelling
place; the Father's house is our homeland. Sin has exiled us from the
land of the covenant,<sup>56</sup> but conversion of heart enables us to return to the Father, to heaven.<sup>57</sup> In Christ, then, heaven and earth are reconciled,<sup>58</sup> for the Son alone "descended from heaven" and causes us to ascend there with him, by his Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension.<sup>59</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2796"></a><b>2796</b>
When the Church prays "our Father who art in heaven," she is professing
that we are the People of God, already seated "with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus" and "hidden with Christ in God;"<sup>60</sup> yet at the same time, "here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling."<sup>61</sup>
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">[Christians] are in the flesh, but do
not live according to the flesh. They spend their lives on earth, but
are citizens of heaven.<sup>62</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2797"></a><b>2797</b> Simple and faithful trust, humble and joyous assurance are the proper dispositions for one who prays the Our Father.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2798"></a><b>2798</b> We can invoke God as "Father" because the
Son of God made man has revealed him to us. In this Son, through
Baptism, we are incorporated and adopted as sons of God.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2799"></a><b>2799</b> The Lord's Prayer brings us into
communion with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. At the same
time it reveals us to ourselves (cf. <i>GS </i>22 § 1).
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2800"></a><b>2800</b> Praying to our Father should develop in us the will to become like him and foster in us a humble and trusting heart.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2801"></a><b>2801</b> When we say "Our" Father, we are invoking
the new covenant in Jesus Christ, communion with the Holy Trinity, and
the divine love which spreads through the Church to encompass the world.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2802"></a><b>2802</b> "Who art in heaven" does not refer to a
place but to God's majesty and his presence in the hearts of the just.
Heaven, the Father's house, is the true homeland toward which we are
heading and to which, already, we belong.
<br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text1">
26 <i>Ex</i> 3:5. <br />
27 <i>Heb</i> 1:3; 2:13.<br />
28 St. Peter Chrysologus, <i>Sermo</i> 71,3:PL 52,401CD; cf. <i>Gal</i> 4:6.<br />
29 Cf. <i>Eph</i> 3:12; <i>Heb</i> 3:6; 4:16; 10:19; <i>1 Jn</i> 2:28; 3:21; 5:14.<br />
30 <i>Mt</i> 11:25-27.<br />
31 Tertullian, <i>De orat.</i> 3:PL 1,1155.<br />
32 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 1:1; <i>1 Jn</i> 5:1.<br />
33 Cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 1:3.<br />
34 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. myst. 3,1:PG 33,1088A.<br />
35 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 9:PL 4,525A.<br />
36 Cf. <i>GS</i> 22 § 1.<br />
37 St. Ambrose, <i>De Sacr.</i> 5,4,19:PL 16:450-451.<br />
38 St. Cyprian, <i>De Dom. orat.</i> 11:PL 4:526B.<br />
39 St. John Chrysostom, <i>De orat Dom.</i> 3:PG 51,44.<br />
40 St. Gregory Of Nyssa, <i>De orat. Dom.</i> 2:PG 44,1148B.<br />
41 <i>Mt</i> 18:3.<br />
42 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 11:25.<br />
43 St. John Cassian, <i>Coll</i>. 9,18:PL 49,788C.<br />
44 St. Augustine, <i>De serm. Dom. in monte</i> 2,4,16:PL 34,1276.<br />
45 <i>Jn</i> 1:17; cf. <i>Hos</i> 2:21-22; 6:1-6.<br />
46 <i>Rev</i> 21:7.<br />
47 Cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 5:1; <i>Jn</i> 3:5.<br />
48 <i>Rom</i> 8:29; Cf. <i>Eph</i> 4:4-6.<br />
49 <i>Acts</i> 4:32.<br />
50 Cf. <i>UR</i> 8; 22.<br />
51 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 5:23-24; 6:14-15.<br />
52 Cf. <i>NA</i> 5. <br />
53 <i>Jn</i> 11:52.<br />
54 St. Augustine, <i>De serm. Dom. in monte</i> 2,5,18:PL 34,1277.<br />
55 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, <i>Catech. myst.</i> 5:11:PG 33,1117.<br />
56 Cf. <i>Gen</i> 3. <br />
57 3:19-4:1a; <i>Lk</i> 15:18,21.<br />
58 Cf. <i>Isa</i> 45:8; <i>Ps</i> 85:12.<br />
59 <i>Jn</i> 3:13; 12:32; 14:2-3; 16:28; 20:17; <i>Eph</i> 4:9-10; <i>Heb</i> 1:3; 2:13.<br />
60 <i>Eph</i> 2:6; <i>Col</i> 3:3.<br />
61 <i>2 Cor</i> 5:2; cf. <i>Phil</i> 3:20; <i>Heb</i> 13:14.<br />
62 <i>Ad Diognetum</i> 5:PG 2,117</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/will_gods_way_wrist_watches-256012715057840261?view=113608516938408763&rf=238947687179422448"> <img alt="Will Gods Way Wrist Watches" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/will_gods_way_wrist_watches-r6461719116a74e3c8847e490c5c7876f_zd5zj_325.jpg?rlvnet=1&bg=0xffffff" style="border: 0;" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/will_gods_way_wrist_watches-256012715057840261?view=113608516938408763&rf=238947687179422448">Will Gods Way Wrist Watches</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/litanylane*">LitanyLane</a> </div>
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View more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/litanylane">Inspirational Designs</a> at Litany Lane.</div>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬● </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-49368879579725190712017-12-24T11:20:00.000-06:002017-12-24T11:20:38.014-06:00December 24, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog: Piety; Reading 1, Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16, Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29, Reading 2, Romans 16:25-27 Gospel, Luke 1:26-38; Pope Francis Christmas Eve Message; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Nativity ; The History of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 4 Chapter 3 The Journey to Bethlehem and Book 4 Chapter 4 the Birth of Jesus; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 1 The Gospel as a Whole; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults <br />
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<i>December 24, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog: </i><i> </i><br />
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<i>Piety; Reading 1, Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16, Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29, Reading 2, Romans 16:25-27<br />Gospel, Luke 1:26-38; Pope Francis Christmas Eve Message; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Nativity ; The History of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 4 Chapter 3 The Journey to Bethlehem and Book 4 Chapter 4 the Birth of Jesus; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 1 The Gospel as a Whole; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>From our family to yours: </b>On this most solemn and joyous celebration of this most holiest night of
the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May all of heaven
grace you and your family with an abundance of blessings, today, this most holy Christmas, and
throughout 2018<b>. ~ Zarya Parx 2018</b><i> </i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 4th Sunday in Advent</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>December 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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<b> </b>Dear children, I turn to you as your mother, the mother of the just, the
mother of those who love and suffer, the mother of those who are holy.
My children, you too can be holy - this depends on you. Those who are
holy are those who immeasurably love the Heavenly Father, those who love
Him above all. Therefore, my children, always strive to be better. If
you strive to be good you can be holy even though you may not think so
of y<span class="text_exposed_show">ourselves. If you think that you are
good, you are not humble, and arrogance distances you from holiness. In
this peaceless world full of threats, your hands, apostles of my love,
should be extended in prayer and mercy.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> And to me, my children, give
the gift of the rosary, the roses which I love so much. My roses are
your prayers pronounced with the heart and not only recited with the
lips. My roses are your acts of prayer, faith and love. When my Son was
little, he said to me that my children would be numerous and that they
would bring me many roses. I did not comprehend Him. Now I know that you
are those children who are bringing me roses when, above all, you love
my Son, when you pray with the heart, when you help the poorest.</span><br />
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Those are my roses. That is the faith which makes everything in life be
done through love, not knowing arrogance, and always ready to forgive;
never judging, always striving to understand one’s brother. Therefore,
apostles of my love, pray for those who do not know how to love, for
those who do not love you, for those who have done evil to you, for
those who have not come to know the love of my Son. My children, I ask
this of you because, remember, to pray means to love and to forgive.<br /> Thank you.</span><b> ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b><br />
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</b> <b>November 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you to prayer. Pray and seek peace, little children. He who came here on earth to give you His peace, regardless of who you are and what you are – He, my Son, your Brother – through me is calling you to conversion, because without God you do not have a future or eternal life. Therefore, believe, pray, live in grace, and for the expectation of your personal meeting with Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show"><b>~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b></span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's Christmas Eve Angelus</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
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Dear brothers and sisters, <i>buongiorno</i>!<br />
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On this Sunday that immediately precedes Christmas, we hear the Gospel of the Annunciation (cfr. Lk 1,26-38).<br />
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In this Gospel passage, we can note a contrast between the promises
of the Angel and the response of Mary. Such a contrast is manifested in
the <i>dimension</i> and in the <i>content</i> of the two protagonists.
The Angel says to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son,
and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of
the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David His
father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end” (vv. 30-33). It is a <i>long</i>
revelation, which opens unheard prospectives. The Child that will be
born of this humble girl from Nazareth will be called the Son of the
Most High: it is not possible to conceive a higher dignity than this.
And after Mary’s question, with which she requests explanations, the
revelation of the Angel becomes even more detailed and surprising.<br />
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On the other hand, the response of Mary is a short phrase, that does
not speak of glory or of privilege, but only of availability and of
service: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done unto me according
to your word” (v. 38). Even the <i>content </i>is different. Mary is not
exalted in the face of the prospective of becoming even the mother of
the Messiah, but remains modest and expresses her adherence to the
project of the Lord.<br />
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This contrast is significant. It makes us understand that Mary is
truly humble and doesn’t seek to show off. She recognizes that she is
small in the presence of God, and is content to be so. At the same time,
she is aware that the realization of God’s project depends upon her
response, and so she is called to adhere to it with her whole being.<br />
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In these circumstances, Mary is shown to have an attitude that
corresponds perfectly to that of the Son of God when He comes into the
world: He wills to become the Servant of the Lord, placing Himself at
the service of humanity to fulfil the project of the Father. Mary says,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”; and the Son of God, entering into the
world, says, “Behold, I come […] to do your will, O God” (Heb 10,7.9).
The attitude of Mary fully reflects this declaration of the Son of God,
who becomes Mary’s Son as well. So the Madonna is revealed as the
perfect collaborator of God’s project; and in the <i>Magnificat</i> is
able to proclaim that “God has lifted up the humble” (Lk 1,52), because
with this, her humble and generous response, she has received a most
high glory.<br />
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While we admire our Mother for her response to the call and mission
of God, let us ask her to help each of us to welcome the project of God
in our life with sincere humility and courageous generosity.<br />
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<b>After the Angelus</b><br />
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Dear brothers and sisters,<br />
As we prayerfully await the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us
invoke the gift of peace for the world, especially for those peoples who
are suffering because of ongoing conflict. As we celebrate Holy
Christmas, I especially renew my appeal so that persons who have been
abducted – priests, religious men and women and lay persons – be
released so they may return to their homes.<br />
<br />
I wish to assure my prayers to the population of Mindanao Island in
the Philippines, which has been struck by a storm that has caused
numerous victims and much destruction. May the merciful Lord receive
the souls of the dead and comfort those who are suffering for this
disaster.<br />
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With affection, I greet all of you, believers from Rome and pilgrims
from various nations, families, parish groups and associations.<br />
<br />
In these hours that lead us to Christmas, I invite you to find a few
moments to stop in silence and prayer before the crib, in order to truly
worship the mystery of Christmas: that of Jesus who is coming to us
with love, humility and tenderness.<br />
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In those moments remember also to pray for me. Thank you!<br />
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Have a good Sunday and a Happy Christmas! </div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 11/26/2017<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - piety </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">payh-i-tee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman">1275-1325;</span> <span class="dbox-roman">Middle English</span> <span class="dbox-italic">piete</span> < <span class="dbox-roman">Middle French</span> < <span class="dbox-roman">Latin</span> <span class="dbox-italic">pietās,</span> equivalent to <span class="dbox-italic">pi(us</span>) + <span class="dbox-italic">-etās,</span> variant (after <span class="dbox-italic">i</span>) of <span class="dbox-italic">-itās;</span> see pious, <br />
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<b><span class="dbox-pg">noun</span></b> <br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"><div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number">1.</span> reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> a prayer full of piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> the quality or state of being pious: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">saintly piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">filial piety.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">4.</span>a pious act, remark, belief, or the like: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16</h2>
1 Once the king had settled into his palace and Yahweh had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him,<br />
2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, 'Look, I am living in a cedar-wood palace, while the ark of God is under awnings.'<br />
3 Nathan said to the king, 'Go and do whatever you have in mind, for Yahweh is with you.'<br />
4 But that very night, the word of Yahweh came to Nathan:<br />
5 'Go and tell my servant David, "Yahweh says this: Are you to build me a temple for me to live in?<br />
8 This is what you must say to my servant David, "Yahweh Sabaoth says
this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be
leader of my people Israel;<br />
9 I have been with you wherever you
went; I have got rid of all your enemies for you. I am going to make
your fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth.<br />
10 I am
going to provide a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there,
and there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be
oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times<br />
11 ever since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people
Israel; and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh
furthermore tells you that he will make you a dynasty.<br />
16 Your dynasty and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever secure." <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29</h2>
2 for you have said: love is built to last for ever, you have fixed your constancy firm in the heavens.<br />
3 'I have made a covenant with my Chosen One, sworn an oath to my servant David:<br />
4 I have made your dynasty firm for ever, built your throne stable age after age.<br />
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh, your constancy in the gathering of your faithful.<br />
27 So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings.<br />
29 I have established his dynasty for ever, his throne to be as lasting as the heavens.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>Romans 16:25-27</h2>
25 And now to him who can make you strong in
accordance with the gospel that I preach and the proclamation of Jesus
Christ, in accordance with that mystery which for endless ages was kept
secret<br />
26 but now (as the prophets wrote) is revealed, as the
eternal God commanded, to be made known to all the nations, so that they
obey in faith:<br />
27 to him, the only wise God, give glory through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><b></b><b>Luke 1: 26-38 </b><i> </i></h2>
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<b>Opening prayer</b></div>
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Shaddai, God of the mountain,<br />
You who make of our fragile life<br />
the rock of your dwelling place, <br />
lead our mind <br />
to strike the rock of the desert, <br />
so that water may gush to quench our thirst. <br />
May the poverty of our feelings<br />
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night <br />
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence <br />
until the dawn, <br />
wrapping us with the light of the new morning, <br />
may bring us, <br />
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute<br />
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,<br />
the flavour of the holy memory.</div>
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<b>1. LECTIO</b></div>
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<b>a) The text: </b><b>Luke 1,26-38</b></div>
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<b></b>26
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in
Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 He went in
and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with
you.' 29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what
this greeting could mean, 30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not
be afraid; you have won God's favour. 31 Look! You are to conceive in
your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. 32 He will be
great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give
him the throne of his ancestor David; 33 he will rule over the House of
Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.' 34 Mary said to the
angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'
35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child
will be holy and will be called Son of God. 36 And I tell you this
too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son,
and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, 37 for
nothing is impossible to God.' 38 Mary said, 'You see before you the
Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel
left her.</div>
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<b>b) A moment of silence:<br /> <br /> </b>Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us. <br />
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<b><span class="style1">2. MEDITATIO</span></b></div>
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<b>a) Some questions:</b></div>
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- In the sixth month: do my eyes see the angels whom God sends to visit me? <br />
- Do not be afraid: do our worries arise from our fears and anxieties
or do they come from our perception of some mystery hanging over us and
involving us personally? <br />
- Nothing is impossible to God:
Generating is the work of God; accepting is the task of humanity. Do I
make possible in my life the concept of a life that comes from the
Spirit of God?</div>
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<b>b) A key to the reading:</b></div>
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<b><i>v. 26-27. </i></b><i>In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in </i><i>Galilee</i><i> called </i><i>Nazareth</i><i>, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.<b> <br /> </b></i>In
the sixth month: This is a precise moment for those who have read the
previous page of the Gospel, the meeting of the angel Gabriel with
Zachary in the temple. But for Mary, unbeknownst to her, this sixth
month is her “today”. As it was for her so it is for us, there is a
unique today, the time of invitation to enter into the project planned
for us. But this today is not an isolated time, it is connected to the
times of others, each unique and unrepeatable, a today to be set
alongside the other todays until such time as the Word of God is
fulfilled. The way of grace is very linear. The subject is God. The
term of reference: a virgin. The intermediary: the angel Gabriel.
Everything is named: the city is called Nazareth; the virgin: Mary; the
man to whom she is betrothed: Joseph. Everything has a precise
historical setting. The sixth month is that of Elisabeth’s pregnancy.
The virgin is the betrothed bride. Joseph is of the House of David. God
does not come haphazardly, he comes within the parameters already in
existence, those human, drawn by people who have names.</div>
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<b><i>v. 28. </i></b><i>He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you’.</i> <br />
The words of the Gospel, ‘He went in’, may be understood in two ways:
he went into her house or he went into to her being. So, did Mary see
the angel or not? She saw him and heard him. This is true since all that
was said will be accomplished. With which eyes did she see him? The
physical eyes or the spiritual ones? The mystery of a person’s encounter
with God cannot be explained. It happens and that’s all. It is an
encounter that leaves a sign, and herein lies the greatness of the
event. She who is full of grace has only the eyes of the spirit, thus
for her there is only one way of seeing, spiritually, that transparent
look of the pure heart that can look upon God and not die.</div>
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<b><i>v. 29.</i></b><i> She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean.<br /> </i>Mary
being disturbed is quite legitimate. The way she sees herself, even
though she is full of grace, does not allow her to distance herself
from others, and so she is not aware of being full of grace, for her it
is natural to be what she is, faithful to doing good always and
everywhere, faithful to that interior attraction that raises her on
high.</div>
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<b><i>v. 30. </i></b><i>The angel said to her: “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour.<br /> </i>Mary’s
fear is the amazement of all little ones who are surprised at being
the object of attention from someone important. And if this someone is
God, how great then is that fear? So great that one feels one’s utter
smallness and that one has everything from the free gift of love.</div>
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<b><i>v. 31.</i></b><i> You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. <br /> </i>The
divine plan is revealed: to conceive and bring to light and to name
him. The Saviour is already there, in the words of the angel. How
wonderful! Centuries and centuries of waiting are fulfilled in these
two syllables: Jesus.</div>
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<b><i>v. 32-33. </i></b><i>He
will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord
god will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over
the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.<br /> </i>When
the Lord approaches a person to call that person to take participate
in his thoughts of redemption, he does so completely. What remains
still obscure is the manner of the human cooperation, because the
person remains free to concretise the fulfilment of God’s thought. The
point of departure is: an “unforeseen” son. The destination is: the Son
of the Most High, who will sit on the throne of David and will reign
forever. The means for accomplishing this is your person. Now it is up
to you to become the protagonist.</div>
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<b><i>v. 34. </i></b><i>Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ <br /> </i>Mary
asks of the angel the how of the fulfilment of the will of God. She
does not doubt God, she knows that the Word pronounced by God is always
possible. The how is what concerns her, what she is being called to
be. She is certain that her desire and intention of not “knowing man”
will continue, because God does not cancel the plans of his children,
drawn up by their most authentic desires. She knows that her plan will
fit into the plan just heard. But she does not know how it will happen.
And so she simply asks to do exactly what has been asked of her.</div>
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<b><i>v. 35. </i></b><i>The
angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down upon you, and the
power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child
will be holy and will be called Son of God’. <br /> </i>The angel
explains. Mary will simply have to accept, because it will be the
Spirit who will descend in her, it will be the Most High who will
overshadow her, and the Holy one will be born.</div>
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<b><i>vv. 36-37. </i></b><i>And
I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has
conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth
month, for nothing is impossible to God. <br /> </i>The experience of
Elizabeth told by the angel to Mary is nothing more than an occasion of
connecting with history. Mary must have already known of Elizabeth,
because both were preparing the way for the fulfilment of promise made
to Israel: John the voice, Jesus the spouse. It is the same project.</div>
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<b><i>v. 38. </i></b><i>Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her. <br /> </i>Mary’s
reply is essential: Here I am. Her concentration on the Word
pronounced to her is so great that she can only feel that she is a
“servant”, a useful instrument in the concrete realisation of the will
of the Father. Let it happen to me… this is nothing like a passive yes,
it is a yes aware of the greatness of her involvement, a yes so deep
that it brings forth the face of God in human features.</div>
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<b>c) Reflection:</b></div>
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<i>Ecce ancilla Domini; fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum!</i> <b>Behold</b>…
This word is essential and full of life. No words are better suited to
humankind than this being present, awake, holding one’s breath so as
not to lose anything of what the mystery is sharing of Himself. <b>Let it happen</b>…
God’s choice is worthy of acceptance, but requires the deep silence of
one’s whole being, let it happen to me… Mary knows that she is not the
protagonist, but the servant of the divine will; she belongs to the
group of servants that Jesus will call friends: a servant does not know
what his master does. But friends do know. Whatsoever I have heard from
my Father I have revealed to you. The shadow of the Spirit that covers
the tent of the presence on such a beautiful creature for her
availability, will whisper the mysterious secrets of the Eternal. And
the times that go on tracing new ways of grace will come to their peak
when the Son of God will see the light of an infinitely small space for
his power, the space of limitation and contingency. Mary, first cradle
of the ineffable Word, first embrace of the coming light, has no other
treasure than her humility; a hollow that receives the fullness,
smallness that is called infinite, limited love that demands the embrace
of the infinite.</div>
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<b>3. ORATIO</b></div>
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<b>1 Samuel 2,1-10:</b></div>
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My heart exults in Yahweh, <br />
in my God is my strength lifted up, <br />
my mouth derides my foes, <br />
for I rejoice in your deliverance.<br />
There is no Holy One like Yahweh, <br />
no Rock like our God.<br />
The bow of the mighty has been broken <br />
but those who were tottering are now braced with strength.<br />
Yahweh judges the ends of the earth, <br />
he endows his king with power, <br />
he raises up the strength of his Anointed.</div>
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<b>4. CONTEMPLATIO</b></div>
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Lord, let the gentle breeze of silence,
the breeze of grace, carry away all the voices and sounds that
gradually take my heart away from my own existence. May the luminous
trail of your passing by intoxicate with your perfume the air I usually
breathe so that I may seek no one but you. And when the ruminated
syllables of Scripture, together with the events that form the memory
of our encounter, will become the fibre of my flesh, the world will see
you again, will see your face in the physical features that I shall
give to you. The limits of my being will tell of the prodigies of your
power, unless I try uselessly to flee or avoid them, but I shall love
them as the precision of my human uniqueness. I shall then come to
think your words, speak your words, fulfil your words, because, by not
fleeing from myself, I shall have met you where you are: in the depths
of my limited being, in my inner self and in my essential silence,
where love given brings forth love gift and creates bridges of
communion.</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
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<b style="color: #660000;">Feast Day: </b>The Nativity of Jesus</h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: December 25<br />
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<b>The Nativity of Jesus</b>, also called simply <b>The Nativity</b>, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts.<br />
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The
canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as born in
Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account,
Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and
Jesus is born there and laid in a manger.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup>
Angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to
adore him. In the Matthew account, astronomers follow a star to
Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the <i>King of the Jews</i>.
King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old
in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later settles in
Nazareth.<br />
<br />
The main religious celebration among members
of the Catholic Church and other Christian groups is the Church service
on Christmas Eve or on the morning of Christmas Day. During the forty
days leading up to Christmas, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices the
Nativity Fast, while the majority of Christian congregations (including
the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, many Mainline churches, and
Baptists) begin observing the liturgical season of Advent four Sundays
before Christmas. Both are seen as times of spiritual cleansing,
recollection and renewal to prepare for the celebration of the birth of
Jesus.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="New_Testament_narratives">New Testament narratives</span></h2>
Accounts
of the Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament appear in two of the four
Canonical Gospels: the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew.
Luke's account takes place mostly before the birth of Jesus and centers
on Mary, while Matthew's story takes place mostly after the birth of
Jesus and centers on Joseph. The two other canonical gospels, the Gospel
of Mark and the Gospel of John, begin their narratives of Jesus' life
in his adulthood; both mention that he came from Galilee, and John mentions the name of Jesus' father, but neither John nor Mark gives any other details of his life prior to adulthood.<br />
<br />
The betrothal of Joseph and Mary, and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem appear in both Matthew and Luke.
Many events in the Luke account are not in the Gospel of Matthew, -
for example, the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem - and others appear
only in Matthew, such as the Flight to Egypt.<br />
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The
Nativity accounts in the New Testament are generally considered to end
with finding Jesus in the temple several years later, after the family
has returned to Galilee.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Gospel_of_Matthew">Gospel of Matthew</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Nativity appears in chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel of Matthew, in
which Matthew places special emphasis on the origins of the names of
the child. Two specific passages, namely from 1:21–23, have theological
significance in that they refer to the names "Jesus" and "Emmanuel".<br />
<br />
Following
Joseph and Mary's betrothal in Matthew 1:18, Joseph is troubled in
Matthew 1:19–20 because Mary is pregnant. However, in the first of
Joseph's three dreams an angel assures him not be afraid to take Mary as
his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
The
angel's message to Joseph in Matthew 1:21 includes the origin of the
name Jesus and has salvific implications when the angel instructs
Joseph: "you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins". It is the only place in the New Testament where "saves his
people" appears with "sins".<br />
<br />
Scholars have debated whether the quote in Matthew 1:22–23 is spoken by the angel or by Matthew.
However, Matthew 1:23 does provide the basis for the use of the name
Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel (from the Hebrew words: אֵל '’El, i.e.,"
God" and עִמָּנוּ i.e., <i>Immānū</i>, "with us") is related to Isaiah
7:14 and is one of almost a dozen cases in his Gospel where, while
discussing Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecies, Matthew alludes to
one of the prophets.<br />
<br />
In <span class="nourlexpansion nowrap">Matthew 2:1–2</span>
the Star of Bethlehem reveals the birth of Jesus to a number
(traditionally three) of Magi, (Greek μάγος', "astrologer"), commonly
translated as "wise man", who travel to Jerusalem from an unspecified country "in the east".<br />
<br />
The
Magi go to see Herod the Great and ask, "Where is he who has been born
king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to
worship him." Herod asks his advisers where the Messiah was to be born.
They answer, "Bethlehem" , the birthplace of King David, and quote the
prophet Micah(Matthew 2:4–6). Herod tells the Magi to go to Bethlehem
and to report back to him when they have found the child. As the Magi
travel to Bethlehem, the star "goes before" them and leads them to a
house where they find and adore Jesus. They present Jesus with gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh (in Matthew 2:9-11).<br />
<br />
In a
dream, the Magi receive a divine warning of Herod's intent to kill the
baby Jesus, whom he sees as a rival. Consequently, the magi return to
their own country without telling Herod where to find Jesus. An angel
tells Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt. Meanwhile, Herod orders
that all male children of Bethlehem under the age of two be killed, an
event traditionally called the "Massacre of the Innocents". Herod's
statement in Matthew 2:16–18, referring to boys two years or younger,
suggests that the Magi arrived in Bethlehem a number of months after
Jesus' birth.<br />
<br />
After
Herod's death, Jesus' family returns from Egypt, but they are afraid
to return to Bethlehem because Herod's son rules Judea. Instead they
move to Galilee and settle in Nazareth, fulfilling, according to the
author, a prophecy: "He will be called a Nazarene".<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Gospel_of_Luke">Gospel of Luke</span></h3>
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</div>
The
Nativity is a prominent element of the Gospel of Luke, and comprises
over 10% of the text. It is three times the length of the Nativity text
in the Gospel of Matthew and in itself longer than several of the
books of the New Testament. Luke does not rush into the birth of Jesus, but prepares for the event by narrating several episodes prior to Jesus'.
Luke's Gospel includes an account of the birth of John the Baptist
using it to draw parallels between the births of John and Jesus.<br />
<br />
Luke
draws parallels between the angelic visit (1:5–25) to Zechariah about
the birth of John and the Annunciation to Mary (1:26–38) about the birth
of Jesus, and between the Song of Zechariah (1:57–80) about John and
the Song of Simeon (2:1–40) about Jesus.
However, while Luke devotes only two verses (1:57–58) to the birth of
John, the birth of Jesus is narrated in twenty verses (2:1–20). Luke relates the two births in the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth and states that Mary and Elizabeth are cousins.
There is no mention of a family relationship between John and Jesus in
the other Gospels, and the scholar Raymond E. Brown has described it as
"of dubious historicity". Géza Vermes calls it "artificial and undoubtedly Luke's creation".<br />
<br />
In
the Gospel of Luke, Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will
conceive and bear a child called Jesus. When she asks how this can be,
since she is a virgin, he tells her the Holy Spirit would "come upon
her" and "nothing will be impossible with God". She responds: "Here am
I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word".
Later, Mary visits her relative Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John
the Baptist. John leaps in his mother's womb, recognizing the presence
of Jesus, the Messiah.<br />
<br />
When Mary is due to give birth,
she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral town,
Bethlehem, to register in the census of Quirinius (as in Luke 2:2). In
Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to Jesus and, having found no place for
themselves in the inn, places the newborn in a manger.<br />
<br />
An
angel of the Lord visits the shepherds and brings them "good news of
great joy": "to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
who is the Messiah, the Lord." The angel tells them they will find a
child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. The angel is
joined by a "heavenly host" who say "Glory to God in the highest
heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.
The shepherds hurry to the stable in Bethlehem where they find Jesus
with Mary and Joseph. They repeat what the angel has told them, and then
they return to their flocks. Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to be circumcised, before returning to their home in Nazareth.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Place_of_birth">Place of birth</span></h3>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altar Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
The Gospels of both Matthew and Luke place the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95"> </sup>Although Matthew does not explicitly state Joseph's place of origin or where he lived prior to the birth of Jesus,<sup> </sup>the account implies that the family lived in Bethlehem, and explains that they later settled in Nazareth. However, Luke 1:26–27 clearly states that Mary lived in Nazareth before the birth of Jesus, at the time of the Annunciation.<br />
<br />
The
Gospel of Luke states that Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in a
manger “because there was no place for them in the inn", but does not
say exactly where Jesus was born. The Greek word <i>kataluma</i>
may be translated as either “inn” or “guestroom”, and some scholars
have speculated that Joseph and Mary may have sought to stay with
relatives, rather than in an inn, only to find the house full, whereupon
they resorted to the shelter of a room with a manger.<br />
<br />
In the 2nd century, Justin Martyr stated that Jesus had been born in a cave outside the town, while the <i>Protoevangelium of James</i> described a legendary birth in a cave nearby.
The Church of the Nativity inside the town, built by St. Helena,
contains the cave-manger site traditionally venerated as the birthplace
of Jesus, which may have originally been a site of the cult of the god
Tammuz. In <i>Contra Celsum</i> 1.51, Origen, who from around 215 travelled throughout Palestine, wrote of the "manger of Jesus".<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47"><br />
</sup> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
</h3>
<ol class="references" style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great calendar</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="reference-text">Encyclical <i>Quas Primas</i>, 28</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text">motu proprio <i>Mysterii Paschalis</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text">Examples are Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Indeed before the reform of Pope Pius X most Sundays gave way to any feast that had the rank of Double, and these were the majority (Missale Romanum, published by Pustet, 1862)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2013.</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</th></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b></b>Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem </h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1800" data-file-width="1245" height="318" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Konrad_von_Gr%C3%BCnenberg_-_Beschreibung_der_Reise_von_Konstanz_nach_Jerusalem_-_Blatt_47r_-_099.jpg/220px-Konrad_von_Gr%C3%BCnenberg_-_Beschreibung_der_Reise_von_Konstanz_nach_Jerusalem_-_Blatt_47r_-_099.jpg" width="220" /> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Church of the Nativity</b>
is a basilica located in Bethlehem, West Bank. The church was
originally commissioned in 327 by Constantine and his mother Helena over
the site that is still traditionally considered to be located over the
cave that marks the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The Church of the
Nativity site's original basilica was completed in 339 and destroyed by
fire during the Samaritan Revolts in the 6th century. A new basilica was
built 565 by Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor, restoring the
architectural tone of the original.
The site of the Church of the Nativity has had numerous additions
since this second construction, including its prominent bell towers.
Due to its cultural and geographical history, the site holds a
prominent religious significance to those of both the Christian and
Muslim faiths.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
site of the Church of the Nativity is a World Heritage Site, and was
the first to be listed under Palestine by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The site is also on UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites in Danger.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="First_century_holy_site_.28c._4.E2.80.936_.E2.80.93_327_AD.29">First century holy site (c. 4–6 – 327 AD)</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
holy site, known as the Grotto, that the Church of the Nativity sits
atop, is today associated with the cave in which the birth of Jesus of
Nazareth is said to have occurred. In 135, Hadrian is said to have had
the Christian site above the Grotto converted into a worship place for
Adonis, the Greek god of beauty and desire. A father with the Church of
the Nativity, Jerome, noted before his death in 420 that the holy cave
was at one point consecrated by the heathen to the worship of Adonis,
and that a pleasant sacred grove was planted there in order to wipe out
the memory of Jesus.
Although some modern scholars dispute this argument and insist that
the cult of Adonis-Tammuz originated the shrine and that it was the
Christians who took it over, substituting the worship of Jesus,
the antiquity of the association of the site with the birth of Jesus is
attested by the Christian apologist Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165 ), who
noted in his <i>Dialogue with Trypho</i> that the Holy Family had taken refuge in a cave outside of town:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
Joseph
took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while
they were there Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a
manger, and here the Magi who came from Arabia found Him.(chapter
LXXVIII).</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Additionally, the Greek philosopher Origen of Alexandria (185 - c. 254) wrote:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
In
Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in
the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And the rumor is
in those places, and among foreigners of the Faith, that indeed Jesus
was born in this cave who is worshipped and reverenced by the
Christians. (<i>Contra Celsum</i>, book I, chapter LI).</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fourth_century_basilica.2C_.28327_.E2.80.93_c._529.2F556.29">Fourth century basilica, (327 – c. 529/556)</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
first basilica on this site was begun by Saint Helena, the mother of
Emperor Constantine I. Under the supervision of Bishop Makarios of
Jerusalem, the construction started in 327 and was completed in 333.
Construction of this early church was carried out as part of a larger
project following the First Council of Nicaea during Constantine's
reign to build on the supposed sites of the life of Jesus. The design
of the basilica centered around three major architectural sections: (1)
an octagonal rotunda over the area believed to be where Jesus of
Nazareth was born; (2) a boxed atrium area of 148 by 92 feet (45 m
× 28 m); and (3) double-aisled forecourt of 95 by 93 feet (29 m
× 28 m). The structure was burnt down and destroyed in a revolt between
the Jews and the Samaritans in 529 or 556.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Sixth_century_basilica.2C_.28565.29">Sixth century basilica, (565)</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
current basilica was rebuilt in its present form in 565 by Byzantine
Emperor Justinian I. When the Persians under Chosroes II invaded in 614,
they did not destroy the structure. According to legend, their
commander Shahrbaraz was moved by the depiction inside the church of the
Three Magi wearing Persian clothing, and commanded that the building be
spared. The Crusaders made further repairs and additions to the
building during the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, with permission and help
given by the Byzantine Emperor, and the first King of Jerusalem was
crowned in the church. Over the years, the compound has been expanded,
and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters. The theft in
1847 of the silver star marking the spot where Christ was born, was one
of the direct causes for French involvement in the Crimean War against
Russia.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Eleventh_and_twelfth_century_additions_and_restoration.2C_.28c._1050-1169.29">Eleventh and twelfth century additions and restoration, (c. 1050-1169)</span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Until 1131, the Church
of the Nativity was used as the primary coronation church for crusader
kings. During this time, extensive decoration by the crusaders and
various restorations of the basilica and grounds took place. This
decoration and restoration process took place until 1169.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13"> </sup> <br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fourteenth_century_roof_restoration.2C_.281448.E2.80.931480.29">Fourteenth century roof restoration, (1448–1480)</span></h3>
The
roof of the Church of the Nativity lay in poor condition after the
desecration that occurred in April 1244 at the hands of the Khwarezmian
Turks In August 1448, the Duchy of Burgundy committed resources to the
project, but it was not until 1480 that they were able to get the
project underway in Bethlehem. Due to this worsening condition of the
wooden Church roof, in 1480 an extensive roof reconstruction and
renovation project took place on the Church of the Nativity. Multiple
regions contributed supplies to have the Church roof repaired, with
England supplying the lead, the Second Kingdom of Burgundy supplying the
wood, and the Republic of Venice providing the labor.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Nineteenth_century_damage.2C_conflict.2C_and_administration_.281834-1869.29">Nineteenth century damage, conflict, and administration (1834-1869)</span></h3>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="1755" data-file-width="2412" height="160" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Nativity_vorobiev.jpg/220px-Nativity_vorobiev.jpg" width="220" /> </div>
</div>
</div>
Between
1834 and 1837, earthquakes and aftershocks in Bethlehem inflicted
significant damage to the Church of the Nativity. The initial
earthquake, the 1834 Jerusalem earthquake, damaged the church's bell
tower, the furnishings of the cave on which the church is built, and
other parts of its structure. Minor damages were further inflicted with a
series of strong aftershocks in 1836 and with the Galilee earthquake of
1837 shortly thereafter.<br />
<br />
By 1846, the Church of the
Nativity and its surrounding site lay in disrepair. The Church's state
had left the site vulnerable to looting. Much of the marble floors of
the interior of the Church were looted in the early half of the 19th
century, and many were transferred to use in other buildings around the
region, including to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In that same year,
the religiously significant <i>silver star</i> was stolen that had been
displayed above the Grotto of the Nativity. In 1851, the Church of the
Nativity was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. But near Christmas
of 1852, Napoleon III sent his ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and
forced the Ottomans to recognise France as the "sovereign authority" in
the Holy Land, which the Latins had lost in the eighteenth century. The
Sultan of Turkey replaced the <i>silver star</i> over the Grotto with a
Latin inscription, but the Russian Empire disputed the change in
"authority," citing two treaties—one from 1757 and the other from 1774
(the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca)—and deployed armies to the Danube area.
As a result, the Ottomans issued firmans essentially reversing their
earlier decision, renouncing the French treaty, and restoring the
Greeks to the sovereign authority over the churches of the Holy Land
for the time being. Since individual churches did not have a say in
firmans, tensions arose at the local level. These, along with the theft
of the <i>silver star</i>, helped to further fuel the debate between the
Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire over the occupation of holy sites
around the region. This theft is often cited by scholars as one of the
catalysts of the Crimean War<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Twenty-first_century_siege_of_the_church.2C_.282002.29">Twenty-first century siege of the church, (2002)</span></h3>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="4291" data-file-width="5748" height="164" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Church_of_the_Nativity%2C_Bethlehem%2C_Israel_04155u_original.jpg/220px-Church_of_the_Nativity%2C_Bethlehem%2C_Israel_04155u_original.jpg" width="220" /> </div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="hatnote relarticle mainarticle">
In
April 2002, during the second Intifada, some 50 armed Palestinians
wanted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) locked themselves in the
church with some 200 monks and other Palestinians who arrived at the
site for different reasons, and were held as hostages by the gunmen.
Because of the historic value of the building the IDF did not break
into the building, but instead prevented the entry of food. The siege
lasted 39 days and some of the gunmen were shot by IDF snipers. After
lengthy negotiations it was agreed that the remaining gunmen would be
evacuated to Gaza, Spain and Italy.</div>
The Siege is a Palestinian play developed and devised by The Freedom Theatre which recounts the story.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="2014_arson">2014 arson</span></h3>
Shortly
after the 2014 visit to Israel of Pope Francis the cave beneath the
church was set on fire by an unknown arsonist. The cave that was burnt
had been visited by Pope Francis earlier that same day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Current_administration">Current administration</span></h2>
The
church is administered jointly by Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and
Armenian Apostolic authorities. All three traditions maintain monastic
communities on the site. As a result, however, there have been repeated
brawls among monk trainees over quiet respect for others' prayers,
hymns and even the division of floorspace for cleaning duties. The
Palestinian police have been called to restore peace and order.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Site_architecture_and_layout">Site architecture and layout</span></h2>
The
structure of the site of the Church of the Nativity is a combination of
two churches and a crypt beneath—the Grotto of the Nativity where
tradition states that Jesus of Nazareth was born.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Site_layout_and_architectural_expansion">Site layout and architectural expansion</span></h3>
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<li>The main <b>Basilica of the Nativity</b> is maintained by the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is designed like a typical Roman
basilica, with five aisles (formed by Corinthian columns) and an apse in
the eastern end, where the sanctuary is. The church features golden
mosaics covering the side walls, which are now largely decayed. The
basilica is entered through a very low door, called the "Door of
Humility." The original Roman style floor has since been covered over,
but there is a trap door in the modern floor which opens up to reveal a
portion of the original mosaic pavement from the Constantinian basilia.
The church also features a large gilded iconostasis, and a complex array
of lamps throughout the entire building. The wooden rafters were
donated by King Edward IV of England. The same king also donated lead to
cover the roof; however, this lead was later taken by the Ottoman
Turks, who melted it down for ammunition to use in war against Venice.
Stairways on either side of the Sanctuary lead down by winding stairs to
the Grotto.</li>
</ul>
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<li>The adjoining <b>Church of St. Catherine</b>, the Roman Catholic
Church, was built in a more modern Gothic revival style, and has since
been further modernized according to the liturgical trends which
followed Vatican II. This is the church where the Latin Patriarch of
Jerusalem celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Certain customs
still observed in this Midnight Mass predate Vatican II, but must be
maintained because the "status quo" (the customs, rights and duties of
the various church authorities that have custody of the Holy Places)
was legally fixed by a firman in 1852, under the Ottoman Empire, that is
still in force to this day.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The <b>Bas-relief of the Tree of Jesse</b> is a large work by
well-known religious sculptor Czesław Dźwigaj which was recently
incorporated into the Church of St. Catherine as a gift of Pope Benedict
XVI during his trip to the Holy Land in 2009. Measuring in at 3.75 by 4
metres (12.3 by 13.1 ft), its corpus represents an olive tree figuring
as the Tree of Jesse displaying Christ's lineage from Abraham through
St. Joseph along with other biblical motifs. Situated along the passage
used by pilgrims making their way to the Grotto of the Nativity, the
bas relief also incorporates symbolism from the Old Testament. The upper
portion is dominated by a crowned figure of Christ the King in an open
armed pose blessing the Earth.</li>
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<li>The <b>Grotto of the Nativity</b>, an underground cave located
beneath the basilica, enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have
been born. The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed
silver star set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver lamps.
This altar is denominationally neutral, although it features primarily
Armenian Apostolic influences. Another altar in the Grotto, which is
maintained by the Roman Catholics, marks the site where traditionally
Mary laid the newborn Baby in the manger.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Numerous <b>Chapels</b> are found in the compound as well, including
the Chapel of Saint Joseph, commemorating the angel's appearance to
Joseph, commanding him to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13); the Chapel of
the Innocents, commemorating the children killed by Herod (Matthew
2:16–18); and the Chapel of Saint Jerome, where traditionally he
translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate).</li>
</ul>
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<li><b>Manger Square</b>, a large paved courtyard in front of the
Church, is the site where crowds gather on Christmas Eve to sing
Christmas carols in anticipation of the midnight services.</li>
</ul>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Preservation_and_related_concerns">Preservation and related concerns</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b class="description">Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity, UNESCO</b></td></tr>
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The basilica was placed on the 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund:</div>
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<blockquote>
The
present state of the church is worrying. Many roof timbers are
rotting, and have not been replaced since the 19th century. The
rainwater that seeps into the building not only accelerates the rotting
of the wood and damages the structural integrity of the building, but
also damages the 12th-century wall mosaics and paintings. The influx of
water also means that there is an ever-present chance of an electrical
fire. If another earthquake were to occur on the scale of the one of
1834, the result would most likely be catastrophic. ... It is hoped that
the listing will encourage its preservation, including getting the
three custodians of the church – the Greek Orthodox Church, the Armenian
Orthodox Church, and the Franciscan order – to work together, which
has not happened for hundreds of years. The Israeli government and the
Palestinian Authority would also have to work together to protect it.</blockquote>
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In 2010, the Palestinian Authority announced that a multimillion-dollar restoration programme was imminent.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="World_Heritage_Site">World Heritage Site</span></h3>
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In
2012, the church complex became the first Palestinian site to be listed
as a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th
session on 29 June. It was approved by a secret vote of 13–6 in the
21-member committee, according to UNESCO spokeswoman Sue Williams, and
following an emergency candidacy procedure that by-passed the 18-month
process for most sites, despite the opposition of the United States and
Israel. The site was approved under criteria four and six. The decision
was a controversial one on both technical and political terms. It has
also been placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger as it is
suffering from damages due to water leaks.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References</h2>
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<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-al-37" value="37"><br /></li>
<li id="cite_note-36"><span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">"Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-25</span></span>.</cite></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-al-37"><br /></li>
<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web">"UN grants Nativity Church 'endangered' status – Middle East". Al Jazeera English<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-25</span></span>.</cite></span></ul>
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<b> </b></h2>
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<b> </b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Snippet II: History of Advent</b> </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says: </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His being born. </span></blockquote>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i> Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;"> It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span> </li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Today's Snippet II</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
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The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup> It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century.<br />
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Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup> Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
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Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
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In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches. Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010).</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 4, Chapter 3</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
It had been decreed by the immutable
will of Providence that the Onlybegotten of the Father should be born
in the town of Bethlehem (Mich. 5, 2), and accordingly it had been
foretold by the Saints and Prophets of foregone ages (Jerem. 10, 9);
for the decrees of the absolute will of God are infallible, and since
nothing can resist them (Esther 13, 9), sooner would heaven and earth
pass away than that they fail of accomplishment (Matth. 24, 35). The
fulfillment of this immutable decree the Lord secured by means of an
edict of Caesar Augustus for the whole Roman empire, ordering the
registration or enumeration of all the world, as saint Luke says
(Luke 2, 1). The Roman empire at that time embraced the greater part
of what was then known of the earth and therefore they called
themselves masters of the world, ignoring all the other nations. The
object of this census was to make all the inhabitants acknowledge
themselves as vassals of the emperor, and to pay a certain tax to
their temporal lord; for this registration every one was to go to his
native city in order to be inscribed. This edict was also proclaimed
in Nazareth and came to the hearing of saint Joseph while he was on
some errand. He returned to his house in sorrowful consternation and
informed his heavenly Spouse of the news which had spread about
concerning the edict. The most prudent Virgin answered: “Let
not this edict of our temporal ruler cause thee any concern, my
master and spouse, for all that happens to us is ordained by the Lord
and King of heaven and earth; and in all events his Providence will
assist and direct us (Eccli. 22, 28). Let us resign ourselves into
his hands and we shall not be disappointed.”</div>
<div class="western">
Most holy Mary was capable of being entrusted with
all the mysteries of her most holy Son and She knew of the prophecies
and their fulfillment; hence, also, that the Onlybegotten of the
Father and her own was to be born in Bethlehem, a Stranger and an
Unknown. But She said nothing of this to saint Joseph; for without
being commissioned by the Lord She would reveal none of his secrets.
All that She was not commanded to reveal She concealed with admirable
prudence, notwithstanding her desire of consoling her most faithful
and holy spouse. She wished to entrust Herself to his direction and
arrangement without acting the part of those who are wise in their
own conceit, as Wisdom warns us (Prov. 3, 7). They therefore
conferred with each other about the course to be pursued; for already
the pregnancy of the heavenly Lady was far advanced and her
parturition was approaching. Saint Joseph said: “Queen of
heaven and earth and my Mistress, if Thou hast no order to the
contrary from the Almighty, it seems to me necessary that I go alone.
Yet, although this order refers only to the heads of families, I dare
not leave Thee without assistance, nor could I live without Thee, nor
would I have a moment’s peace away from Thee; for my heart
could not come to any rest without seeing Thee.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
They at the same time resolved upon
the day of their departure, and Joseph diligently searched in the
town of Nazareth for some beast of burden to bear the Mistress of the
world. He could not easily find one because so many people were going
to different towns in order to fulfill the requirements of the edict
of the emperor. But after much anxious inquiry saint Joseph found an
unpretentious little beast which, if we can call such creatures
fortunate, was the most fortunate of all the irrational animals;
since it was privileged not only to bear the Queen of all creation
and the blessed fruit of her womb, the King of kings and the Lord of
lords, but afterwards to be present at his Birth (Jsaias 1, 3); and
since it gave to its Creator the homage denied to Him by men, as I
shall relate (No. 485). They provided the articles for the journey,
which would last five days. The outfit of the heavenly travelers was
the same as that which they had provided for their previous journey
to the house of Zacharias on their visit to Elisabeth. They carried
with them bread, fruit and some fishes, which ordinarily composed
their nourishment. As the most prudent Virgin was enlightened
regarding their protracted absence, She made use of prudent
concealment in taking along the linens and clothes necessary for her
heavenly delivery, for She wished to dispose all things according to
the exalted intents of the Lord and in preparation for the events
which She expected. Their house they left in charge of some neighbor
until they should return.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most pure Mary and the glorious
saint Joseph departed from Nazareth for Bethlehem alone, poor and
humble in the eyes of the world. None of the mortals thought more of
them than what was warranted by their poverty and humility. But O the
wonderful sacraments of the Most High, hidden to the proud, and
unpenetrated by the wisdom of the flesh! They did not walk alone,
poor or despised, but prosperous, rich and in magnificence. They were
most worthy of the immense love of the eternal Father and most
estimable in his eyes. They carried with them the Treasure of heaven,
the Deity itself. The whole court of the celestial ministers
venerated them. All the inanimate beings recognized the living and
true Ark of the Testament (Josue 3, 16) more readily than the waters
of the Jordan recognized its type and shadow, when they courteously
laid open and free the path for its passage and for those that
followed it. They were accompanied by the ten thousand angels, which
as mentioned (No. 450), were appointed by God himself as the servants
of her Majesty during that whole journey. These heavenly squadrons
marched along as their retinue in human forms visible to the heavenly
Lady, more refulgent than so many suns. She herself walked in their
midst better guarded and defended than the bed of Solomon, surrounded
by the sixty valiant ones of Israel, girded with their swords (Cant.
3, 7). Besides these ten thousand angels there were many others, who
descended from heaven as messengers of the eternal Father to his
Onlybegotten made man in his most holy Mother, and who ascended from
earth as their ambassadors with messages and treaties from them to
the heavenly Father.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">With these
wonderful favors and delights, however, the Lord joined some
hardships and inconveniences which the divine Mother encountered on
the way. For the concourse of people in the taverns, occasioned by
the imperial edict, was very disagreeable and annoying to the modest
and retiring Virgin–Mother and her spouse. On</span> <span lang="en-US">account
of their poverty and timid retirement they were treated with less
hospitality and consideration than others, especially the well–to–do;
for the world judges and usually confers its favors according to
outward appearance and according to personal influence. Our holy
pilgrims were obliged repeatedly to listen to sharp reprimands in the
taverns, at which they arrived tired out by their journey, and in
some of them they were refused admittance as worthless and despicable
people. Several times they assigned to the Mistress of heaven and
earth some corner of the hallway; while at others She did not fare
even so well, being obliged to retire with her husband to places
still more humble and unbecoming in the estimation of the world. But
in whatever places She tarried, how contemptible soever it might be
considered, the courtiers of heaven established their court around
their supreme King and sovereign Queen. Immediately they surrounded
and enclosed them like an impenetrable wall, securing the bridal
chamber of Solomon against the terrors of the night. Her most
faithful spouse Joseph, seeing the Mistress of heaven so well guarded
by the angelic hosts, betook himself to rest and sleep; for to this
She urged him on account of the hardships of travel. She, however,
continued her celestial colloquies with the ten thousand angels of
her retinue.</span></div>
<div class="western">
Thus variously and wonderfully assisted, our
travelers arrived at the town of Bethlehem at four o’clock of
the fifth day, a Saturday. As it was at the time of the winter
solstice, the sun was already sinking and the night was falling. They
entered the town, and wandered through many streets in search of a
lodging–house or inn for staying over night. They knocked at
the doors of their acquaintances and nearer family relations; but
they were admitted nowhere and in many places they met with harsh
words and insults. The most modest Queen followed her spouse through
the crowds of people, while he went from house to house and from door
to door. Although She knew that the hearts and the houses of men were
to be closed to them, and although to expose her state at her age to
the public gaze was more painful to her modesty than to their failure
to procure a night–lodging, She nevertheless wished to obey
saint Joseph and suffer this indignity and unmerited shame. While
wandering through the streets they passed the office of the public
registry and they inscribed their names and paid the fiscal tribute
in order to comply with the edict and not be obliged to return. They
continued their search, betaking themselves to other houses. But
having already applied at more than fifty different places, they
found themselves rejected and sent away from them all. The heavenly
spirits were filled with astonishment at these exalted mysteries of
the Most High, which manifested the patience and meekness of his
Virgin Mother and the unfeeling hardness of men. At the same time
they blessed the Almighty in his works and hidden sacraments, since
from that day on He began to exalt and honor poverty and humility
among men.</div>
<div class="western">
It was nine o’clock at night when the most
faithful Joseph, full of bitter and heartrending sorrow, returned to
his most prudent Spouse and said: “My sweetest Lady, my heart
is broken with sorrow at the thought of not only not being able to
shelter Thee as Thou deservest and as I desire, but in not being able
to offer Thee even any kind of protection from the weather, or a
place of rest, a thing rarely or never denied to the most poor and
despised in the world. No doubt heaven, in thus allowing the hearts
of men to be so unmoved as to refuse us a night–lodging
conceals some mystery. I now remember, Lady, that outside the city
walls there is a cave, which serves as a shelter for shepherds and
their flocks. Let us seek it out; perhaps it is unoccupied, and we
may there expect some assistance from heaven, since we receive none
from men on earth.” The most prudent Virgin answered: “My
spouse and my master, let not thy kindest heart be afflicted because
the ardent wishes which the love of thy Lord excites in thee cannot
be fulfilled. Since I bear Him in my womb, let us, I beseech thee,
give thanks for having disposed events in this way. The place of
which thou speakest shall be most satisfactory to me. Let thy tears
of sorrow be turned into tears of joy, and let us lovingly embrace
poverty, which is the inestimable and precious treasure of my most
holy Son. He came from heaven in order to seek it, let us then afford
Him an occasion to practice it in the joy of our souls; certainly I
cannot be better delighted than to see thee procure it for me. Let us
go gladly wherever the Lord shall guide us.” The holy angels
accompanied the heavenly pair, brilliantly lighting up the way, and
when they arrived at the city gate they saw that the cave was
forsaken and unoccupied. Full of heavenly consolation, they thanked
the Lord for this favor, and then happened what I shall relate in the
following chapter.</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962801"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My dearest daughter, if thou art of a
meek and docile heart, these mysteries which thou hast written about
and hast understood, will stir within thee sweet sentiments of love
and affection toward the Author of such great wonders. I wish that,
bearing them in mind, thou from this day on embrace with new and
great esteem the contempt and neglect of the world. And tell me,
dearest, if, in exchange for this forgetfulness and scorn of the
world, God look upon thee with eyes of sweetest love, why shouldst
thou not buy so cheaply what is worth an infinite price? What can the
world give thee, even when it esteems thee and exalts thee most ? And
what dost thou lose, if thou despise it? Is its favor not all vanity
and deceit (Ps. 4, 3)? Is it not all a fleeting and momentary shadow,
which eludes the grasp of those that haste after it? Hence, if thou
hadst all worldly advantage in thy possession, what great feat would
it be to despise it as of no value? Consider how little thou dost in
rejecting all of it for the love of God, for mine and that of the
holy angels. And if the world does not neglect thee as much as thou
shouldst desire, do thou on thy own behalf despise it, in order to
remain free and unhampered to enjoy to the full extent the highest
Good with the plenitude of his most delightful love and
companionship.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My most holy Son is such a faithful
Lover of souls that He hast set me as the teacher and living example
of the love of humility and true contempt of worldly vanity and
pride. He ordained also for his own glory as well as for my sake that
I, his Servant and Mother, should be left without shelter and be
turned away by mortals, in order that afterwards his beloved souls
might be so much the more readily induced to offer Him a welcome,
thus obliging Him, by an artifice of love, to come and remain with
them. He also sought destitution and poverty, not because He had any
need of them for bringing the practice of virtues to the highest
perfection, but in order to teach mortals the shortest and surest way
for reaching the heights of divine love and union with God.</div>
<div class="western">
Thou knowest well, my dearest, that thou hast been
incessantly instructed and exhorted by divine enlightenment to forget
the terrestrial and visible and gird thyself with foritude (Prov. 31,
17), to raise thyself to the imitation of me, copying in thyself,
according to thy capacity, the works and virtues manifested to thee
in my life. This is the very first purpose of the knowledge which
thou receivest in writing this history thou hast in me a perfect
model, and by it thou canst arrange the converse and conduct of thy
life in the same manner as I arranged mine in imitation of my
sweetest Son. The dread with which this command to imitate me has
inspired thee as a being above thy strength, thou must moderate and
thou must encourage thyself by the words of my most holy Son in the
Gospel of saint Matthew: “Be ye perfect as my heavenly Father
is perfect” (Matth. 5, 8). This command of the Most High
imposed upon his holy Church is not impossible of fulfillment, and,
if his faithful children on their part dispose themselves properly,
He will deny to none of them the grace of attaining this resemblance
to the heavenly Father. All this my most holy Son has merited for
them. But the degrading forgetfulness and neglect of men hinder them
from maturing within themselves the fruits of his Redemption.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Of thee particularly I expect this
perfection, and I invite thee to it by the sweet law of love which
accompanies my instruction. Ponder and scrutinize, by the divine
light, the obligation under which I place thee, and labor to
correspond with it like a faithful and anxious child. Let no
difficulty or hardship disturb thee, nor deter thee from any virtuous
exercise, no matter how hard it may be. Nor be content with striving
after the love of God and salvation of thyself alone; if thou wouldst
be perfect in imitating me and fulfilling all that the Gospel
teaches, thou must work for the salvation of other souls and the
exaltation of the holy name of my Son, making thyself an instrument
in his powerful hands for the accomplishment of mighty works to
advance his pleasure and glory.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962802"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 4, Chapter 4</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">CHRIST
OUR SAVIOR IS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN BETHLEHEM, JUDA</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The palace which the supreme King of
kings and the Lord of lords had chosen for entertaining his eternal
and incarnate Son in this world was a most poor and insignificant hut
or cave, to which most holy Mary and Joseph betook themselves after
they had been denied all hospitality and the most ordinary kindness
by their fellow–men, as I have described in the foregoing
chapter. This place was held in such contempt that though the town of
Bethlehem was full of strangers in want of night–shelter, none
would demean or degrade himself so as to make use of it for a
lodging; for there was none who deemed it suitable or desirable for
such a purpose, except the Teachers of humility and poverty, Christ
our Savior and his purest Mother. On this account the wisdom of the
eternal Father had reserved it for Them consecrating it in all its
bareness, loneliness and poverty as the first temple of light
(Malachy 4, 2, Ps. 111, 4) and as the house of the true Sun of
justice, which was to arise for the upright of heart from the
resplendent Aurora Mary, turning the night of sin into the daylight
of grace.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Most holy Mary and saint Joseph
entered the lodging thus provided for them and by the effulgence of
the ten thousand angels of their guard they could easily ascertain
its poverty and loneliness, which they esteemed as favors and
welcomed with tears of consolation and joy. Without delay the two
holy travelers fell on their knees and praised the Lord, giving Him
thanks for his benefit, which they knew had been provided by his
wisdom for his own hidden designs. Of this mystery the heavenly
Princess Mary had a better insight; for as soon as She sanctified the
interior of the cave by her sacred footsteps She felt a fullness of
joy which entirely elevated and vivified Her. She besought the Lord
to bless with a liberal hand all the inhabitants of the neighboring
city, because by rejecting Her they had given occasion to the vast
favors, which She awaited in this neglected cavern. It was formed
entirely of the bare and coarse rocks, without any natural beauty or
artificial adornment; a place intended merely for the shelter of
animals; yet the eternal Father had selected it for the shelter and
dwelling–place of his own Son.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The angelic spirits, who like a
celestial militia guarded their Queen and Mistress, formed themselves
into cohorts in the manner of court guards in a royal palace. They
showed themselves in their visible forms also to saint Joseph; for on
this occasion it was befitting that he should enjoy such a favor, on
the one hand in order to assuage his sorrow by allowing him to behold
this poor lodging thus beautified and adorned by their celestial
presence, and on the other, in order to enliven and encourage him for
the events which the Lord intended to bring about during that night,
and in this forsaken place. The great Queen and Empress, who was
already informed of the mystery to be transacted here, set about
cleaning with her own hands the cave, which was so soon to serve as a
royal throne and sacred mercy–seat; for neither did She want to
miss this occasion for exercising her humility, nor would She deprive
her onlybegotten Son of the worship and reverence implied by this
preparation and cleansing of his temple.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Saint Joseph,
mindful of the majesty of his heavenly Spouse (which, it seemed to
him, She was forgetting in her ardent longing for humiliation),
besought Her not to deprive Him of this work, which he considered as
his alone; and he hastened to set about cleaning the floor and the
corners of the cave, although the humble Queen continued to assist
him therein. As the angels were then present in visible forms, they
were (according to our mode of speaking) abashed at such eagerness
for humiliation, and they speedily emulated with each other to join
in this work; or rather, in order to say it more succinctly, in the
shortest time possible they had cleansed and set in order that cave,
filling it with holy fragrance. Saint Joseph started a fire with the
material which he had brought for that purpose. As it was very cold,
they sat at the fire in order to get warm. They partook of the food
which they had brought, and</span> <span lang="en-US">they ate this,
their frugal supper, with incomparable joy of their souls. The Queen
of heaven was so absorbed and taken up with the thought of the
impending mystery of her divine delivery, that She would not have
partaken of food if She had not been urged thereto by obedience to
her spouse.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">After their supper
they gave thanks to the Lord as was their custom. Having spent a
short time in this prayer and conferring about the mysteries of the
incarnate Word, the most prudent Virgin felt the approach of the most
blessed Birth. She requested her spouse saint Joseph to betake
himself to rest and sleep as the night was already far advanced. The
man of God yielded to the request of his Spouse and urged Her to do
the same; and for this purpose he arranged and prepared a sort of
couch with the articles of wear in their possession, making use of a
crib or manger, that had been left by the</span> <span lang="en-US">shepherds
for their animals. Leaving most holy Mary in the portion of the cave
thus furnished, saint Joseph retired to a corner of the entrance,
where he began to pray. He was immediately visited by the divine
Spirit and felt a most sweet and extraordinary influence, by which he
was wrapt and elevated into an ecstasy. In it was shown him all that
passed during that night in this blessed cave; for he did not return
to consciousness until his heavenly Spouse called him. Such was the
sleep which saint Joseph enjoyed in that night, more exalted and
blessed than that of Adam in paradise (Gen. 21, 2).</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Queen of all creatures was called
from her resting–place by a loud voice of the Most High, which
strongly and sweetly raised Her above all created things and caused
Her to feel new effects of divine power; for this was one of the most
singular and admirable ecstasies of her most holy life. Immediately
also She was filled with new enlightenment and divine influences,
such as I have described in other places, until She reached the clear
vision of the Divinity. The veil fell and She saw intuitively the
Godhead itself in such glory and plenitude of insight, as all the
capacity of men and angels could not describe or fully understand.
All the knowledge of the Divinity and humanity of her most holy Son,
which She had ever received in former visions was renewed and,
moreover, other secrets of the inexhaustible archives of the bosom of
God were revealed to Her. I have not ideas or words sufficient and
adequate for expressing what I have been allowed to see of these
sacraments by the divine light; and their abundance and multiplicity
convince me of the poverty and want of proper expression in created
language.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The Most High
announced to his Virgin Mother, that the time of his coming into the
world had arrived and what would be the manner in which this was now
to be fulfilled and executed. The most prudent Lady perceived in this
vision the purpose and exalted scope of these wonderful mysteries and
sacraments, as well in so far as related to the Lord himself as also
in so far as they concerned creatures, for whose benefit they had
been primarily decreed. She prostrated Herself before the throne of
his Divinity and gave Him glory, magnificence, thanks and praise for
Herself and for all creatures, such as was befitting the ineffable
mercy and condescension of his divine love. At the same time She
asked of the divine Majesty new light and grace in order to be able
worthily to undertake the service and worship and the rearing up of
the Word made flesh, whom She was to bear in Her arms and nourish
with her virginal milk. This petition the heavenly Mother brought
forward with the profoundest humility, as one who understood the
greatness of this new sacrament. She held Herself unworthy of the
office of rearing up and conversing as a Mother with a God incarnate
of which even the highest seraphim are incapable. Prudently and
humbly did the Mother of wisdom ponder and weigh this matter. And
because She humbled Herself to the dust and acknowledged her
nothingness in the presence of the Almighty, therefore his Majesty
raised Her up and confirmed anew upon Her the title of </span><span lang="en-US"><i>Mother
of God. </i></span><span lang="en-US">He commanded Her to exercise
this office and ministry of a legitimate and true Mother of Himself;
that She should treat Him as the Son of the eternal Father and at the
same time the Son of her womb. All this could be easily entrusted to
such a Mother, in whom was contained an excellence that words cannot
express.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The most holy Mary remained in this
ecstasy and beatific vision for over an hour immediately preceding
her divine delivery. At the moment when She issued from it and
regained the use of her senses She felt and saw that the body of the
infant God began to move in her virginal womb; how, releasing and
freeing Himself from the place which in the course of nature He had
occupied for nine months, He now prepared to issue forth from that
sacred bridal chamber. This movement not only did not cause any pain
or hardship, as happens with the other daughters of Adam and Eve in
their childbirths; but filled Her with incomparable joy and delight,
causing in her soul and in her virginal body such exalted and divine
effects that they exceed all thoughts of men. Her body became so
spiritualized with the beauty of heaven that She seemed no more a
human and earthly creature. Her countenance emitted rays of light,
like a sun incarnadined, and shone in indescribable earnestness and
majesty, all inflamed with fervent love. She was kneeling in the
manger, her eyes raised to heaven, her hands joined and folded at her
breast, her soul wrapped in the Divinity and She herself was entirely
deified. In this position, and at the end of the heavenly rapture,
the most exalted Lady gave to the world the Onlybegotten of the
Father and her own, our Savior Jesus, true God and man, at the hour
of midnight, on a Sunday, in the year of the creation of the world
five thousand one hundred and ninety–nine (5199), which is the
date given in the Roman Church, and which date has been manifested to
me as the true and certain one.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
At the end of the beatific rapture
and vision of the Mother ever Virgin, which I have described above,
was born the Sun of Justice, the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father
and of Mary most pure, beautiful, refulgent and immaculate, leaving
Her untouched in her virginal integrity and purity and making Her
more godlike and forever sacred; for He did not divide, but
penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun penetrate the
crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The infant God therefore was brought
forth from the virginal chamber unencumbered by any corporeal
material substance foreign to Himself. But He came forth glorious and
transfigured for the divine infinite wisdom decreed and ordained that
the glory of his most holy soul should in his Birth overflow and
communicate itself to his body, participating in the gifts of glory
in the same way as happened afterwards in his Transfiguration on
mount Tabor in the presence of the Apostles (Matth. 17, 2). This
miracle was not necessary in order to penetrate the virginal
enclosure and to leave unimpaired the virginal integrity; for without
this Transfiguration God could have brought this about by other
miracles. Thus say the holy doctors, who see no other miracle in this
Birth than that the Child was born without impairing the virginity of
the Mother. It was the will of God that the most b1essed Virgin
should look upon the body of her Son, the God–man, for this
first time in a glorified state for two reasons. The one was in order
that by this divine vision the most prudent Mother should conceive
the highest reverence for the Majesty of Him whom She was to treat as
her Son, the true God–man. Although She was already informed of
his two–fold nature, the Lord nevertheless ordained that by
ocular demonstration She be filled with new graces, corresponding to
the greatness of her most holy Son, which was thus manifested to Her
in a visible manner. The second reason was to reward by this wonder
the fidelity and holiness of the divine Mother; for her most pure and
chaste eyes, that had turned away from all earthly things for love of
her most holy Son, were to see Him at his very Birth in this glory
and thus be rejoiced and rewarded for her loyalty and beautiful love.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The sacred
evangelist Luke tells us that the Mother Virgin, having brought forth
her firstbegotten Son, wrapped Him in swathing clothes and placed Him
in a manger. He does not say that She received Him in her arms from
her virginal womb; for this did not pertain to the purpose of his
narrative. But the two sovereign princes, saint Michael and saint
Gabriel, were the assistants of the Virgin on this occasion. They
stood by at proper distance in human corporeal forms at the moment
when the incarnate Word, penetrating the virginal chamber by divine
power, issued forth to the light, and they received Him in their
hands with ineffable reverence. In the same manner as a priest
exhibits the sacred host to the people for adoration, so these two
celestial ministers presented to the divine Mother her glorious and
refulgent Son. All this happened in a short space of time. In the
same moment in which the holy angels thus presented the divine Child
to his Mother, both Son and Mother looked upon each other, and in
this look, She wounded with love the sweet Infant and was at the same
time exalted and transformed in Him. From the arms of the holy
princes the Prince of all the heavens spoke to his holy Mother:
“Mother, become like unto Me, since on this day, for the human
existence, which thou hast today given Me, I will give thee another
more exalted existence in grace, assimilating thy existence as a mere
creature to the likeness of Me, who am God and Man.” The most
prudent Mother answered : “Trahe me post Te, curremus in odorem
unguentorum tuorum” (Cant. 1, 3). Raise me, elevate me, Lord,
and I will run after Thee in the odor of thy ointments. In the same
way many of the hidden mysteries of the Canticles were fulfilled; and
other sayings which passed between the infant God and the Virgin
Mother had been recorded in that book of songs, as for instance: “My
Beloved to me, and I to Him, and his desire is toward me”
(Cant. 2,</span> <span lang="en-US">16). “Behold thou art
beautiful, my friend, and thy eyes are dove’s eyes. Behold, my
beloved, for thou art beautiful”; and many other sacramental
words which to mention would unduly prolong this chapter.</span></div>
<div class="western">
The words, which most holy Mary heard from the
mouth of her most holy Son, served to make Her understand at the same
time the interior acts of his holiest soul united with the Divinity;
in order that by imitating them She might become like unto Him. This
was one of the greatest blessings, which the most faithful and
fortunate Mother received at the hands of her Son, the true God and
man, not only because it was continued from that day on through all
her life, but because it furnished Her the means of copying his own
divine life as faithfully as was possible to a mere creature. At the
same time the heavenly Lady perceived and felt the presence of the
most holy Trinity, and She heard the voice of the eternal Father
saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am greatly pleased
and delighted” (Matth. 17, 5). The most prudent Mother made
entirely god–like in the overflow of so many sacraments,
answered: “Eternal Father and exalted God, Lord and Creator of
the universe, give me anew thy permission and benediction to receive
in my arms the Desired of nations (Agg. 2, 8); and teach me to
fulfill as thy unworthy Mother and lowly slave, thy holy will.”
Immediately She heard a voice, which said: “Receive thy
Onlybegotten Son, imitate Him and rear Him; and remember, that thou
must sacrifice Him when I shall demand it of thee.” The divine
Mother answered: “Behold the creature of thy hands, adorn me
with thy grace so that thy Son and my God receive me for his slave;
and if Thou wilt come to my aid with thy Omnipotence, I shall be
faithful in his service; and do Thou count it no presumption in thy
insignificant creature, that she bear in her arms and nourish at her
breast her own Lord and Creator.”</div>
<div class="western">
After this interchange of Words, so full of
mysteries, the divine Child suspended the miracle of his
transfiguration, or rather He inaugurated the other miracle, that of
suspending the effects of glory in his most holy body, confining them
solely to his soul; and He now assumed the appearance of one capable
of suffering. In this form the most pure Mother now saw Him and,
still remaining in a kneeling position and adoring Him with profound
humility and reverence, She received him in her arms from the hands
of the holy angels. And when She saw Him in her arms, She spoke to
Him and said: “My sweetest Love and light of my eyes and being
of my soul, Thou hast arrived in good hour into this world as the Sun
of justice (Malach. 4, 2), in order to disperse the darkness of sin
and death! True God of the true God, save thy servants and let all
flesh see him, who shall draw upon it salvation (Is. 9, 2). Receive
me thy servant as thy slave and supply my deficiency, in order that I
may properly serve Thee. Make me, my Son, such as Thou desirest me to
be in thy service.” Then the most prudent Mother turned toward
the eternal Father to offer up to Him his Onlybegotten, saying:
“Exalted Creator of all the Universe, here is the altar and the
sacrifice acceptable in thy eyes (Malachy 3, 4). From this hour on, O
Lord, look upon the human race with mercy and inasmuch as we have
deserved thy anger, it is now time that Thou be appeased in thy Son
and mine. Let thy justice now come to rest, and let thy mercy be
exalted; for on this account the Word has clothed itself in the
semblance of sinful flesh (Rom. 8, 3), and became a Brother of
mortals and sinners (Philip 2, 7). In this title I recognize them as
brothers and I intercede for them from my inmost soul. Thou, Lord,
hast made me the Mother of thy Onlybegotten without my merit, since
this dignity is above all merit of a creature; but I partly owe to
men the occasion of this incomparable good fortune since it is on
their account that I am the Mother of the Word made man and Redeemer
of them all. I will not deny them my love, or remit my care and
watchfulness for their salvation. Receive, eternal God, my wishes and
petitions for that which is according to thy pleasure and good will.”</div>
<div class="western">
The Mother of mercy turned also toward all mortals
and addressed them, saying: “Be consoled ye afflicted and
rejoice ye disconsolate, be raised up ye fallen, come to rest ye
uneasy. Let the just be gladdened and the saints be rejoiced; let the
heavenly spirits break out in new jubilee, let the Prophets and
Patriarchs of limbo draw new hope, and let all the generations praise
and magnify the Lord, who renews his wonders. Come, come ye poor;
approach ye little ones, without fear, for in my arms I bear the Lion
made a lamb, the Almighty, become weak, the Invincible subdued. Come
to draw</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
life, hasten to obtain salvation,
approach to gain eternal rest, since I have all this for all, and it
will be given to you freely and communicated to you without envy. Do
not be slow and heavy of heart, ye sons of men; and Thou, O sweetest
joy of my soul, give me permission to receive from Thee that kiss
desired by all creatures. Therewith the most blessed Mother applied
her most chaste and heavenly lips in order to receive the loving
caresses of the divine Child, who on his part, as her true Son, had
desired them from Her.</div>
<div class="western">
Holding Him in Her arms She thus served as the
altar and the sanctuary, where the ten thousand angels adored in
visible human forms their Creator incarnate. And as the most blessed
Trinity assisted in an especial manner at the birth of the Word,
heaven was as it were emptied of its inhabitants, for the whole
heavenly court had betaken itself to that blessed cave of Bethlehem
and was adoring the Creator in his garb and habit of a pilgrim (Phil.
2, 7). And in their concert of praise the holy angels intoned the new
canticle: “Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus
bonae voluntatis” (Luke 2, 14). In sweetest and sonorous
harmony they repeated it, transfixed in wonder at the new miracles
then being fulfilled and at the unspeakable prudence, grace, humility
and beauty of that tender Maiden of fifteen years, who had become the
worthy Trustee and Minister of such vast and magnificent sacraments.</div>
<div class="western">
It was now time to call saint Joseph, the faithful
spouse of the most discreet and attentive Lady. As I have said above
he was wrapped in ecstasy, in which he was informed by divine
revelation of all the mysteries of this sacred Birth during this
night. But it was becoming that he should see, and, before all other
mortals, should in his corporeal faculties and senses be present and
experience, adore and reverence the Word made flesh; for he of all
others had been chosen to act as the faithful warden of this great
sacrament. At the desire of his heavenly Spouse he issued from his
ecstasy and, on being restored to consciousness, the first sight of
his eyes was the divine Child in the arms of the Virgin Mother
reclining against her sacred countenance and breast. There he adored
Him in profoundest humility and in tears of joy. He kissed his feet
in great joy and admiration, which no doubt would have taken away and
destroyed life in him, if divine power had not preserved it; and he
certainly would have lost all the use of his senses, if the occasion
had permitted. When saint Joseph had begun to adore the Child, the
most prudent Mother asked leave of her Son to arise (for until then
She had remained on her knees) and, while saint Joseph handed Her the
wrappings and swaddling–clothes, which She had brought, She
clothed Him with incomparable reverence, devotion and tenderness.
Having thus swathed and clothed Him, his Mother, with heavenly
wisdom, laid Him in the crib, as related by saint Luke (Luke 2, 7).
For this purpose She had arranged some straw and hay upon a stone in
order to prepare for the God–Man his first resting–place
upon earth next to that which He had found in her arms. According to
divine ordainment an ox from the neighboring fields ran up in great
haste and, entering the cave, joined the beast of burden brought by
the Queen. The blessed Mother commanded them, with what show of
reverence was possible to them to acknowledge and adore their
Creator. The humble animals obeyed their Mistress and prostrated
themselves before the Child, warming Him with their breath and
rendering Him the service refused by men. And thus the God made man
was placed between two animals, wrapped in swaddling–clothes
and wonderfully fulfilling the prophecy, that “the ox knoweth
his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel hath not
known me, and my people hath not understood.” (Is. 13.)</div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962803"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
My daughter, if men would keep their
heart disengaged and if they would rightly and worthily consider this
great sacrament of the kindness of the Most high towards men, it
would be a powerful means of conducting them in the pathway of life
and subjecting them to the love of their Creator and Redeemer. For as
men are capable of reasoning, if they would only make use of their
freedom to treat this sacrament with the reverence due to its
greatness, who would be so hardened as not to be moved to tenderness
at the sight of their God become man, humiliated in poverty,
despised, unknown, entering the world in a cave, lying in a manger
surrounded by brute animals, protected only by a poverty–stricken
Mother, and cast off by the foolish arrogance of the world? Who will
dare to love the vanity and pride, which was openly abhorred and
condemned by the Creator of heaven and earth in his conduct? No one
can despise the humility, poverty and indigence, which the Lord loved
and chose for Himself as the very means of teaching the way of
eternal life. Few there are, who stop to consider this truth and
example: and on account of this vile ingratitude only the few will
reap the fruit of these great sacraments.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">But if the
condescension of my most holy Son was so great as to bestow so
liberally upon thee his light and knowledge concerning these vast
blessings, ponder well how much thou art bound to co–operate
with this light. In order that thou mayest correspond to this
obligation, I remind and exhort thee to forget all that is of earth
and lose it out of thy sight; that thou seek nothing, or engage
thyself with nothing except what can help thee to withdraw and detach
thee from</span> <span lang="en-US">the world and its inhabitants so
that, with a heart freed from all terrestrial affection, thou dispose
thyself to celebrate in it the mysteries of the poverty, humility and
divine love of the incarnate God. Learn from my example the
reverence, fear and respect, with which thou must treat Him,
remembering how I acted, when I held Him in my arms; follow my
example, whenever thou receivest Him in thy heart in the venerable
sacrament of the holy Eucharist, wherein is contained the same
God–Man, who was born of my womb. In this holy Sacrament thou
receivest Him and possessest Him just as really, and He remains in
thee just as actually, as I possessed Him and conversed with Him,
although in another manner.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">I desire that thou
go even to extremes in this holy reverence and fear; and I wish that
thou take notice and be convinced, that in entering into thy heart in
the holy Sacrament, thy God exhorts thee in the same words, which
thou hast recorded as spoken to me: become like unto Me. His coming
down from heaven onto the earth, his being born in humility and
poverty, his living and dying in it, giving such rare example of the
contempt of the world and its deceits; the knowledge, which thou hast
received concerning his conduct and which thou hast penetrated so
deeply by divine intelligence: all these things should be for thee
like living voices, which thou must heed and inscribe into the
interior of thy heart. These privileges have all been granted to thee
in order that thou discreetly use the common blessings to their
fullest extent, and in order that thou mayest understand, how</span>
<span lang="en-US">thankful thou must be to my most holy Son and
Lord, and how thou shouldst strive to make as great a return for his
goodness, as if He had come from heaven to redeem thee alone and as
if He had instituted all his wonders and doctrines in the holy Church
for none else than thee (Gal. 7, 12).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO - THE LORD'S PRAYER</b></span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text3"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>ARTICLE 1 - "THE SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE GOSPEL"</b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2761"></a><b>2761</b> The Lord's Prayer "is truly the summary of the whole gospel."<sup>7</sup>
"Since the Lord . . . after handing over the practice of prayer, said
elsewhere, 'Ask and you will receive,' and since everyone has petitions
which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate
prayer [the Lord's Prayer] is said first, as the foundation of further
desires."<sup>8</sup>
<br />
<sup><br /></sup>
<sup><br /></sup>
<b>I. AT THE CENTER OF THE SCRIPTURES</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2762"></a><b>2762</b> After showing how the psalms are the
principal food of Christian prayer and flow together in the petitions of
the Our Father, St. Augustine concludes:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Run through all the words of the holy
prayers [in Scripture], and I do not think that you will find anything
in them that is not contained and included in the Lord's Prayer.<sup>9</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2763"></a><b>2763</b> All the Scriptures - the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms - are fulfilled in Christ.<sup>10</sup> The Gospel is this "Good News." Its first proclamation is summarized by St. Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount;<sup>11</sup>
the prayer to our Father is at the center of this proclamation. It is
in this context that each petition bequeathed to us by the Lord is
illuminated:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of
prayers. . . . In it we ask, not only for all the things we can
rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired.
This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what
order we should desire them.<sup>12</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2764"></a><b>2764</b>
The Sermon on the Mount is teaching for life, the Our Father is a
prayer; but in both the one and the other the Spirit of the Lord gives
new form to our desires, those inner movements that animate our lives.
Jesus teaches us this new life by his words; he teaches us to ask for it
by our prayer. The rightness of our life in him will depend on the
rightness of our prayer.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>II. THE LORD'S PRAYER</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2765"></a><b>2765</b> The traditional expression "the Lord's Prayer" - <i>oratio Dominica</i>
- means that the prayer to our Father is taught and given to us by the
Lord Jesus. The prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly unique: it
is "of the Lord." On the one hand, in the words of this prayer the only
Son gives us the words the Father gave him:<sup>13</sup> he is the
master of our prayer. On the other, as Word incarnate, he knows in his
human heart the needs of his human brothers and sisters and reveals them
to us: he is the model of our prayer.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2766"></a><b>2766</b> But Jesus does not give us a formula to repeat mechanically.<sup>14</sup>
As in every vocal prayer, it is through the Word of God that the Holy
Spirit teaches the children of God to pray to their Father. Jesus not
only gives us the words of our filial prayer; at the same time he gives
us the Spirit by whom these words become in us "spirit and life."<sup>15</sup>
Even more, the proof and possibility of our filial prayer is that the
Father "sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, '<i>Abba!</i> Father!'"<sup>16</sup>
Since our prayer sets forth our desires before God, it is again the
Father, "he who searches the hearts of men," who "knows what is the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according
to the will of God."<sup>17</sup> The prayer to Our Father is inserted into the mysterious mission of the Son and of the Spirit.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="III">III. THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2767"></a><b>2767</b> This indivisible gift of the Lord's words
and of the Holy Spirit who gives life to them in the hearts of
believers has been received and lived by the Church from the beginning.
The first communities prayed the Lord's Prayer three times a day,<sup>18</sup> in place of the "Eighteen Benedictions" customary in Jewish piety.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2768"></a><b>2768</b> According to the apostolic tradition, the Lord's Prayer is essentially rooted in liturgical prayer:
<br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">[The Lord] teaches us to make prayer in
common for all our brethren. For he did not say "my Father" who art in
heaven, but "our" Father, offering petitions for the common body.<sup>19</sup> </span></dd></dl>
In all the liturgical traditions, the Lord's Prayer is an integral part
of the major hours of the Divine Office. In the three sacraments of
Christian initiation its ecclesial character is especially in evidence:
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2769"></a><b>2769</b> In <i>Baptism </i>and <i>Confirmation</i>, the handing on (<i>traditio</i>)
of the Lord's Prayer signifies new birth into the divine life. Since
Christian prayer is our speaking to God with the very word of God, those
who are "born anew". . . through the living and abiding word of God"<sup>20</sup>
learn to invoke their Father by the one Word he always hears. They can
henceforth do so, for the seal of the Holy Spirit's anointing is
indelibly placed on their hearts, ears, lips, indeed their whole filial
being. This is why most of the patristic commentaries on the Our Father
are addressed to catechumens and neophytes. When the Church prays the
Lord's Prayer, it is always the people made up of the "new-born" who
pray and obtain mercy.<sup>21</sup>
<br />
<sup><br /></sup>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2770"></a><b>2770</b> In the <i>Eucharistic liturgy</i>
the Lord's Prayer appears as the prayer of the whole Church and there
reveals its full meaning and efficacy. Placed between the <i>anaphora </i>(the
Eucharistic prayer) and the communion, the Lord's Prayer sums up on the
one hand all the petitions and intercessions expressed in the movement
of the epiclesis and, on the other, knocks at the door of the Banquet of
the kingdom which sacramental communion anticipates.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2771"></a><b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null">2771</a></b> In the Eucharist, the Lord's Prayer also reveals the <i>eschatological </i>character
of its petitions. It is the proper prayer of "the end-time," the time
of salvation that began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and will
be fulfilled with the Lord's return. The petitions addressed to our
Father, as distinct from the prayers of the old covenant, rely on the
mystery of salvation already accomplished, once for all, in Christ
crucified and risen.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2772"></a><b>2772</b>
From this unshakeable faith springs forth the hope that sustains each
of the seven petitions, which express the groanings of the present age,
this time of patience and expectation during which "it does not yet
appear what we shall be."<sup>22</sup> The Eucharist and the Lord's Prayer look eagerly for the Lord's return, "until he comes."<sup>23</sup>
<br />
<sup><br /></sup>
<sup><br /></sup>
<b>IN BRIEF</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2773"></a><b>2773</b> In response to his disciples' request "Lord, teach us to pray" (<i>Lk </i>11:1), Jesus entrusts them with the fundamental Christian prayer, the Our Father.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2774"></a><b>2774</b> "The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel,"<sup>24</sup> the "most perfect of prayers."<sup>25</sup> It is at the center of the Scriptures.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2775"></a><b>2775</b> It is called "the Lord's Prayer" because it comes to us from the Lord Jesus, the master and model of our prayer.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2776"></a><b>2776</b> The Lord's Prayer is the quintessential
prayer of the Church. It is an integral part of the major hours of the
Divine Office and of the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism,
Confirmation, and Eucharist. Integrated into the Eucharist it reveals
the eschatological character of its petitions, hoping for the Lord,
"until he comes" (<i>1 Cor</i> 11:26).
<br />
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</span><br />
<span class="text1"> 7 Tertullian,<i> De orat</i>. 1:PL 1,1155.<br />
8 Tertullian, <i>De orat</i>. 10:PL 1,1165; cf. <i>Lk</i> 11:9.<br />
9 St. Augustine, <i>Ep</i>. 130,12,22:PL 33,503.<br />
10 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 24:44.<br />
11 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 5-7.<br />
12 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,83,9.<br />
13 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:7.<br />
14 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:7; <i>1 Kings</i> 18:26-29.<br />
15 <i>Jn</i> 6:63.<br />
16 <i>Gal</i> 4:6.<br />
17 <i>Rom</i> 8:27.<br />
18 Cf. <i>Didache</i> 8,3:SCh 248,174.<br />
19 St. John Chrysostom, <i>Hom. in Mt.</i> 19,4:PG 57,278.<br />
20 <i>1 Pet</i> 1:23.<br />
21 Cf. <i>1 Pet</i> 2:1-10.<br />
22 <i>1 Jn</i> 3:2; cf. <i>Col</i> 3:4.<br />
23 <i>1 Cor</i> 11:26.<br />
24 Tertullian,<i> De orat.</i> 1:PL 1,1251-1255.<br />
25 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>STh</i> II-II,83,9.
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-79626719957921093232017-12-08T11:21:00.004-06:002017-12-08T11:21:47.836-06:00December 8, 2017 - Feast of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception Litany Lane Blog: Piety, Reading 1 - Genesis 3:9-15, 20 Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 Reading 2 - Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Gospel - Luke 1:26-38, Pope Francis Message ; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception; History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 1 The Immaculate Conception; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 3 The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>December 8, 2017 - Feast of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception </i><br />
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<i>Litany Lane Blog: </i><i>Piety, Reading 1 - Genesis 3:9-15, 20<br />
Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4<br />
Reading 2 - Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Gospel - Luke 1:26-38, Pope Francis Message ; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception; History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 1 The Immaculate Conception; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 4 The Lords of Prayer - Article 3 The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 1st Sunday in Advent</b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Inspirational Hymns</span></center>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>December 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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Dear children, I turn to you as your mother, the mother of the just, the mother of those who love and suffer, the mother of those who are holy. My children, you too can be holy - this depends on you. Those who are holy are those who immeasurably love the Heavenly Father, those who love Him above all. Therefore, my children, always strive to be better. If you strive to be good you can be holy even though you may not think so of y<span class="text_exposed_show">ourselves. If you think that you are good, you are not humble, and arrogance distances you from holiness. In this peaceless world full of threats, your hands, apostles of my love, should be extended in prayer and mercy.</span><br />
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</span> <span class="text_exposed_show"> And to me, my children, give the gift of the rosary, the roses which I love so much. My roses are your prayers pronounced with the heart and not only recited with the lips. My roses are your acts of prayer, faith and love. When my Son was little, he said to me that my children would be numerous and that they would bring me many roses. I did not comprehend Him. Now I know that you are those children who are bringing me roses when, above all, you love my Son, when you pray with the heart, when you help the poorest.</span><br />
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</span> <span class="text_exposed_show"> Those are my roses. That is the faith which makes everything in life be done through love, not knowing arrogance, and always ready to forgive; never judging, always striving to understand one’s brother. Therefore, apostles of my love, pray for those who do not know how to love, for those who do not love you, for those who have done evil to you, for those who have not come to know the love of my Son. My children, I ask this of you because, remember, to pray means to love and to forgive. <b> </b>Thank you for having responded to my call<b>. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b></span><br />
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</b> <b>November 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you to prayer. Pray and seek peace, little children. He who came here on earth to give you His peace, regardless of who you are and what you are – He, my Son, your Brother – through me is calling you to conversion, because without God you do not have a future or eternal life. Therefore, believe, pray, live in grace, and for the expectation of your personal meeting with Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show"><b>~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b></span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's December Prayer Intention</span></span></b></i></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
Pope Francis has revealed his prayer intention for the month of December, which is “for the elderly”.<br />
In a video message explaining the prayer petition, the Pope said “a people that does not take care of grandparents, that does not treat them well, has no future.”<br />
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He added that the “elderly have wisdom, they are entrusted with a great responsibility: to transmit their life experience, their family history, the history of a community, of a people.”<br />
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The Pope prayed: “Let us keep in mind our elders so that sustained by families and institutions, they may with their wisdom and experience collaborate in the education of new generations.”<br />
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Care and respect for the elderly has been a prominent issue addressed by Pope Francis throughout his pontificate. Last year he hosted a meeting marking National Grandparents’ Day in Italy and in 2015 he gave two Wednesday audience catechises on the elderly, pointing out that old age has a grace and a mission” and is “a true vocation from the Lord.”<br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 12/08/2017<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - piety </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span>pahy<span style="text-align: left;">-i-tee</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1</span></span></span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1275-1325;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">piete</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">French</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">pietās,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">pi(us</span></span>) + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">-etās,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">variant</span> <span class="oneClick-link">(after</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">i</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">-itās;</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">see</span> pious, -ity<br />
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<b><span class="dbox-pg">noun</span></b> <br />
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<section class="def-pbk ce-spot" data-collapse-expand="{"target": ".def-set", "type": "def"}"> <header class="luna-data-header"><span class="dbox-pg"><span class="oneClick-link">plural</span> </span><span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="pi·e·ties."><span class="oneClick-link">pieties.</span> </span> </header> <div class="def-set">
<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">1. </span></span><span class="oneClick-link">reverence</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">God</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">devout</span> <span class="oneClick-link">fulfillment</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">religious</span> <span class="oneClick-link">obligations:</span><br />
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<span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link">prayer</span> <span class="oneClick-link">full</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">piety.</span></span></div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">2. </span></span><span class="oneClick-link">the</span> <span class="oneClick-link">quality</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">state</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">being</span> <span class="oneClick-link">pious:</span><br />
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<span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">saintly</span> <span class="oneClick-link">piety.</span></span></div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">3. </span></span><span class="oneClick-link">dutiful</span> <span class="oneClick-link">respect</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">regard</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">parents,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">homeland,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">etc.:</span><br />
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<span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">filial</span> <span class="oneClick-link">piety.</span></span></div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">4. </span></span><span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link">pious</span> <span class="oneClick-link">act,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">remark,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">belief,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">the</span> <span class="oneClick-link">like:</span><br />
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<span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">the</span> <span class="oneClick-link">pieties</span> <span class="oneClick-link">and</span> <span class="oneClick-link">sacrifices</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">an</span> <span class="oneClick-link">austere</span> <span class="oneClick-link">life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Genesis 3:9-15, 20</h2>
9 But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked.<br />
10 'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'<br />
11 'Who told you that you were naked?' he asked. 'Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?'<br />
12 The man replied, 'It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'<br />
13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, 'Why did you do that?' The woman replied, 'The snake tempted me and I ate.'<br />
14 Then Yahweh God said to the snake, 'Because you have done this, Accursed be you of all animals wild and tame! On your belly you will go and on dust you will feed as long as you live.<br />
15 I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.'<br />
20 The man named his wife 'Eve' because she was the mother of all those who live.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4</h2>
1 [Psalm] Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.<br />
2 Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,<br />
3 mindful of his faithful love and his constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the saving power of our God.<br />
4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>First Corinthians 15:20-26, 28</h2>
20 In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.<br />
21 As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead.<br />
22 Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life;<br />
23 but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him.<br />
24 After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force and power.<br />
25 For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool,<br />
26 and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet.<br />
28 When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12<br />
3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.<br />
4 Thus he chose us in Christ before the world was made to be holy and faultless before him in love,<br />
5 marking us out for himself beforehand, to be adopted sons, through Jesus Christ. Such was his purpose and good pleasure,<br />
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved,<br />
11 And it is in him that we have received our heritage, marked out beforehand as we were, under the plan of the One who guides all things as he decides by his own will,<br />
12 chosen to be, for the praise of his glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span>Luke 1:26-38</h2>
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,<br />
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.<br />
28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'<br />
29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,<br />
30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.<br />
31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.<br />
32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;<br />
33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'<br />
34 Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'<br />
35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.<br />
36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,<br />
37 for nothing is impossible to God.'<br />
38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.<br />
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<b style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Day: </b><b>Feast of the Immaculate Conception</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: December 8</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQFzFM7En6M/UMg4TNmQQtI/AAAAAAAAGEg/_JS1PzbksLo/s1600/Imaculada+Murillo%5B1%5D.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQFzFM7En6M/UMg4TNmQQtI/AAAAAAAAGEg/_JS1PzbksLo/s320/Imaculada+Murillo%5B1%5D.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><sup>The Immaculate Conception, 1600</sup></td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Conception</b> is a dogma of the Catholic Church maintaining that from the moment when she was conceived the Blessed Virgin Mary was kept free of original sin and was filled with the sanctifying grace normally conferred during baptism. It is one of the four dogmas in Roman Catholic Mariology. Mary is often called the <b>Immaculata</b> (<i>the Immaculate One</i>), particularly in artistic and cultural contexts.<br />
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The Immaculate Conception should not be confused with the perpetual virginity of Mary or the virgin birth of Jesus; it refers to the conception of Mary by her mother, Saint Anne. Although the belief was widely held since at least Late Antiquity, the doctrine was not formally proclaimed until December 8, 1854, by Pope Pius IX in his papal bull <i>Ineffabilis Deus</i>. It is not formal doctrine except in the Roman Catholic Church. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on December 8 in many Catholic countries as a holy day of obligation or patronal feast, and in some as a national public holiday.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Distinctions">Distinctions</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Original_sin_and_actual_.28personal.29_sin">Original sin and actual (personal) sin</span></h3>
The defined dogma of the Immaculate Conception regards original sin only, saying that Mary was preserved from any <i>stain</i> (in Latin, <i>macula</i> or <i>labes</i>, the second of these two synonymous words being the one used in the formal definition).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ineffabilis_1-1"> </sup>The proclaimed Roman Catholic dogma states "that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin." Therefore, being always free from original sin, the doctrine teaches that from her conception Mary received the sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth.<br />
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The definition makes no declaration about the Church's belief that the Blessed Virgin was sinless, in the sense of actual or personal sin. However, the Church also holds that Mary was also sinless personally, that she was "free from all sin, original or personal". The Council of Trent decreed: "If anyone shall say that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he who falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the contrary, that throughout his whole life he can avoid all sins even venial sins, except by a special privilege of God, as the Church holds in regard to the Blessed Virgin: let him be anathema."<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Virginal_conception">Virginal conception</span></h3>
The doctrine of the immaculate conception (Mary being conceived free from original sin) is not to be confused with her virginal conception of her son Jesus. This misunderstanding of the term <i>immaculate conception</i> is frequently met in the mass media. Catholics believe that Mary was not the product of a virginal conception herself but was the daughter of a human father and mother, traditionally known by the names of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. In 1677, the Holy See condemned the belief that Mary was virginally conceived, which had been a belief surfacing occasionally since the 4th century. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (when Mary was conceived free from original sin) on 8 December, exactly nine months before celebrating the Nativity of Mary. The feast of the Annunciation (which commemorates the virginal conception and the Incarnation of Jesus) is celebrated on 25 March, nine months before Christmas Day.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Redemption">Redemption</span></h3>
Another misunderstanding is that, by her immaculate conception, Mary did not need a saviour. When defining the dogma in <i>Ineffabilis Deus</i>, Pope Pius IX explicitly affirmed that Mary was redeemed in a manner more sublime. He stated that Mary, rather than being cleansed after sin, was completely prevented from contracting Original Sin in view of the foreseen merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race. In Luke 1:47, Mary proclaims: "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour." This is referred to as Mary's pre-redemption by Christ. Since the Council of Orange II against semi-pelagianism, the Catholic Church has taught that even had man never sinned in the Garden of Eden and was sinless, he would still require God's grace to remain sinless.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
A feast of the Conception of the Most Holy and All Pure Mother of God was celebrated in Syria on 8 December perhaps as early as the 5th century. Note that the title of <i>achrantos</i> (spotless, immaculate, all-pure) refers to the holiness of Mary, not specifically to the holiness of her conception.<br />
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By the 7th century the feast of her conception was widely celebrated in the East, under the name of the Conception (active) of Saint Anne. In the West it was known as the feast of the Conception (passive) of Mary, and was associated particularly with the Normans, whether these introduced it directly from the East or took it from English usage. The spread of the feast, by now with the adjective "Immaculate" attached to its title, met opposition on the part of some, on the grounds that sanctification was possible only after conception. Critics included Saints Bernard of Clairvaux, Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. Other theologians defended the expression "Immaculate Conception", pointing out that sanctification could be conferred at the first moment of conception in view of the foreseen merits of Christ, a view held especially by Franciscans<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bunson_19-1"> </sup>Writers such as Mark Miravalle and Sarah Jane Boss interpret the existence of the feast as a strong indication of the Church's traditional belief in the Immaculate Conception.<br />
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On 28 February 1476, Pope Sixtus IV, a Franciscan after whom the Sistine Chapel is named, authorized those dioceses that wished to introduce the feast to do so, and introduced it to his own diocese of Rome in 1477, with a specially composed Mass and Office of the feast. With his bull <i>Cum praeexcelsa</i> of 28 February 1477, in which he referred to the feast as that of the Conception of Mary, without using the word "Immaculate", he granted indulgences to those who would participate in the specially composed Mass or Office on the feast itself or during its octave, and he used the word "immaculate" of Mary, but applied instead the adjective "miraculous" to her conception. On 4 September 1483, referring to the feast as that of "the Conception of Immaculate Mary ever Virgin", he condemned both those who called it mortally sinful and heretical to hold that the "glorious and immaculate mother of God was conceived <i>without</i> the stain of original sin" and those who called it mortally sinful and heretical to hold that "the glorious Virgin Mary was conceived <i>with</i> original sin", since, he said, "up to this time there has been no decision made by the Roman Church and the Apostolic See." This decree was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent.<br />
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One of the chief proponents of the doctrine was the Hungarian Franciscan Pelbartus Ladislaus of Temesvár. <sup><span style="color: #333333;"><b></b></span></sup>Under Pope Pius V, the Pope who in 1570 established the Tridentine Mass, included the feast (but without the adjective "Immaculate") in the Tridentine Calendar, but suppressed the existing special Mass for the feast, directing that the Mass for the Nativity of Mary (with the word "Nativity" replaced by "Conception") be used instead. Part of that earlier Mass was revived in the Mass that Pope Pius IX ordered to be used on the feast and that is still in use.<br />
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On 6 December 1708, Pope Clement XI made the feast of the Conception of Mary, at that time still with the Nativity of Mary formula for the Mass, a Holy Day of Obligation. Until Pope Pius X reduced in 1911 the number of Holy Days of Obligation to 8, there were in the course of the year 36 such days, apart from Sundays.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Definition_of_the_dogma">Definition of the dogma</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i>Altar of the Immaculata, </i>Lusenberg, 1876. .</td></tr>
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During the reign of Pope Gregory XVI the bishops in various countries began to press for a definition as dogma of the teaching of Mary's immaculate conception. Pius IX, at the beginning of his pontificate, and again after 1851, appointed commissions to investigate the whole subject, and he was advised that the doctrine was one which could be defined and that the time for a definition was opportune. On 8 December 1854, in a great assembly of bishops in St Peter's Basilica at Rome, he promulgated the Bull <i>Ineffabilis Deus</i>, in which the history of the doctrine is summarily traced, and which contains the definition as given above<br />
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It was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted between 1851–1853, promulgated the papal bull <i>Ineffabilis Deus</i> (Latin for "Ineffable God"), which defined <i>ex cathedra</i> the dogma of the Immaculate Conception:<br />
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We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful.</div>
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—Pope Pius IX, <i>Ineffabilis Deus</i>, December 8, 1854</div>
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The dogma was defined in accordance with the conditions of papal infallibility, which would be defined in 1870 by the First Vatican Council.<sup> </sup>The papal definition of the dogma declares with absolute certainty and authority that Mary possessed sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence and was free from the lack of grace caused by the original sin at the beginning of human history. Mary's salvation was won by her son Jesus Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection and was not due to her own merits.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Later_developments">Later developments</span></h3>
For the Roman Catholic Church the dogma of the Immaculate Conception gained additional significance from the reputed apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858. At Lourdes a 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed that a beautiful woman appeared to her and said, "I am the Immaculate Conception". Many believe the woman to have been the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray to her as such.<br />
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In this sense the dogma of the Immaculate Conception defined by Pope Pius IX is also viewed as a key example of the use of <i>sensus fidelium</i> shared by believers and the Magisterium rather than pure reliance on Scripture and Tradition. The Vatican quotes in this context Fulgens Corona, where Pius XII supported such a faith:<br />
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If the popular praises of the Blessed Virgin Mary be given the careful consideration they deserve, who will dare to doubt that she, who was purer than the angels and at all times pure, was at any moment, even for the briefest instant, not free from every stain of sin?</div>
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The Roman Catholic tradition has a well-established philosophy for the study of the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the field of Mariology, with Pontifical schools such as the Marianum specifically devoted to this.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li><span id="mlaauthor">Holweck, Frederick.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Immaculate Conception."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 7.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1910.</span> <span id="mladate">12 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm>.</span></li>
<li><span id="mlaurl">Raymond Burke, 2008, <i>Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons,seminarians, and Consecrated Persons</i> Queenship Publishing ISBN 1-57918-355-7</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b><span style="color: black;"></span>History of Advent</b> </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says: </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">We are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His being born. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;">On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i> Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
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<span style="color: black;"> It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span> </li>
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<b>Today's Snippet I</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
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The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup> It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th century.<br />
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Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup> Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.</div>
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In Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
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Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
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In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches. Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010).</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ol>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
<br />
The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
</div>
</div>
<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 105px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
</div>
</div>
The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962786"></a> <span lang="en-US">Book 1, Chapter 6</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION</span></h2>
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In the tribunal of the divine will, as the inevitable source and universal cause of the whole creation, all things with their conditions and circumstances, are decreed and determined, so that nothing is forgotten and no created power can in the least impede the fulfillment of the decree. All the spheres and the inhabitants contained in them are dependent on this ineffable government that rules them and cooperates with the natural causes unfailingly and unerringly in all that must be done. God works in all and sustains all by his sole will; in Him lies the preservation of all things or their annihilation, for without Him they would return to the non–existence, from which they were drawn. But since He has created the universe for his glory and for the glory of the incarnate Word, therefore He has from the beginning opened the paths and prearranged the ways by which the same Word should lower Himself to assume human flesh and to live among men, and by which they might ascend toward God, know Him, fear Him, seek Him, serve Him, love Him, praise Him and enjoy Him eternally. As the opportune and preordained time had arrived, the three divine Persons conferred with each other saying: “Now is the time to begin the work of our pleasure and to call into existence that pure Creature and that soul, which is to find grace in our eyes above all the rest. Let Us furnish Her with richest gifts and let Us deposit in Her the great treasures of our grace. Since all others, whom We called into existence, have turned out ungrateful and rebellious to our wishes, frustrating our intention and impeding by their own fault our purpose, namely, that they conserve themselves in the happy state of their first parents, and since it is not proper, that our will should be entirely frustrated, let Us therefore create this being in entire sanctity and perfection, so that the disorder of the first sin shall have no part in Her. Let Us create a soul according to our pleasure, a fruit of our attributes, a marvel of our infinite power, without touch or blemish of the sin of Adam. Let Us perfect a work which is the object of our Omnipotence and a pattern of the perfection intended for our children, and the finishing crown of creation. All have sinned in the free will and resolve of the first man (Rom. 5, 12); let Her be the sole creature in whom We restore and execute that which they in their aberration have lost. Let Her be a most special image and likeness of our Divinity and let Her be in our presence for all eternity the culmination of our goodwill and pleasure. In Her We deposit all the prerogatives and graces which in our first and conditional resolve We had destined for the angels and men, if they had remained in their first estate. What they have lost We renew in that Creature and We will add to these gifts many others. Thus our first decree shall not be frustrated, but it shall be fulfilled in a higher manner through this our first and chosen One (Cant. 6, 8). And since We assigned and prepared the most perfect and estimable of our gifts for the creatures who have lost them, We will divert the stream of our bounty to our Well–beloved. We will set Her apart from the ordinary law, by which the rest of the mortals are brought into existence, for in Her the seed of the serpent shall have no part. I will descend from heaven into her womb and in it vest Myself from her substance with human nature.”<br />
<br />
“It is befitting and due to the infinite goodness of our Divinity, that It be founded and enclosed in the most pure matter, untouched and unstained by fault. Nor is it proper that our equity and providence overlook what is most apt, perfect and holy, and choose that which is inferior, since nothing can resist our will (Esther 13, 9). The Word, which is to become man, being the Redeemer and Teacher of men, must lay the foundation of the most perfect law of grace, and must teach through it, that the father and mother are to be obeyed and honored as the secondary causes of the natural existence of man. The law is first to be fulfilled by the divine Word by honoring Her as his chosen Mother, by exalting Her with a powerful arm, and lavishing upon Her the most admirable, most holy and most excellent of all graces and gifts. Among these shall be that most singular honor and blessing of not subjecting Her to our enemy, nor to his malice; and therefore She shall be free from the death of sin.”<br />
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“On earth the Word shall have a Mother without a father, as in heaven He has a Father without a mother. And in order that there may be the proper correspondence, proportion and consonance in calling God his Father and this Woman his Mother, We desire that the highest correspondence and approach possible between a creature and its God be established. Therefore at no time shall the dragon boast of being superior to the Woman, whom God will obey as his true Mother. This dignity of being free from sin is due and corresponds to that of being Mother of the Word, and it is in itself even more estimable and useful. It is a greater good to be holy than to be only mother; but all sanctity and perfection is nevertheless due to the motherhood of God. The human flesh, from which He is to assume form, must be free from sin. Since He is to redeem in it the sinners, He must not be under the necessity of redeeming his own flesh, like that of sinners. Being united to the Divinity his humanity is to be the price of Redemption, wherefore it before all be preserved from sin, and We have already foreseen and accepted the merits of the Word in this very flesh and human nature. We wish that for all eternities the Word should be glorified through this tabernacle and habitation of the human nature.”<br />
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“She is to be the daughter of the first man; but in the order of grace She is to be singularly free and exempt from fault; and in the order of nature She is to be most perfect, and to be formed according to a special providence. And since the incarnate Word is to be the Teacher of humility and holiness and for this end is to endure labors, confounding the vanity and deceitful fallacies of mortals by choosing for Himself sufferings as the treasure most estimable in our eyes. We wish that She, who is to be his Mother, experience the same labors and difficulties, that She be singularly distinguished in patience, admirable in sufferings, and that She, in union with the Onlybegotten, offer the acceptable sacrifices of sorrow to Us for her greater glory.”<br />
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“Now the time has arrived,” added his Majesty, “which was resolved upon by our Providence for bringing to light the Creature most pleasing and acceptable to our eyes. That Creature, in whom the human nature is freed from its first sin, who is to crush the head of the dragon, who was typified by that singular sign, the Woman that appeared in the heavens in our presence, and who is to clothe the eternal Word with human flesh. The hour is at hand, so blessed for mortals, in which the treasures of our Divinity are to be opened and the gates of heaven to be unlocked. Let the rigor of our justice be softened by the chastisements, which we have until now executed upon the mortals; let the attribute of our mercy become manifest; let the creatures be enriched, and let the divine Word merit for them the treasures of grace and of eternal glory.”<br />
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“Now let the human race receive the Repairer, the Teacher, the Brother and Friend, to be life for mortals, a medicine for the sick, a consoler for the sorrowful, a balsam for the wounded, a guide and companion for those in difficulties. Let now the prophecies of our servants and the promises made to them that We would send a Savior to redeem them, be fulfilled. And in order that all may be executed according to our good pleasure, and that We may give a beginning to the mystery hidden since the constitution of the world, We select for the formation of our beloved Mary the womb of our servant Anne; in her be She conceived and in her let that most blessed Soul be created. Although her generation and formation shall proceed according to the usual order of natural propagation, it shall be different in the order of grace, according to the ordainment of our Almighty power.”<br />
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“You do already know how the ancient serpent, since he saw the sign of this marvelous Woman, attempts to circumvent all women, and how, from the first one created, he persecutes all those, whom he sees excelling in the perfection of their works and life, expecting to find among them the One, who is to crush his head (Gen. 3, 15). When he shall encounter this most pure and spotless Creature, he shall find Her so holy that he will exert all his powers to persecute Her in pursuance of the concept which he forms of Her. But the arrogance of this dragon shall be greater than his powers (Is. 12, 7); and it is our will that you have particular charge of this our holy City and tabernacle of the incarnate Word, protecting, guarding, assisting and defending Her against our enemies, and that you enlighten, strengthen and console Her with all due solicitude and reverence as long as She shall be a wayfarer among the mortals.”<br />
<br />
At this proposal of the Most High all the holy angels, prostrate before the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, avowed their promptitude and eagerness to obey the divine mandate. Each one desired in holy emulation to be appointed, and offered himself for such a happy service; all of them gave to the Almighty praise and thanksgiving in new songs, because the hour had arrived for the fulfillment of that for which they had, with the most ardent desires, prayed through many ages. I perceived on this occasion that from the time of that great battle of saint Michael with the dragon and his allies, in which they were hurled into everlasting darkness while the hosts of Michael remained victorious and confirmed in grace and glory, these holy spirits commenced immediately to pray for the fulfillment of the mysteries of the Incarnation of the Word, of which they became cognizant at that time. And they persevered in these oft repeated prayers up to the hour in which God manifested to them the fulfillment of their desires and petitions.<br />
<br />
On this account the celestial spirits at this new revelation conceived an additional joy and obtained new accidental glory, and they spoke to the Lord: “Most High and incomprehensible God and Lord, Thou art worthy of all reverence, praise and eternal glory; and we are thy creatures and made according to thy divine will. Send us, most powerful Lord, to execute thy most wonderful works and mysteries, in order that in all things thy most just pleasure may be fulfilled.” In such terms of affection the heavenly princes acknowledged themselves as subjects; and if it had been possible, they desired to increase in purity and perfection in order to be more worthy guardians and servants of Mary.<br />
<br />
Then the Most High chose and appointed those who were to be occupied in this exalted service (the guardianship of Mary) from each of the nine choirs of angels. He selected one hundred, being nine hundred in all. Moreover he assigned twelve others who should in a special manner assist Mary in corporeal and visible forms; and they were to bear the emblems or escutcheons of the Redemption. These are the twelve which are mentioned in the twenty–first chapter of the Apocalypse as guarding the portals of the city; of them I will speak in the explanation of that chapter later on. Besides these the Lord assigned eighteen other angels, selected from the highest ranks, who were to ascend and descend by that mystical stairs of Jacob with the message of the Queen to his Majesty and those of the Lord to Her.<br />
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In addition to all these holy angels the Almighty assigned and appointed seventy seraphim, choosing them from the highest ranks and from those nearest to the Divinity, in order that they might communicate and converse with this Princess of heaven in the same way as they themselves interact with each other, and as the higher communicate with the lower ones.<br />
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In order that this invincible warrior–troop might be well appointed, saint Michael, the prince of the heavenly militia was placed at their head, and although not always in the company of the Queen, he was nevertheless often near Her and often showed himself to Her. The Almighty destined him as a special ambassador of Christ our Lord and to act in some of the mysteries as the defender of his most holy Mother. In a like manner the holy prince Gabriel was appointed to act as legate and minister of the eternal Father in the affairs of the Princess of heaven. Thus did the most holy Trinity provide for the custody and the defense of the Mother of God.<br />
<br />
The divine wisdom had now prepared all things for drawing forth the spotless image of the Mother of grace from the corruption of nature. The number and congregation of ancient Patriarchs and Prophets had been completed and gathered, and the mountains had been raised, on which this mystical City of God was to be built (Ps. 86, 2). By the power of his right hand He had already selected incomparable treasures of the Divinity to enrich and endow Her. A thousand angels were equipped for her guard and custody, that they might serve as most faithful vassals of their Queen and Lady. He had provided a noble and kingly ancestry from whom She should descend and had selected for Her most holy and perfect parents, than whom none holier or more perfect could be found in the world. For there is no doubt that if better and more apt parents existed, the Almighty would have selected them for Her, who was to be chosen by God as his Mother.<br />
<br />
In the formation of the body of the most holy Mary the wisdom and power of the Almighty proceeded so cautiously that the quantities of the four natural elements of the human body, the sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic and choleric, were compounded in exact proportion and measure; in order that by this most perfect proportion in its mixture and composition it might assist the operations of that holy Soul with which it was to be endowed and animated. This wonderfully composed temperament was afterwards the source and the cause, which in its own way made possible the serenity and peace that reigned in the powers and faculties of the Queen of heaven during all her life. Never did any of these elements oppose or contradict nor seek to predominate over the others, but each one of them supplemented and served the others, continuing in this well ordered fabric without corruption or decay. Never did the body of the most Holy Mary suffer from the taint of corruption, nor was there anything wanting or anything excessive found in it; but all the conditions and proportions of the different elements were continuously adjusted, without any want or excess in what was necessary for her perfect existence and without excess or default in dryness or moisture. Neither was there more warmth than was necessary for maintenance of life or digestion; nor more cold than was necessary for the right temperature and for the maintenance of the bodily humors.<br />
<br />
On the Saturday next following, the Almighty created the soul of his Mother and infused it into the body; and thus entered into the world that pure Creature, more holy, perfect and agreeable to His eyes than all those He had created, or will create to the end of the world, or through the eternities. God maintained a mysterious correspondence in the execution of this work with that of creating all the rest of the world in seven days, as is related in the book of Genesis. Then no doubt He rested in truth, according to the figurative language of Scripture, since He has now created the most perfect Creature of all, giving through it a beginning to the work of the divine Word and to the Redemption of the human race. Thus was this day a paschal feast for God and also for all creatures.<br />
<br />
By the force of this divine pronouncement and through the love with which it issued from the mouth of the Almighty, was created and infused into the body of most holy Mary her most blessed Soul. At the same time She was filled with grace and gifts above those of the highest seraphim of heaven, and there was not a single instant in which She was found wanting or deprived of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or in which She was touched by the stain or darkness of original sin. On the contrary She was possessed of the most perfect justice, superior to that of Adam and Eve in their first formation. To Her was also concealed the most perfect use of the light of reason, corresponding to the gifts of grace, which She had received. Not for one instant was She to remain idle, but to engage in works most admirable and pleasing to her Maker.<br />
<br />
Although She was adorned as the Bride, descending from heaven, endowed with all perfections and with the whole range of infused virtues, it was not necessary that She should exercise all of them at once, it being sufficient that She exercise those, which were befitting her state in the womb of her mother. Among the first thus exercised were the three theological virtues, faith, hope and charity, which relate immediately to God. These she at once practiced in the most exalted manner recognizing by a most sublime faith the Divinity with all its perfections and its infinite attributes, and the Trinity with its distinction of Persons. This knowledge by faith was not impeded by the higher knowledge which God gave her, as I will soon demonstrate. She exercised also the virtue of hope, seeing in God the object of her happiness and her ultimate end. Toward this her sanctified Soul at once hastened and aspired with the most intense desires of uniting Herself with God and without having for one moment turned to any other object or tarried one moment in her upward flight. At the same instant also She put into action the virtue of charity, seeing in God the infinite and highest Good, and conceiving such an intense appreciation of the Divinity, that not all the seraphim could ever reach such an eminent degree of fervor and virtue.<br />
<br />
The other virtues which adorn and perfect the rational part of the creature, She possessed in a proportion corresponding to the theological virtues. The moral and natural virtues were hers in a miraculous and supernatural measure, and in a still more exalted manner was She possessed of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost in the order of grace. She had an infused knowledge and habit of all these virtues and of all the natural arts, so that She knew and was conversant with the whole natural and supernatural order of things, in accordance with the grandeur of God. Hence from her first instant in the womb of her mother, She was wiser, more prudent, more enlightened, and more capable of comprehending God and all his works, than all the creatures have been or ever will be in eternity, excepting of course her most holy Son.<br />
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In correspondence with this wonderful knowledge of her most holy soul at the instant of its union with the body, Mary exerted Herself by eliciting heroic acts of virtue, of incomparable admiration, praise, glorification, adoration, humility, love of God and sorrow for the sins committed against Him whom She recognized as the Author and end of these admirable works. She hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to the Most High, beginning from that instant with fervent desire to bless Him, love Him and honor Him, because She perceived that the bad angels and men failed to know and love Him. She requested the holy angels whose Queen She already was, to help Her to glorify the Creator and Lord of all, and to pray also for Her.<br />
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The Lord in this instant showed Her also her guardian angels, whom she recognized and accepted with joyful submission, inviting them to sing canticles of praise to the Most High alternatively with Her. She announced to them beforehand that this was to be the service which they were to render Her during the whole time of Her mortal life, in which they were to act as her assistants and guards. She was informed moreover of her whole genealogy of all the rest of the holy people chosen by God, the Patriarchs and Prophets, and how admirable his Majesty was in the gifts, graces and favors wrought in them. It is worthy of admiration, that, although the exterior faculties of her body at the creation of her most holy Soul were hardly large enough to be distinguished, nevertheless, in order that none of the miraculous excellence with which God could endow his Mother might be wanting, He ordained by the power of right hand, that in perceiving the fall of man She shed tears of sorrow in the womb of her mother at the gravity of the offense against the highest Good.<br />
<br />
In this wonderful sorrow at the instant of her coming into existence, She began to seek a remedy for mankind and commenced the work of mediation, intercession and reparation. She offered to God the clamors of her ancestors and of the just of the earth, that his mercy might not delay the salvation of mortals, whom she even looked upon as her brethren. Before She ever conversed with them with the most ardent charity and with the very beginning of her existence She assumed the office of Benefactress of men and exercised the divine and fraternal love enkindled in her heart. These petitions the Most High accepted with greater pleasure than the prayers of all the saints and angels and this pleasure of God was also made known to Her, who was created to be the Mother of God. She perceived the love of God and his desire to descend from heaven in order to redeem men, though She knew not how it should be consummated. It was befitting that God should feel Himself impelled to hasten his coming on account of the prayers and petitions of this Creature; since it was principally for the love of Her that He came, and since in Her body He was to assume human flesh, accomplish the most admirable of all his works, and fulfill the end of all other creatures.<br />
<br />
In writing of these sacraments of the King, howsoever honorable it is to reveal his works, I confess my inaptitude and incapacity, being only a woman, and I am afflicted, because I am speaking in such common and vague terms, which fall entirely short of that, which I perceive in the light given to my soul for the understanding of these mysteries. In order to do justice to such sublimity, there were need of other words, more particular and especially adapted terms and expressions, which are beyond my ignorance. And even if they were at my service, they would be weighed down and made insipid by human weakness. Let therefore this human imbecility acknowledge itself unequal and incapable of fixing its eyes on this heavenly sun, with which the rays of the Divinity break upon the world, although yet beclouded in the maternal womb of holy Anne. If we seek permission to approach this wonderful sight, let us come near free and unshackled. Let us not allow ourselves to be detained, neither by our natural cowardice nor by a base fear and hesitation, even though it be under the cloak of humility. Let us all approach with the greatest devotion and piety, free from the spirit of contention (Rom. 13, 12); then we will be permitted to examine with our own eyes the fire of the Divinity burning in the bush without consuming it (Exodus 2, 2).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>WORDS OF THE QUEEN</b><br />
The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain<br />
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It is an act of justice due to the eternal God that the creature coming to the use of reason, direct its very first movement toward God. By knowing, it should begin to love Him, reverence Him and adore Him as its Creator and only true Lord. The parents are naturally bound to instruct their children from their infancy in this knowledge of God and to direct them with solicitous care, so that they may at once see their ultimate end and seek it in their first acts of the intellect and will. They should with great watchfulness withdraw them from the childishness and puerile trickishness to which depraved nature will incline them if left without direction. If the fathers and mothers would be solicitous to prevent these vanities and perverted habits of their children and would instruct them from their infancy in the knowledge of their God and Creator, then they would afterwards easily accustom them to know and adore Him. My holy mother, who knew not of my wisdom and real condition, was most solicitously beforehand in this matter, for when She bore me in her womb, she adored in my name the Creator and offered worship and thanks for his having created me, beseeching Him to defend me and bring me forth to the light of day from the condition in which I then was. So also parents should pray with fervor to God, that the souls of their children, through his Providence, may obtain Baptism and be freed from the servitude of original sin.<br />
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And if the rational creature has not known and adored the Creator from the first dawn of reason, it should do this as soon as it obtains knowledge of the essential God by the light of faith. From that very moment the soul must exert itself never to lose Him from her sight, always fearing Him, loving Him, and reverencing Him.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
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<span class="text3"><b>SECTION TWO<br />
THE LORD'S PRAYER <br />
"OUR FATHER!"</b> </span> <br />
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</b></span> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2759"></a><b>2759</b> Jesus "was praying at a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'"<sup>1</sup> In response to this request the Lord entrusts to his disciples and to his Church the fundamental Christian prayer. St. Luke presents a brief text of five petitions,<sup>2</sup> while St. Matthew gives a more developed version of seven petitions.<sup>3</sup> The liturgical tradition of the Church has retained St. Matthew's text: <br />
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hallowed be thy name. <br />
Thy kingdom come. <br />
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. <br />
Give us this day our daily bread, <br />
and forgive us our trespasses, <br />
as we forgive those who trespass against us, <br />
and lead us not into temptation, <br />
but deliver us from evil.</b> </td></tr>
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</a></b> <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2760"></a><b>2760</b> <span class="text1">Very early on, liturgical usage concluded the Lord's Prayer with a doxology. In the <i>Didache</i>, we find, "For yours are the power and the glory for ever."<sup>4</sup> The <i>Apostolic Constitutions</i> add to the beginning: "the kingdom," and this is the formula retained to our day in ecumenical prayer.<sup>5</sup> The Byzantine tradition adds after "the glory" the words "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The <i>Roman Missal</i> develops the last petition in the explicit perspective of "awaiting our blessed hope" and of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.<sup>6</sup> Then comes the assembly's acclamation or the repetition of the doxology from the <i>Apostolic Constitutions</i>. </span> <br />
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<span class="text1"> 1 <i>Lk</i> 11:1.<br />
2 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 11:2-4.<br />
3 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:9-13.<br />
4 <i>Didache</i> 8,2:SCh 248,174.<br />
5 <i>Apostolic Constitutions</i>, 7,24,1:PG 1,1016.<br />
6 <i>Titus</i> 2:13; cf. <i>Roman Missal</i> 22, Embolism after the Lord's Prayer. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-36885015795341575102017-11-26T11:37:00.000-06:002017-11-26T11:37:09.619-06:00Sunday, November 26, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog: Contemplation, Reading 1 -Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6; Reading 2 -First Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Gospel - Matthew 25:31-46, Pope Francis Message for 2018 World Day of Peace; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Christ the King; History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 6 and 7 Death of the parents of the Most Holy Mother Mary and espousal to Saint Joseph; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 3 The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday, November 26, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog:</i><br />
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<i><span style="color: black;">Contemplation, </span></i><i><span style="color: black;">Reading 1 -Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6; Reading 2 -First Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Gospel - Matthew 25:31-46, Pope Francis Message for 2018 World Day of Peace</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Feast Day of Christ the King; </span></i><i><span style="color: black;">History of Advent; Traditions of Advent; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary;</span> </i><i><span style="color: black;">Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God -</span><span style="color: black;"> Book 2 Chapter 6 and 7 Death of the parents of the Most Holy Mother Mary and espousal to Saint Joseph; </span>Catholic Catechism</i><i><span class="userContent"> - </span><span class="text4">Part Four - The Christian Prayer</span><span class="text4"> </span></i><i>- Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life</i><i> - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 3 The Prayer of the Hour of Jesus; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time</b><br />
<b>Feast of Christ the King of the Universe </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>November 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you to prayer. Pray and
seek peace, little children. He who came here on earth to give you His
peace, regardless of who you are and what you are – He, my Son, your
Brother – through me is calling you to conversion, because without God
you do not have a future or eternal life. Therefore, believe, pray, live
in grace, and for the expectation of your personal meeting with Him.
Thank you for having responded to my call.” <span class="text_exposed_show"><b>~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b></span><br />
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<b>November 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
Dear children, As I am looking at you gathered around me, your mother, I see many pure souls, many of my children who are seeking love and consolation, but no one is offering it to them. I also see those who are doing evil, because they do not have good examples; they have not come to know my Son. The good which is silent and is spread through pure souls is the strength which sustains this world. There is much sin, but there <span class="text_exposed_show">is also love. My Son is sending me to you - the mother who is the same for everyone - that I may teach you to love, to comprehend that you are brothers. He desires to help you.</span><br />
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Apostles of my love, a living desire of faith and love is sufficient, and my Son will accept it. But you must be worthy, you must have good will and open hearts. My Son enters into open hearts. I, as a mother, desire that you may all the better come to know my Son - God born of God – to come to know the greatness of His love which you need so much. He accepted your sins upon Himself and obtained redemption for you, and in return He asked that you love each other. My Son is love.</span><br />
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He loves all people without difference, all people of all countries and of all nations. If you, my children, would live the love of my Son, His kingdom would already be on earth. Therefore, apostles of my love, pray, pray that my Son and His love may be all the closer to you; that you may be an example of love and may help all those who have not come to know my Son. Never forget that my Son, one and triune, loves you. Love your shepherds and pray for them. Thank you.<b> ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje</b></span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis's message for 2018 World Day of Peace</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<br />
(Vatican Radio)<br />
Pope Francis’ message for the celebration of the<b> 2018 World Day of Peace</b> was released on Friday during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office.<br />
<br />
The message entitled <b>Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in search of Peace</b>
is divided into six sections with the first offering heartfelt good
wishes for peace and inviting people of good will to embrace those
fleeing war, hunger and persecution.<br />
<br />
The message also poses the question, why so many migrants and
refugees? Pope Francis answers this by considering the many conflicts
forcing people to leave their homelands, but he notes also the desire
for a better life.<br />
<br />
The Holy Father notes that some people consider the growth in
migration as a threat.. But, “for my part, he says, I ask you to view
it with confidence, as an opportunity to build peace.”<br />
<br />
<b>Peace points</b><br />
Contained in the 4th section of the message under the theme, “four
mileposts for action”, the Pope points out what is needed in order for
migrants and refugees to find the peace they seek is a strategy
combining four actions: <b>welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.</b><br />
<br />
Looking at the situation from an international perspective, Pope
Francis expresses the hope that this spirit of welcome and integration,
“will guide the process that in the course of 2018 will lead the United
Nations to draft and approve two Global Compacts, one for safe, orderly
and regular migration and the other for refugees.”<br />
<br />
<b>Common Home</b><br />
Finally, the Holy Father draws inspiration from Saint John Paul II
with these words. “If the ‘dream’ of a peaceful world is shared by all,
if the refugees’ and migrants’ contribution is properly evaluated, then
humanity can become more and more a universal family and our earth a
true ‘common home’.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Please find below the message of Pope Francis for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2018</b><br />
<br />
<b>MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: MEN AND WOMEN IN SEARCH OF PEACE</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Heartfelt good wishes for peace</b><br />
Peace to all people and to all nations on earth! Peace,
which the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on Christmas night,[1] is a
profound aspiration for everyone, for each individual and all peoples,
and especially for those who most keenly suffer its absence. Among
these whom I constantly keep in my thoughts and prayers, I would once
again mention the over 250 million migrants worldwide, of whom 22.5
million are refugees. Pope Benedict XVI, my beloved predecessor, spoke
of them as “men and women, children, young and elderly people, who are
searching for somewhere to live in peace.”[2] In order to find that
peace, they are willing to risk their lives on a journey that is often
long and perilous, to endure hardships and suffering, and to encounter
fences and walls built to keep them far from their goal.<br />
<br />
In a spirit of compassion, let us embrace all those fleeing
from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty
and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.<br />
<br />
We know that it is not enough to open our hearts to the
suffering of others. Much more remains to be done before our brothers
and sisters can once again live peacefully in a safe home. Welcoming
others requires concrete commitment, a network of assistance and
goodwill, vigilant and sympathetic attention, the responsible management
of new and complex situations that at times compound numerous existing
problems, to say nothing of resources, which are always limited. By
practising the virtue of prudence, government leaders should take
practical measures to welcome, promote, protect, integrate and, “within
the limits allowed by a correct understanding of the common good, to
permit [them] to become part of a new society.”[3] Leaders have a clear
responsibility towards their own communities, whose legitimate rights
and harmonious development they must ensure, lest they become like the
rash builder who miscalculated and failed to complete the tower he had
begun to construct.[4]<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2. Why so many refugees and migrants?</b><br />
As he looked to the Great Jubilee marking the passage of two
thousand years since the proclamation of peace by the angels in
Bethlehem, Saint John Paul II pointed to the increased numbers of
displaced persons as one of the consequences of the “endless and
horrifying sequence of wars, conflicts, genocides and ethnic
cleansings”[5] that had characterized the twentieth century. To this
date, the new century has registered no real breakthrough: armed
conflicts and other forms of organized violence continue to trigger the
movement of peoples within national borders and beyond.<br />
<br />
Yet people migrate for other reasons as well, principally
because they “desire a better life, and not infrequently try to leave
behind the ‘hopelessness’ of an unpromising future.”[6] They set out to
join their families or to seek professional or educational
opportunities, for those who cannot enjoy these rights do not live in
peace. Furthermore, as I noted in the Encyclical Laudato Si’, there has
been “a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the
growing poverty caused by environmental degradation”.[7]<br />
<br />
Most people migrate through regular channels. Some,
however, take different routes, mainly out of desperation, when their
own countries offer neither safety nor opportunity, and every legal
pathway appears impractical, blocked or too slow.<br />
<br />
Many destination countries have seen the spread of rhetoric
decrying the risks posed to national security or the high cost of
welcoming new arrivals, and by doing so demeans the human dignity due to
all as sons and daughters of God. Those who, for what may be political
reasons, foment fear of migrants instead of building peace are sowing
violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia, which are matters of
great concern for all those concerned for the safety of every human
being.[8]<br />
<br />
All indicators available to the international community
suggest that global migration will continue for the future. Some
consider this a threat. For my part, I ask you to view it with
confidence as an opportunity to build peace.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3. With a contemplative gaze</b><br />
The wisdom of faith fosters a contemplative gaze that
recognizes that all of us “belong to one family, migrants and the local
populations that welcome them, and all have the same right to enjoy the
goods of the earth, whose destination is universal, as the social
doctrine of the Church teaches. It is here that solidarity and sharing
are founded.”[9] These words evoke the biblical image of the new
Jerusalem. The book of the prophet Isaiah (chapter 60) and that of
Revelation (chapter 21) describe the city with its gates always open to
people of every nation, who marvel at it and fill it with riches. Peace
is the sovereign that guides it and justice the principle that governs
coexistence within it.<br />
<br />
We must also turn this contemplative gaze to the cities
where we live, “a gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in their houses,
in their streets and squares, […] fostering solidarity, fraternity, and
the desire for goodness, truth and justice”[10] – in other words,
fulfilling the promise of peace.<br />
<br />
When we turn that gaze to migrants and refugees, we discover
that they do not arrive empty-handed. They bring their courage,
skills, energy and aspirations, as well as the treasures of their own
cultures; and in this way, they enrich the lives of the nations that
receive them. We also come to see the creativity, tenacity and spirit
of sacrifice of the countless individuals, families and communities
around the world who open their doors and hearts to migrants and
refugees, even where resources are scarce.<br />
A contemplative gaze should also guide the discernment of
those responsible for the public good, and encourage them to pursue
policies of welcome, “within the limits allowed by a correct
understanding of the common good”[11] – bearing in mind, that is, the
needs of all members of the human family and the welfare of each.<br />
<br />
Those who see things in this way will be able to recognize
the seeds of peace that are already sprouting and nurture their growth.
Our cities, often divided and polarized by conflicts regarding the
presence of migrants and refugees, will thus turn into workshops of
peace.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>4. Four mileposts for action</b><br />
Offering asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and victims of
human trafficking an opportunity to find the peace they seek requires a
strategy combining four actions: welcoming, protecting, promoting and
integrating.[12]<br />
<br />
“Welcoming” calls for expanding legal pathways for entry and
no longer pushing migrants and displaced people towards countries where
they face persecution and violence. It also demands balancing our
concerns about national security with concern for fundamental human
rights. Scripture reminds us: “Do not forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels
without knowing it.”[13]<br />
<br />
“Protecting” has to do with our duty to recognize and defend
the inviolable dignity of those who flee real dangers in search of
asylum and security, and to prevent their being exploited. I think in
particular of women and children who find themselves in situations that
expose them to risks and abuses that can even amount to enslavement.
God does not discriminate: “The Lord watches over the foreigner and
sustains the orphan and the widow.”[14]<br />
<br />
“Promoting” entails supporting the integral human
development of migrants and refugees. Among many possible means of
doing so, I would stress the importance of ensuring access to all levels
of education for children and young people. This will enable them not
only to cultivate and realize their potential, but also better equip
them to encounter others and to foster a spirit of dialogue rather than
rejection or confrontation. The Bible teaches that God “loves the
foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you
are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners
in Egypt.”[15]<br />
<br />
“Integrating”, lastly, means allowing refugees and migrants
to participate fully in the life of the society that welcomes them, as
part of a process of mutual enrichment and fruitful cooperation in
service of the integral human development of the local community. Saint
Paul expresses it in these words: “You are no longer foreigners and
strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people.”[16]<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>5. A proposal for two international compacts</b><br />
It is my heartfelt hope this spirit will guide the process
that in the course of 2018 will lead the United Nations to draft and
approve two Global Compacts, one for safe, orderly and regular migration
and the other for refugees. As shared agreements at a global level,
these compacts will provide a framework for policy proposals and
practical measures. For this reason, they need to be inspired by
compassion, foresight and courage, so as to take advantage of every
opportunity to advance the peace-building process. Only in this way can
the realism required of international politics avoid surrendering to
cynicism and to the globalization of indifference.<br />
<br />
Dialogue and coordination are a necessity and a specific
duty for the international community. Beyond national borders, higher
numbers of refugees may be welcomed – or better welcomed – also by less
wealthy countries, if international cooperation guarantees them the
necessary funding.<br />
<br />
The Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for
Promoting Integral Human Development has published a set of twenty
action points that provide concrete leads for implementing these four
verbs in public policy and in the attitudes and activities of Christian
communities.[17] The aim of this and other contributions is to express
the interest of the Catholic Church in the process leading to the
adoption of the two U.N. Global Compacts. This interest is the sign of a
more general pastoral concern that goes back to very origins of Church
and has continued in her many works up to the present time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>6. For our common home</b><br />
Let us draw inspiration from the words of Saint John Paul
II: “If the ‘dream’ of a peaceful world is shared by all, if the
refugees’ and migrants’ contribution is properly evaluated, then
humanity can become more and more a universal family and our earth a
true ‘common home’.”[18] Throughout history, many have believed in this
“dream”, and their achievements are a testament to the fact that it is
no mere utopia.<br />
<br />
Among these, we remember Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in
this year that marks the hundredth anniversary of her death. On this
thirteenth day of November, many ecclesial communities celebrate her
memory. This remarkable woman, who devoted her life to the service of
migrants and became their patron saint, taught us to welcome, protect,
promote and integrate our brothers and sisters. Through her
intercession, may the Lord enable all of us to experience that “a
harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”[19]<br />
<br />
From the Vatican, 13 November 2017<br />
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patroness of Migrants</div>
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 11/26/2017<i> </i> </li>
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<span itemprop="description" style="color: #274e13;">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span><span style="color: #274e13;">▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - comtemplation </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">kon-t<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span> m-<span class="dbox-bold">pley</span>-sh<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span> n</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1585-95;</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">contemplātus</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">past</span> <span class="oneClick-link">participle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">contemplāre,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">contemplārī</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">survey,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">observe,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">con-</span> </span> con- + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">templ(um</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">space</span> <span class="oneClick-link">marked</span> <span class="oneClick-link">off</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">augural</span> <span class="oneClick-link">observation,</span> temple<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span>+ <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">-ātus</span> </span> -ate<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span></span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available"></span> <br />
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<b><span class="dbox-pg">noun</span></b> <br />
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<span class="def-number">1.</span> the act of contemplating; thoughtful observation. <span class="def-number"></span>
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> full or deep consideration; reflection: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> religious contemplation.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> purpose or intention. <span class="def-number"></span>
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prospect or expectation<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Reading 1, Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17</h2>
11 "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.<br />
12 As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered
sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever
they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness.<br />
15 I myself shall pasture my sheep, I myself shall give them rest -- declares the Lord Yahweh.<br />
16 I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the
injured and make the sick strong. I shall watch over the fat and
healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.<br />
17 "As for you, my sheep, the Lord Yahweh says this: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms - </span>Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6</h2>
1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.<br />
2 In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me<br />
3 to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.<br />
5 You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.<br />
6 Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i>First Corinthians 15:20-26, 28</h2>
20 In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.<br />
21 As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead.<br />
22 Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life;<br />
23 but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him.<br />
24 After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to
God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force
and power.<br />
25 For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool,<br />
26 and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet.<br />
28 When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will
be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that
God may be all in all.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><i>Matthew 25:31-46</i></h2>
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Lectio Divina: </div>
<span class="date-display-single">Sunday, November 26, 2017</span> </div>
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<i>Jesus identifies Himself with the least of His brethren <br />The criterion for entering the Realm <br />Mt 25:31-46</i></div>
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<b>1. Opening prayer</b><br />
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Spirit of truth, sent by Jesus to guide
us to the whole truth, enlighten our minds so that we may understand the
Scriptures. You who overshadowed Mary and made her fruitful ground
where the Word of God could germinate, purify our hearts from all
obstacles to the Word. Help us to learn like her to listen with good and
pure hearts to the Word that God speaks to us in life and in Scripture,
so that we may observe the Word and produce good fruit through our
perseverance.</div>
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<b>2. Reading</b><br />
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<b>a) The context: </b></div>
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Our text is part of a long
eschatological discourse (Mt 24:1-25, 46) given by Jesus on the Mount of
Olives to His disciples privately (Mt 24:3). The discourse begins with
the proclamation of the destruction of Jerusalem in order to speak of
the end of the world. The two events become confused as though they were
one. This part of the discourse ends with the coming of the Son of man
with great power and glory. He will send His angels to gather His elect
(Mt 24:30-31). Here the chronological flow of the events proclaimed is
interrupted by the insertion of some parables on the need to watch so as
not to be caught by surprise at the coming of the Son of man (Mt
24:24-25,30). The eschatological discourse comes to its literary and
theological peak in our text. This text ties up with (Mt 24:30-31) and
speaks once more of the coming of the Son of man accompanied by His
angels. The gathering of the elect here takes the form of a final
judgment.</div>
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<b>b) The text: </b></div>
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When the Son of man comes in His glory,
escorted by all the angels, then He will take His seat on His throne of
glory. All nations will be assembled before Him and He will separate
people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He
will place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left. Then
the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you whom my Father
has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since
the foundation of the world. For
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you
clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me."
Then the upright will say to Him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a
stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did
we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?" And the King will
answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the
least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." </div>
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<br />
Then He will say
to those on His left hand, "Go away from me, with your curse upon you,
to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and His angels. For I was
hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never gave me
anything to drink, I was a stranger and you never made me welcome,
lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you
never visited me." Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when did we
see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in
prison, and did not come to your help?" Then He will answer, "In truth I
tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of
these, you neglected to do it to me." And they will go away to eternal
punishment, and the upright to eternal life.</div>
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<b>3. A moment of prayerful silence</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
so that the Word of God may enter into us and enlighten our life.</div>
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<br /></div>
<b>4. Some questions</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
to help us in our personal reflection.</div>
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a) Which criterion does Jesus use for the separation? <br />
b) Who are the least of the brethren with whom Jesus identifies Himself? <br />
c) How did Jesus, in His life, show preference for the least? <br />
d) Who are the least of Jesus’ brethren that I meet? <br />
e) Am I capable of seeing, loving and serving Jesus in them?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b>5. A key to the reading</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
for those who wish to go deeper into the text.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>● The Son of man: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Son of man is a Semitic expression
that simply means a human being (see for instance the parallelism
between "man" and "son of man" in Psalm 8:5). The book of Ezekiel often
uses this term with this meaning when God addresses Himself to the
prophet as "son of man" (Mt 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3: 1, 2, 4, 10, 16+) in order
to emphasize the distance between God who is transcendent and the
prophet who is but a man. However, in Daniel 7:13-14 the expression
acquires a special meaning. The prophet sees "coming on the clouds of
heaven, one like a son of man" who receives from God "sovereignty, glory
and kingship". This text is still talking of a human being, however,
who is introduced into the sphere of God. The text has been interpreted
both in a personal and a collective sense, but always in a messianic
sense. Thus, whether we are dealing with one person or with all of the
People of God, the Son of man is the Messiah who gives rise to the Realm
of God, an eternal and universal realm. <br />
The application of the term
"Son of man" to Jesus as it is used in Daniel 7:13-14 is very common in
the Gospels. We also find it in Acts 7:56 and the Apocalypse 1:13 and
14:14. Scholars think that Jesus gave Himself this title. In the Gospel
of Matthew this term is attributed to Jesus especially when He speaks of
His passion (Mt 17:12, 22; 20:18, 28)), His resurrection as an
eschatological event (Mt 17: 19; 26:64) and His glorious return (Mt
24:30 and 25:31, the beginning of our text).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>● Jesus king, judge and shepherd: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Matthew also gives Jesus the title of
king (Mt 1:23; 13:41; 16:28; 20:21). The kingship of God is a theme very
dear to the Bible. Because Jesus is the Son of God, He rules together
with the Father. In our text, the king is Jesus, but He exercises His
royal power in close relationship with the Father. The elect are
"blessed of my Father" and the realm to which they are invited is the
realm prepared for them by God, as the passive form of the verb
indicates. This form of the verb, called the divine passive, is often
found in the Bible and always has God as its implicit subject. In this
text, the realm points to eternal life. <br />
In Daniel 7 (see especially
verses 22, 26 and 27) and in our text, the royal status of the Son of
man is connected with the judgment. The king, especially in ancient
times, was always considered the supreme judge. The judgment that Jesus
exercises is a universal judgment, a judgment that involves all peoples
(see v.32). And yet it is not a collective judgment. It is not the
peoples that are judged but individual persons. <br />
In the same way, the
pastoral symbolism is connected with royal status. In ancient times,
the king was often presented as shepherd of his people. The Old
Testament also speaks of God, king of Israel, as shepherd (see for
instance Psalm 23, Is 40:11; Ez 34) and the New Testament applies the
title to Jesus (Mt 9:36; 26:31; Jn 10) as well. The shepherds of the
Holy Land, in the time of Jesus, shepherded mixed flocks of sheep and
goats. However, at night they were separated because sheep sleep in the
open while goats prefer to sleep under shelter. In our text the sheep
represent the elect because of their valuation over goats and because of
their white color that often stands for salvation in the Bible.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>● The least of my brethren: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Traditionally, this Gospel passage was
interpreted to mean that Jesus identified Himself with the poor and
marginalized. Jesus will judge everyone, and especially those who have
not had the chance to know His Gospel, according to the mercy they have
shown towards the needy. All have the opportunity to welcome or reject
him, if not personally, at least in the person of the needy with whom
Jesus identifies Himself. <br />
Modern exegesis tends to read the text in a
more ecclesiastical sense. It is placed next to Matthew 10:40-42 and
exegetes insist that it is not a question of philanthropy but of a
response to the Gospel of the Realm that is spread by Jesus’ brethren,
even the most insignificant of them, and not only by the leaders of the
Church. <br />
The nations (the pagans) are therefore invited to welcome
the disciples of Jesus who preach the Gospel to them and suffer for its
sake, as if they were welcoming Jesus Himself. Christians, on their
part, are invited to practice generous hospitality towards their
brothers who are itinerant preachers of the Gospel and who suffer
persecution (see 2Jn 5-8). In this manner, they would show the
authenticity of their commitment as disciples. <br />
In the context of
Matthew’s Gospel, this latter interpretation is probably more accurate.
However, in the context of the whole of the Bible (see for instance Is
58:7; Jer 2:1-9; 1Jn 3:16-19) the first interpretation cannot be set
aside entirely.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b>6. Psalm 72</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Messiah-King promotes justice and peace </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Give the king thy justice, <br />
O God, and thy righteousness to the royal son! <br />
May He judge thy people with righteousness, <br />
and thy poor with justice!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, <br />
and the hills, in righteousness! <br />
May He defend the cause of the poor of the people, <br />
give deliverance to the needy, <br />
and crush the oppressor! <br />
May He live while the sun endures, <br />
and as long as the moon, <br />
throughout all generations!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
May He be like rain that falls on the mown grass, <br />
like showers that water the earth! <br />
In His days may righteousness flourish, <br />
and peace abound, till the moon be no more! <br />
May He have dominion from sea to sea, <br />
and from the River to the ends of the earth!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
May His foes bow down before Him, <br />
and His enemies lick the dust! <br />
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render Him tribute, <br />
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! <br />
May all kings fall down before Him, <br />
all nations serve Him!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For He delivers the needy when He calls, <br />
the poor and Him who has no helper. <br />
He has pity on the weak and the needy, <br />
and saves the lives of the needy. <br />
From oppression and violence He redeems their life; <br />
and precious is their blood in His sight.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Long may He live, may gold of Sheba be given to Him! <br />
May prayer be made for Him continually, <br />
and blessings invoked for Him all the day! <br />
May there be abundance of grain in the land; <br />
on the tops of the mountains may it wave; <br />
may its fruit be like Lebanon; <br />
and may men blossom forth from the cities like the grass of the field! <br />
May His name endure for ever, <br />
His fame continue as long as the sun! <br />
May men bless themselves by Him, <br />
all nations call Him blessed!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, <br />
who alone does wondrous things. <br />
Blessed be His glorious name for ever; <br />
may His glory fill the whole earth! Amen and Amen!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b>7. Closing prayer</b><br />
Lord God, you have set Jesus, your Son,
to be universal king and judge. He will come at the end of time to judge
all the nations. He comes to us every day in a thousand ways and asks
us to welcome Him. We meet Him in the Word and in the broken bread. But
we also meet Him in our broken brothers and sisters, disfigured by
hunger, oppression, injustice, sickness and the stigma of our society.
Open our hearts that we may welcome Him today in our lives so that we
may be welcomed by Him in the eternity of His realm. <br />
We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen<span class="date-display-single">Sunday, November 19, 2016</span> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Parable of the Talents<br />
To live in a responsible way<br />
Matthew 25:14-30</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>1. Opening prayer </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, and above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in ur midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b>2. Reading </b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>a) The division of the text to help in the reading:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Matthew 2</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
<i> </i> </div>
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<b style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Day: </b><b>Feast of Christ the King</b></h2>
<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
</h2>
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</h2>
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</h3>
<br />
<b>Feast Day</b>: Last Sunday in November<i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBzC5m2JQe5xtnpQuBJdxnN6hgbGBzEhFrdS6DhQBMeYTTuDE7Kluodzvm3xcZJoffxoI83WIiSdmqpSGKsVLjDgIWVK5Eej8qfD3tDF-cl7hz-QRZrIpcV5pKTwUkaBF5Z3pWuGtyDAU/s1600/ChristKing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBzC5m2JQe5xtnpQuBJdxnN6hgbGBzEhFrdS6DhQBMeYTTuDE7Kluodzvm3xcZJoffxoI83WIiSdmqpSGKsVLjDgIWVK5Eej8qfD3tDF-cl7hz-QRZrIpcV5pKTwUkaBF5Z3pWuGtyDAU/s1600/ChristKing.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Feast of Christ the King</b> (in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, properly the <b>Solemnity of Christ the King</b>)
is a relatively recent addition to the western liturgical calendar,
having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In 1970, its observance
was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and adopted by Anglicans,
Lutherans, and many other Protestants along with the new Revised Common
Lectionary, as well as by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Origin_and_history_in_the_Catholic_Church">Origin and history in the Catholic Church</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his 1925 encyclical letter <i>Quas Primas,</i> in response to growing nationalism and secularism<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup> and in the context of the unresolved Roman Question.
The title of the feast was "D. N. Jesu Christi Regis" (Our Lord Jesus
Christ the King), and the date was "the last Sunday of the month of
October - the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> In Pope John XXIII's 1960 revision
of the Calendar, the date and title remained the same and, in the new
simpler ranking of feasts, it was classified as a feast of the first
class.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
his 1969 motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis, Pope Paul VI
gave the celebration a new title: "D. N. Iesu Christi universorum
Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also gave it a
new date: the last Sunday in the liturgical year, before a new year
begins with the First Sunday in Advent, the earliest date for which is
24 November. Through this choice of date "the eschatological importance
of this Sunday is made clearer".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup> He assigned to it the highest rank, that of "Solemnity".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As happens with all Sundays whose liturgies are replaced by those of important feasts,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup>
the prayers of the Sunday on which the celebration of Christ the King
falls are used on the ferias (weekdays) of the following week. The
Sunday liturgy is thus not totally omitted.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In 2013, this feast day falls on November 24.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup> The liturgical vestments for the day are colored white or gold, in keeping with other joyous feasts honoring Christ.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
</h3>
<ol class="references" style="text-align: justify;">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great calendar</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="reference-text">Encyclical <i>Quas Primas</i>, 28</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="reference-text"><i>Calendarium Romanum</i> (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text">motu proprio <i>Mysterii Paschalis</i></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text">Examples are Pentecost
and Trinity Sunday. Indeed before the reform of Pope Pius X most
Sundays gave way to any feast that had the rank of Double, and these
were the majority (Missale Romanum, published by Pustet, 1862)</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2013.</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b><span style="color: black;"></span>History of Advent</b> </h2>
<div style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKH7fdQNkBk/UL5YJ-ryvBI/AAAAAAAAF50/HeVlJFYANsQ/s1600/3adorati%5B1%5D.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKH7fdQNkBk/UL5YJ-ryvBI/AAAAAAAAF50/HeVlJFYANsQ/s200/3adorati%5B1%5D.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advent Preparing for Christ's birth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">According
to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday
nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and
embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November,
and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving
the season only twenty-one days. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished
</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span style="color: black;">to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: black;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Symbolism</span></h2>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">To
attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season.
In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in
the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come",
"the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow".
As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the
prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the
house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten
their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of
His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming
Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the
Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three
Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on
fasting and almsdeeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and
on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaiah 11:1,
which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of
the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the
coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined
with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the
enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat
on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the
Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on
the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to
illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the
Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the
Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that,
since the Redeemer
is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the
armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the
Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the
name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord,
so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep
their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass
judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden
in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory;
of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the
Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert,
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in
spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as
though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says:
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;">We
are not dryly exhorted to profit by that blessed event, but we are
daily made to sigh with the Fathers of old, "Send down the dew, ye
heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth
be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer." The Collects on three of the
four Sundays of that season begin with the words, "Lord, raise up thy
power and come" — as though we feared our iniquities would prevent His
being born. </span></blockquote>
</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Duration and ritual</span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">On
every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be
said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what
grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the <i>Te Deum</i>, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the <i>Gloria in excelsis</i> is not said. The <i>Alleluia</i>,
however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony
(Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition
binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred
ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in
place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The
subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon
exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left
shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the
Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (<i>Gaudete</i>
Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet
ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may
also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth
Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was
the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into
use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says
that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent.
Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during
the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the
same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ.
The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four
thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the
coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. </span><br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Historical origin</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">
It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the
celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The
preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held
before the feast itself existed,
and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century,
when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it
was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by
others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a
synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from
the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should
be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St.
Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he
makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a
copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius,
Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation
before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no
general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod
held (581) at Mâcon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the
eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according
to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The
Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were
reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of
homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the
second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with
five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting
to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of
November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal
equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek
Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than
the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the
feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of
this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a
liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15
November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to
seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast
according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the
rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the
Mozarabic Riterites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the
fast.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<ul>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaauthor">Mershman, Francis.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Advent."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 1.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1907.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Dec. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01165a.htm>.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21" style="text-align: justify;"><span id="mlaurl"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation" id="CITEREFMiles">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions, their history and significance</i>, p. 112, ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3</span>.</span> </span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<h2 style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<b>Today's Snippet I</b>I<b>: </b><b>Tradition of the Advent Wreath</b> </h2>
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<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="167" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Wichern_Adventskranz_originated_from_Germany.jpg/220px-Wichern_Adventskranz_originated_from_Germany.jpg" width="220" />
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Advent Wreath as designed by Wichern</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Advent wreath</b>, or <b>Advent crown</b>,
is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks
of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent
Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice, albeit it has spread to
many other Christian denominations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29_1-0">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Carl_Seaburg_3-0">[3]</sup>
It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles
and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the
First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a
Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each
subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four
candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle
which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CRI_4-0">[4]</sup> The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services.</div>
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h2>
The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with
candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity.
The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the
evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the
midst of winter. Some sources suggest the wreath—now reinterpreted as a
Christian symbol—was in common use in the Middle Ages, others that it
was established in Germany as a Christian custom only in the 16th
century.<br />
<br />
Other evidence suggests that the Advent wreath
was not invented until the 19th century. Research by Prof. Haemig of
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern
(1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban
mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath.
During Advent, children at the mission school <i>Rauhes Haus</i>, founded by Wichern in Hamburg,
would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large
wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large
white candles. A small candle was lit successively every weekday during
Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained
ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller
wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in
Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it
spread to North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[5]</sup>
Professor Haemig's research also indicates that the custom did not
reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran
immigrants.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Medieval times advent was a fast during which people's thoughts
were directed to the expected second coming of Christ; but in modern
times it has been seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context
Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the approach of the feast. More
recently, some Eastern Orthodox families have adopted an Advent wreath
with six candles symbolizing the longer Christmas fast in Orthodox
tradition, which corresponds to Advent in Western Christianity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[6]</sup></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Forms_of_the_Advent_wreath">Forms of the Advent wreath</span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 222px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="215" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/AdventCandles.jpg/220px-AdventCandles.jpg" width="220" />
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<div class="thumbcaption">
Advent wreath with purple and rose candles</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Catholic churches, the most popular colours for the Advent candles
are violet and rose, corresponding with the colors of the liturgical
vestments for the Sundays of Advent. In the Western church,
Violet is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays
of Advent: Violet is the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose
is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday
from the Latin word meaning "to rejoice"--also from the first line of
the traditional entrance prayer (called the Introit) for the Mass of the
third Sunday of Advent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[7]</sup> Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday, as a pause to the penitential spirit of Advent <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[8]</sup></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles
(reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose
vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches.
Blue is also a popular alternative color for both Advent vestments
and Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches.
This is in keeping with the liturgical seasons; blue means hope and
waiting, which aligns with the seasonal meaning of Advent. Other
variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to
symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be
lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas
Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church. Four
red candles with one white one is probably the most common arrangement
in Protestant churches in Britain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[9]</sup></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div class="refbegin references-column-width" style="-moz-column-width: 60em; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-Presbyterian_Church_.28U.S.A..29-1"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Peter C. Bower. <i>The Companion to the Book of Common Worship</i>. Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "It apparently emanated from the Lutheran tradition, but it has been appropriated by almost all other traditions."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-John_Trigilio.2C_Kenneth_Brighenti-2"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">John Trigilio, Kenneth Brighenti. <i>The Catholicism Answer Book: The 300 Most Frequently Asked Questions</i>. Sourcebooks<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "Historically, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom dating back three hundred years ago."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-Carl_Seaburg-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Carl Seaburg. <i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i>. Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>. "The use of an Advent Wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany."</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Dennis Bratcher. <i>The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope</i>. Christian Research Institute. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2010-12-02</span>.
"Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as
the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over
the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized."</span></span><span class="reference-text"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title=" since December 2011"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"> </a></i></span></sup></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Johann Hinrich Wichern biography (in German)". Medienwerkstatt-online.de. 2008-01-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">Orthodoxy Today. 2010-02-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"What Color is Lent?". Adoremus.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-12-20</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text">BBC News, "Christian celebration of Advent" (<i>BBC Mobile</i>, 16 November 2010, accessed December 19, 2010).</span></li>
</ol>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s1600/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UqR8Dl4Vxg/UDD7udqXOYI/AAAAAAAABoM/ArxWWMyLrJU/s320/sacred-heart-of-jesus-badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span itemprop="description">●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬</span>▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
<blockquote>
We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
</ol>
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
<br />
The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
</ul>
The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
</ul>
The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
</div>
</div>
<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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</div>
The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-after: avoid; page-break-before: always; widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 2, Chapter 6</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">THE
TRIALS OF THE QUEEN IN THE TEMPLE AND THE DEATH OF HER PARENTS</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
We left our sovereign Princess, most
holy Mary, passing the years of her childhood in the temple, while we
made a diversion to speak of the virtues, gifts and divine
revelations, which She, a child in years but an adult in supreme
wisdom, received from the hand of the Most High and which She put to
practical use in her life. The most holy Child grew in age and grace
before God and men but always in such a proportion, that zeal
exceeded the powers of nature, and that grace was measured not by her
age, but by the beneficent designs and high purposes of the Divinity,
whose impetuous currents sought their gathering–place and
resting–place in this City of God. The Most High continued his
gifts and favors, renewing every hour the marvels of his powerful
arm, as if all its activity were reserved solely for most holy Mary.
And so well did her Majesty correspond in her tender age to this
divine influx, that She filled the heart of the Lord with a perfect
and adequate complacency, and all the angels of heaven with
admiration. The celestial spirits were witnesses of something like a
wonderful strife and competition between the Most High and the child
Princess: the divine power, in order to enrich Her, daily drawing
from his treasures new and old blessings reserved solely for the
purest Mary, and She, as blessed earth, not only causing the seed of
the divine word to sprout and God’s gifts and favors to yield
fruit a hundredfold, as was the case with the saints; but exciting
the admiration of all the heavens that She, a tender child, should
exceed in love, thanksgiving, in praise and all virtues, the highest
and most ardent seraphim, without losing time, place, occasion, or
any service, in which She did not practice the highest possible
perfection.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Even in the years of her tender
infancy it was noticeable that She understood the Scriptures and She
spent much time in reading them. As She was full of wisdom She
conferred in her heart what She knew from the divine revelations made
to her own self, with what is revealed to all men in the holy
Scriptures; and therefore in her reading and private meditation She
sent up continual and fervent prayers and petitions for the
Redemption of the human race and for the incarnation of the Word. She
read more ordinarily from the prophets Isaias and Jeremias and from
the Psalms, because the mysteries of the Messias and the law of grace
are more plainly expressed and repeated in these writings. In
addition to what She herself understood and comprehended, She
extended her knowledge by asking deep and wonderful questions, and
proposing difficulties to the angels, and many times She spoke of the
mystery of the humanity of the Word with incomparable tenderness,
lovingly wondering, that He was to become an infant, that He was to
be born of a Virgin Mother, come to manhood, as other men, suffer,
and die for all the children of Adam.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In these conferences and questionings
the holy angels and seraphim gave their answers, illuminating Her,
confirming and inflaming Her virginal heart with new ardors of divine
love. But they always concealed from Her her own most high dignity,
although She many times offered Herself in profoundest humility as a
slave to the Lord and to the happy Mother, whom He was to select for
his birth into the world.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The Most High
resolved, that the plenitude of the graces and virtues of the
princess Mary should, as it were, anticipate the time set for
reaching the apex of her merits, and that they should extend to the
most difficult and magnanimous undertakings, as much as possible,
even in her most tender years. In one of the visions in which the
Majesty of God manifested Itself to Her, He said: “My Spouse
and my Dove, I love thee with an infinite love and I desire of thee
what is most pleasing in</span> <span lang="en-US">my eyes and the
fulfillment of all my desires. Thou art not unaware, my Daughter, of
the hidden treasure, which is contained in hardships and
tribulations, so much dreaded by the blind ignorance of mortals, nor
is it unknown to thee that my Onlybegotten, when He shall clothe
Himself in human nature, shall teach the way of the cross as well in
words as in deeds; that He shall leave it as a heritage to my chosen
ones; and that He shall choose it for Himself and establish upon it
the law of grace, making humility and patience in suffering the
foundation of the firmness and excellence of that law. For this is
best suited to the present condition of human nature, and much more
so, after it has been depraved and evilly inclined by so many sins.
It is also conformable to my equity and providence, that the mortals
should attain and merit for themselves the crown of glory through
hardships and the cross, since my onlybegotten Son is to merit it by
the same means in human flesh. Therefore, my Spouse, thou wilt
understand, that, having chosen thee by my right hand for my delight,
and having enriched thee with my gifts, it would not be just, that my
grace should be idle in thy heart, nor that thy love should want its
fruit, nor that thou shouldst be excluded from the inheritance of my
elect. Hence I wish that thou dispose thyself for tribulations and
sorrows for love of Me.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
To this proposal of the Most High the invincible
Princess Mary answered with a more courageous heart than all the
saints and martyrs have ever shown in the world; and She said: “Lord
God and my highest King, all my faculties and their operations, and
my being itself, which I have received of thy infinite bounty, I hold
in readiness as a sacrifice to thy divine pleasure, wishing that it
be fulfilled entirely according to the desires of thy infinite wisdom
and goodness. And if Thou give me any freedom of choice in regard to
anything, I wish only to choose suffering unto death in love for
Thee; and I beseech Thee, my only Good, that Thou make of thy slave a
sacrifice and holocaust of suffering acceptable in thy eves. I
acknowledge, Lord, powerful and most liberal God, my debt, and that
no creature owes to Thee so great a return, nor are all of them
together so much indebted to Thee as I alone, who am so entirely
unequal to the task of discharging this indebtedness to thy
magnificence. But if Thou wilt admit suffering as a sort of return,
let all the sorrows and tribulations of death come over me. I will
only ask for thy divine protection, and, prostrate before the throne
of thy infinite Majesty, I supplicate Thee not to forsake me.
Remember, 0 my Lord, the faithful promises, which Thou hast made to
our Ancestors and Prophets, that Thou wilt favor the just, stand by
those who are in tribulation, console the afflicted, be a protection
and a defense to them in their tribulations. True are thy words,
infallible and certain are thy promises; the heavens and the earth
shall sooner fall to pieces than that thy words should ever fail. The
malice of the creature cannot extinguish thy charity toward those
that hope in thy mercy; fulfill in me thy holy and perfect will.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The Most High accepted this morning offering from
his tender Spouse and holy child Mary, and with a most benign
countenance He said to Her: “Beautiful art thou in thy
thoughts, Daughter of the Prince, my Dove, my beloved and chosen One.
I accept thy desires as highly pleasing to me and I wish that as a
beginning of their fulfillment thou take notice, that according to my
divine ordainment, thy father Joachim must pass from this mortal to
the eternal and immortal life. His death will happen shortly and He
will pass in peace and shall be placed among the saints in limbo, to
await the Redemption of the human race.” This announcement did
not disturb the royal heart of the Princess of heaven, the blessed
Mary; but as the love of children for their parents is a just debt of
nature, and as in this most holy Child this love had attained its
highest perfection, the natural sorrow for the loss of her father
Joachim could not be wanting, for She loved him with a holy love. The
tender and sweet Child therefore felt, that this sorrowful compassion
was perfectly compatible with the serenity of her magnanimous heart,
and, working in all things with grandeur, giving nature and grace
each their due, She offered an ardent prayer for her father saint
Joachim. She besought the Lord to give him grace to depend upon Him
as his powerful and true God in his transit through a blessed death;
and asked Him to defend Joachim against the demon especially in that
hour, preserve him for and constitute him among the number of the
elect, since during his life He had confessed and magnified his
admirable and holy name. And in order to oblige his Majesty the more,
the most faithful Daughter offered to suffer all that the Lord might
ordain.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The Lord accepted this petition and
consoled the heavenly Child by assuring Her, that He would assist her
father as a most merciful and kind Rewarder of those that love and
serve Him, and that He would place him among the Patriarchs Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. At the same time He prepared Her anew for the
acceptance and endurance of troubles. Eight days before the death of
the Patriarch Joachim the most holy Mary received another notice from
the Lord, advising Her of the day and hour in which He was to die.
His death took place only six months after Her entrance into the
temple. Having received this notice from the Lord, She requested the
twelve angels, mentioned by saint John in the Apocalypse, to assist
her father Joachim and to comfort and console Him his sickness, which
they did. For the last hours of his life She sent all the angels of
her guard asking the Lord, to make them visible to him for his
greater consolation. God conceded this favor and confirmed all the
wishes of his chosen and only One; and the great patriarch, most
happy Joachim, saw the thousand angels which guarded Mary. In
response to her prayer and wishes the Almighty allowed his graces to
overflow, commanding the angels to address Joachim as follows:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Man of God,
may the Most High and powerful Lord be thy eternal salvation and may
He send thee from his holy place the necessary and opportune help for
thy soul. Mary thy Daughter has sent us in order to assist thee in
this hour, in which thou must pay the debt of</span><span lang="en-GB">
</span><span lang="en-US">mortality to thy Creator. She is a most
faithful and powerful Intercessor before the Almighty. in whose name
and peace thou wilt now pass consoled and joyous from this world,
because He has made thee the father of such a blessed Daughter.
Although his incomprehensible Majesty, on account of his hidden
decrees, has not as yet revealed the sacraments and dignity, in which
He shall invest thy Daughter, He wishes thee to know it now in order
that thou mayest magnify and praise Him, and in order that the pain
and sorrow of natural death may</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-US">be
relieved by the joy of thy spirit at this news. Mary, thy Daughter,
is chosen and ordained by the Almighty as the One, in whom the divine
Word shall vest Himself with human flesh and form. She is to be the
happy Mother of the Messias and the Blessed among women, the most
exalted among all creatures, and only inferior to God himself. Thy
most fortunate Daughter is to restore what the human race lost by the
first sin, and She is the high mountain on which is to be established
and constructed the new law of grace. Since thou leavest to the world
a Daughter, through whom God will restore it and prepare a full
remedy, do thou part from it in the joy of thy soul, and may the Lord
bless thee from Sion (Psalm 127, 5) and constitute thee in the
inheritance of the saints and bring thee to the vision and enjoyment
of the blessed Jerusalem.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
During these words of the holy angels
to Joachim, his spouse, holy Anne, stood at the head of his bed and
by divine disposition She heard and understood what they said. In the
same moment the holy patriarch lost the use of speech and, treading
into the path common to all flesh, he commenced his agony in a
marvelous struggle between his joy at this message and the pain of
death. In this conflict of the interior powers of his soul he made
many fervent acts of divine love, of faith, of admiration, of praise,
of thanksgiving, of humility and heroic acts of many other virtues.
Thus absorbed in the knowledge of so divine a mystery, he arrived at
the term of his natural life and died the precious death of the
saints (Psalm 115, 15). His holy soul was carried by the angels to
the limbo of the Patriarchs and just souls and, for a new consolation
and light in the protracted night in which they lived, the Most High
sent the soul of Joachim as the last messenger and legate of the Lord
to announce to the whole congregation of the just that the dawn of
the eternal day was at hand; that the morning light was breaking upon
the world in most holy Mary, Daughter of Joachim and Anne; that from
Her was to be brought forth the Sun of the Divinity, Christ, the
Redeemer of all the human race. This great news the holy fathers and
the just in limbo heard and received with jubilee and in their
exultation they sang many hymns of thanksgiving to the Most High.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The first affliction, which our
Princess suffered, was that the Lord suspended the continual visions,
which He had so far vouchsafed Her. So much the greater was the
sorrow occasioned Her thereby, in proportion as it was a new and
unaccustomed experience and in proportion as the treasure thus
withdrawn was high and precious. Also the holy angels concealed
themselves from Her, and at the withdrawal from her sight of so many,
so excellent and heavenly beings, which took place all at once
(although they did not cease to surround Her invisibly for her
protection), that most pure Soul seemed to Herself entirely forsaken
and left alone in the dark night occasioned by the absence of her
Beloved.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
It was a great surprise to our little
Queen; for the Lord, though He had in general prepared Her for the
coming of tribulations, had not specified their nature. And as the
innocent heart of the most simple Dove harbored no thoughts, and
entertained no practical conclusions except such as were conformable
to her humility and incomparable love, She explained all according to
this same light. In her humility She began to think, that She had not
merited the further presence and possession of the lost Good on
account of her ingratitude; and in her inflamed love She sighed and
yearned after It with such great and loving affection and sorrow,
that there are no words to express them. She turned with her whole
soul to the Lord in this new state and said to Him:</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
“<span lang="en-US">Highest God
and Lord of all creation, infinite in bounty and rich in mercies, I
confess, my Lord, that such a vile creature cannot merit thy favors
and my soul in utmost sorrow reproaches itself with its own
ingratitude and with the loss of thy friendship. If my ingratitude
has eclipsed the Sun, which vivified, animated and illumined me, and
if I have been remiss in giving thanks for the great benefits, I
acknowledge, my Lord and Shepherd, the sin of my great negligence.
If, like an ignorant and simple little sheep, I did not know how to
be thankful and do what is most acceptable in thy eyes, see me
prostrate on the earth, adhering to the dust, in order to be raised
from my poverty and destitution by Thee, my God, who dwellest on
high. Thy powerful hands have formed me (Job 10, 8), and Thou canst
not be ignorant of our composition (Psalm 102, 14) and in what kind
of a vase Thou has placed thy treasures. My soul wastes away in
bitterness (Psalm 30, 11); and in thy absence, since Thou art its
sweetest life none but Thou can restore its drooping life. To whom
shall I go in thy absence? Whither shall I turn my eyes without
having light to direct them? Who shall console me when all is
affliction? Who shall preserve me from death, when there is no life
left?”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
She also turned toward the angels and continued
without ceasing in her loving complaints, saying to them: “Celestial
Princes, ambassadors of the great and highest King and most faithful
friends of my soul: why have you also left me? Why do also you
deprive me of your sweet countenances and deny me your interactions?
But I do not wonder, my lords, at your displeasure, if through my
unthankfulness I have merited to fall into the disgrace of your and
my Creator. Lights of the heavens, enlighten me in my ignorance in
this matter, and if I have been at fault, correct me and obtain again
for me the pardon of my Lord. Most noble courtiers of the celestial
Jerusalem have pity on my sorrow and dereliction: tell me where is my
Beloved; tell me where He has hidden Himself (Cant. 3, 3). Tell me
where I can find Him without wandering about, (Cant. 1, 6) and
without going through the gatherings of all the creatures. But woe to
me, for you do not answer, though you are so courteous and well know
the hiding–place of my Spouse, since He never withdraws his
face and his beauty from your sight!”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Thereupon She turned toward all the rest of
creation and in continual anxieties of her love She spoke to them and
said: “Without doubt you also, being thankful, and being armed
against all the ungrateful, are exasperated against her, who was
ungrateful. But even if by the goodness of the Lord you permit me to
remain in your midst, although I am so vile, you cannot thereby
satisfy my longings. Very beautiful and extensive are ye. 0 heavens;
beautiful and refulgent are the planets and all the stars; great and
mighty are the elements, the earth is adorned and clothed in the
perfumed plants and herbs, innumerable are the fishes of the waters,
admirable are the elevations of the sea, (Psalm 92, 4), swift are the
birds in their feathery weight, hidden are the minerals, courageous
are the animals in their strength, and all of these together serve as
a gradual ascent and in a sweet harmony teach the way to my Beloved:
yet they are but circuitous paths for one that loves Him, and if I
course swiftly over them I find myself at the end absent from my
blessedness. For with the measured approach of these creatures to his
unmeasurable bounty, my flight is not content, my sorrow is not
allayed, my pains are unrelieved, my anguish increases, my desires
are augmented, my heart is more inflamed and faints away in the
unsatiating love of mere earthly things.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The dragon, though seeing her courage
and constancy, and though feeling the force of the divine assistance,
knew nothing of the hidden wisdom and prudence of our sovereign
Queen. Nevertheless he persisted in his pride and besieged the City
of God in diverse ways and several kinds of warfare. The astute enemy
during this warfare often changed his engines of war, but his
machinery was like the sting of a weak hornet against a diamond, or
adamantine wall. Our Princess was that strong woman (Prov. 31, 11) on
whom the heart of her husband confidently relied, without the least
anxiety lest his desires should be frustrated in Her. Her adornments
were fortitude (Prov. 31, 25) which filled Her with beauty, and her
vestments were purity and charity, which served Her as a helmet. The
unclean and proud serpent could not look upon this Creature without
being blinded anew in the fury of his confusion; therefore he
resolved to take away her life, and the horde of malignant spirits
began to exert their utmost powers toward this end. In this attempt
they spent some time, but with just as little success.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The knowledge of this hidden mystery
caused in me great wonder especially when I considered the extremes,
to which the fury of Lucifer was allowed to proceed against the most
holy Mary in her tender years and when I beheld the hidden and
vigilant defense and protection of the Most High. I saw how attentive
the Lord was toward his chosen and only One among creatures; and I
saw at the same time all hell lashed into fury against Her and
exerting against Her in fullest indignation such a wrath as had never
till then been exerted against any other creature; and I saw the
facility with which God neutralizes the infernal power and
astuteness. 0 more than unhappy Lucifer! How much greater is thy
pride and arrogance than thy strength! (Isaias 16, 6)</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
After the most holy Virgin had
successfully fought these secret temptations and battles, the serpent
instituted a new conflict by means of creatures. For this purpose he
secretly kindled the sparks of envy and emulation against the most
holy Mary in the hearts of her maiden companions of the temple. This
contagion was much the harder to counteract, as it arose from the
punctuality with which our heavenly Princess distinguished Herself in
the practice of all virtues, growing in wisdom and grace before God
and man. For where the prodding of ambition is, the very light of
virtue darkens and blinds the judgment, and at last enkindles the
flames of envy. The dragon through his secret suggestions persuaded
these simple maidens, that the light of this sun. most holy Mary,
would obscure them and cause them to be little noticed; that on her
account their own negligences were more clearly apparent to the
priests and their teacher; and that Mary alone was preferred in the
estimation and judgment of all.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The companions of our Queen allowed
the devil to sow this bad seed in their bosoms; for they were
heedless and little experienced in spiritual ways. They allowed it to
increase until it grew into a sort of interior abhorrence of the most
pure Mary, and this into anger. Filed with this anger, they began to
look upon and treat Her with hatred, not being able to endure the
modesty of that most innocent Dove. For the dragon had incited them
and had already imbued the incautious girls with some of his own
wrath. The temptation continuing, its effects became manifest and the
temple maidens began to plot among themselves, ignorant of the spirit
that moved them. They agreed among themselves to molest and persecute
the unknown Princess of the world, until She should be forced to
leave the temple. Accordingly they called Her aside and spoke to Her
very sharp words, treating Her at the same time very haughtily. They
called Her a hypocrite and reproached Her with scheming to obtain the
favor of the priests and of their teacher, while seeking to discredit
all the other girls by her complaints and her exaggerations of their
faults, whereas She was the most useless of them all and therefore
deserved their hatred as an enemy.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
These contumelies and many other accusations the
most prudent Virgin bore without disturbance and with equable
humility. She answered: “My friends and my mistresses, you are
right no doubt in saying, that I am the least and the most imperfect
among you; but then you, my sisters, being better informed, must
pardon me my faults and must teach me in my ignorance. Direct me
therefore, that I may succeed in doing better and act according to
your pleasure. I beseech you, my friends, not to deny me your good
will, which, though I am so imperfect, I sincerely wish to merit; for
I love you and reverence you as a servant, and I will obey you in all
things, in which you desire to make a trial of my good will. Command
me then, and tell me what you wish of me.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
These humble and sweet reasonings of
the most humble Mary did not soften the hardened hearts of her
associates and companions, for they were infected by the poisonous
fury of the dragon against Her. Precisely on account of her sweet
humility he became so much the more infuriated, and thus turned this
sweet antidote against the poisonous bite into a means of inflaming
them with open wrath against Her who was the great sign in heaven
(Apoc. 13, 15). For many days this persecution continued, during
which the heavenly Lady sought in vain to appease the hate of her
companions by her humility, patience, modesty and tolerance. On the
contrary the demon was emboldened to inspire them many thoughts full
of temerity, urging them to lay violent hands on the most humble lamb
and maltreat Her, even so far as to take away her life. But the Lord
not permit the execution of such sacrilegious suggestions and the
farthest which they were allowed to proceed, was to insult Her by
words or to inflict some blows. This quarreling remained concealed
from the teacher of the maidens and from the priests, and during this
time most holy Mary gained incomparable merits in the sight of the
Almighty, because She took occasion to exercise all the virtues, as
well in regard to God as also in regard the creatures, which were
persecuting and hating Her. She performed heroic acts of charity and
humility, yielding good for evil, blessings for curses, prayers for
blasphemies (I Cor. 4, 13), fulfilling in all things the most perfect
and the highest requirements of the divine law. Before the Lord She
exercised the most exalted virtues, by praying for his creatures who
were persecuting Her; and She excited the admiration of the angels.
By humiliating Herself as if She were the vilest of mortals
deservedly treated in that way. In all these things She surpassed the
conceptions of men and the highest merits of the seraphim.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
It happened one day, that, impelled by the
diabolical suggestions, these girls brought Mary to a retired room,
where they could act with more safety. Here they began to heap
unmeasured injuries and insults upon Her, to excite Her to weakness
or anger and to entrap modesty into some hasty action. But as the
Queen of virtues could not even for a moment be subject to vice, She
showed Herself immovable, and She answered them with great kindness
and sweetness. Being enraged beyond bounds on account of not
succeeding in their purpose, her companions raised their voices in
discordant strife, so that they were heard in the temple and by such
unwonted noise caused great astonishment and confusion. The priests
and the teacher hastened to the place whence the noise proceeded, and
the Lord permitted a new humiliation of his Spouse, for they asked
with severity, what was the cause of this strife. While the most meek
Dove remained silent, the other maidens angrily answered and said:
“Mary of Nazareth brings us all into strife and quarreling by
her horrid conduct: for in your absence, She irritates and provokes
us in such a manner, that if She does not leave the temple, it will
he impossible to keep any peace with Her. When we allow Her her own
way, She becomes overbearing; if we reprehend Her, She makes fun of
all of us by prostrating Herself at our feet with feigned humility,
and afterwards She quarrels anew and throws all into uproar.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The priests and the instructress
brought the Mistress of the world into another room, and there they
severely reprehended Her, giving full credit at that time to all the
accusations of her companions, and, having exhorted Her to reform and
behave as one living in the house of God, they threatened to expel
Her from the temple, if She would not mend Her conduct. This threat
was the most severe punishment, which they could have given Her, even
if She had been guilty: so much the more severe was it, when She was
altogether innocent of any of the faults imputed to Her.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our Queen added other words full of
sweetest innocence and modesty; and therewith the instructress and
the priests dismissed Her, enjoining anew upon Her that doctrine, of
which She herself was the most wise Teacher. Immediately She betook
Herself to her companions, and prostrating Herself at their feet, She
asked them pardon, as if the faults, with which they had charged Her,
could ever have been shared by the Mother of all innocence. They
received Her this time with more good will, because they thought that
her tears were the effect of the punishment and the warning of the
priests and the instructress, whom they had induced to act thus in
pursuance of their badly governed passions. The dragon, who was
secretly contriving this entanglement, urged the incautious hearts of
all these girls to still greater haughtiness and presumption, and as
they had now made headway in the estimation of the priests
themselves, they proceeded to greater audacity in discrediting and
lowering the good name of the most pure Virgin. Accordingly by
instigation of the devil, they fabricated new accusations and lies;
but the Most High never permitted them to say anything very grave and
dishonorable of Her, whom He had chosen as the most holy Mother of
his Onlybegotten. He merely allowed the indignation and deceit of the
maidens go so far as to exaggerate very much some small faults, which
were even in themselves altogether fictitious, but which they accused
Her of. Moreover they were permitted to practice many feminine
intrigues, to which their own restlessness drove them. In these
different ways and in the reprehensions of her instructress and of
the priests our most humble Lady Mary found many occasions of
exercising virtues, of increasing the gifts of the Most High, and of
exalting Her merit.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The Lord did not sleep, nor did He slumber (Psalm
120, 4) during the clamors of his beloved spouse Mary, although He
pretended not to hear them, delighting in the prolonged exercise of
her sufferings, which occasioned so many glorious triumphs and the
admirations and praises of the supernal spirits. The smouldering fire
of the persecution already mentioned continued unabated, in order
that the Phenix, Mary, might many times renew Herself from the ashes
of her humility, and in order that her most pure heart be regenerated
over and over again to new estates and conditions of divine grace.
But when the opportune time arrived for putting an end to the blind
envy and jealousy of those ensnared maidens, and in order that their
petulance might not altogether discredit Her who was to be the
excellence of nature and grace itself, the Lord spoke to the priest
in his sleep and said to Him “My servant Mary is pleasing in my
eyes, and She is my perfect and my chosen One: She is entirely
innocent of anything of which She is accused.” The same
revelation was given to Anne, the instructress of the maidens. That
morning the priest and the instructress conferred with each other
about the message, which both had received. Being now certain, they
repented of the deceit, into which they had been led, and called the
Princess Mary, asking her pardon for having given credit to the false
report of the girls and offering Her all the reparation necessary to
defend Her from the persecution and the sufferings consequent upon
it.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
She that was the Mother and origin of humility,
after listening to their words, answered the priest and the
instructress “My superiors, I am the one that deserves your
reprehensions and I beseech you do not hold me unworthy of undergoing
them, since I ask for them as most necessary to me. The interactions
with my sisters, the other maidens, is most highly prized by me, and
I do not wish to be deprived of it through my fault, since I owe them
so much for having borne with me and as a return for that benefit, I
desire to serve them more faithfully; nevertheless if you command me
anything else, I stand prepared to obey your will.” This answer
of the most holy Mary still more comforted and consoled the priest
and the instructress; and they approved of her humble petition, but
from that time on they attended to Her and observed Her with new
reverence and affection. The most humble Maiden begged to kiss the
hand of the priest and of the matron, asking for their blessing
according to her custom; with this they dismissed Her. Just as the
parched desire of the thirsty for drink is increased at the sight of
clear water withdrawn beyond their reach, so was the heart of Mary
our Mistress filled with yearning regret for the exercise of
suffering. Thirsting and burning for the divine love She feared lest
through the watchful care of the priest and of the instructress, She
should from thenceforward be deprived of the treasure of affliction,</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The enlightenment of the priests and
the instructress concerning Mary abated the persecutions of the
maidens. The Lord also restrained them and prevented the demon from
inciting them thereafter. But the time during which He absented
Himself and during which He hid Himself from this heavenly spouse,
lasted (wonderful to relate!) ten years; although the Most High
interrupted this absence a few times by allowing the veil to fall
from his face for the relief of his Beloved; but it was not often
that He dispensed this favor during that time, and He did it with
less lavishness and tenderness than in the first years of her
childhood. This absence of the Lord was ordained for our Queen in
order She might, by actual exercise of all perfection, be made worthy
for the dignity to which She was destined by the Most High. For if
She had continually enjoyed the vision of his Majesty in the manner
described by us in the fourteenth chapter of this book, She could not
have suffered according to the common order of a mere creature.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
But during this retirement and absence of the
Lord, although most holy Mary missed the intuitive and abstractive
visions of the divine Essence and of the angels as mentioned above,
her most holy soul and her faculties enjoyed more gifts of grace and
more supernatural enlightenment, than all the saints ever attained or
received. For in regard to this the hand of God never withdrew from
Her. But in comparison with the frequent visitations of the Lord in
her first years, I call the state of her privation of his presence
for such a long time, an absence and withdrawal of the Lord. It
commenced eight days before the death of her father, saint Joachim,
and afterwards the persecution of hell began, followed by the
persecutions on the part of creatures. They lasted until our Princess
reached the age of twelve years. Having passed this age, the holy
angels on a certain day, without manifesting themselves, spoke to Her
as follows: “Mary, the end of the life of thy holy mother Anne
as ordained by the Most High, is now about to arrive, and his Majesty
has resolved to free her from the prison of her mortal body and bring
her labors to a happy fulfillment.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
At this unexpected and sorrowful message the heart
of the affectionate Daughter was filled with compassion. Prostrating
Herself in the presence of the Most High, She poured forth a fervent
prayer for the happy death of her mother saint Anne in the following
words: “King of the ages, invisible and eternal Lord, immortal
and almighty Creator of the universe, although I am but dust and
ashes and although I must confess, that I am in debt to thy
greatness, I will not on that account be prevented from speaking to
my Lord (Gen. 18,17), and I pour out before thee my heart, hoping, 0
my God, that Thou wilt not despise her, who has always confessed thy
holy name. Dismiss, 0 Lord, in peace thy servant, who has with
invincible faith and confidence desired to fulfill thy divine
pleasure. Let her issue victoriously and triumphantly from the
hostile combat and enter the portal of thy holy chosen ones; let thy
powerful arm strengthen her; at the close of her mortal career, let
that same right hand, which has helped her to walk in the path of
perfection, assist her, and let her enter, 0 my Father, into the
peace of thy friendship and grace, since she has always sought after
it with an upright heart.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The Lord did not respond expressly in words to
this petition of his Beloved; but his answer was a marvelous favor,
shown to Her and to her mother, saint Anne. During that night his
Majesty commanded the guardian angels of the most holy Mary to carry
Her bodily to the sickbed of her mother and one of them to remain in
her stead, assuming for this purpose an aerial body a substitute for
hers. The holy angels obeyed the mandate of God and they carried
their and our Queen to the house and to the room of her holy mother
Anne. Being thus brought to the presence of her mother, the heavenly
Lady kissed her hand and said to her: My mother and mistress, may the
Most High be thy light and thy strength, and may He be blessed, since
He has in his condescension not permitted me in my necessity to
remain without the benefit of thy last blessing: may I then receive
it, my mother, from thy hand.” Holy Anne gave her last blessing
to Mary and with overflowing heart also thanked the Lord for the
great favor thus conferred upon Herself. For She knew the sacrament
of her Daughter and Queen, and she did not forget to express her
gratitude for the love, which Mary had shown her on this occasion.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In the midst of such exalted and
heavenly colloquies the blessed mother saint Anne felt the throes of
death approaching and, reclining upon the throne of grace, that is,
in the arms of her most holy Daughter Mary, she rendered her most
pure soul to her Creator. Having closed the eyes of her mother, as
saint Anne had requested, and leaving the sacred body in position for
burial, the Queen Mary was again taken up by the holy angels and
restored to her place in the temple. The Most High did not impede the
force of her filial love, which naturally would cause a great and
tender sorrow at the death of her mother and a sense of loneliness at
being deprived of her assistance. But these sorrows were most holy
and perfect in our Queen, governed by the graces of her most prudent
innocence and purity. In the midst of them She gave praise to the
Most High for the infinite mercies, which He had shown to her mother
both in life and in death, while her sweet and loving complaints on
account of the absence of the Lord continued unabated.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">Already our
heavenly Princess felt that the day of the clear vision of the
Divinity was approaching and that like the harbingers of early dawn,
the rays of the divine light were breaking upon her soul. Her heart
began to be inflamed by the nearness of the invisible fire, which
illumines but does not consume; and made attentive by this new
clearness, She questioned her angels and said to them: “My
friends and lords, my most faithful and vigilant sentinels, tell me:
what hour is it of my night? And when will the bright light of the
day arise, which my eyes shall see the Sun of justice which Illumines
them and gives life to my affections and my soul?” The holy
Princes answered her and said: “Spouse of the Most High, thy
wished–for light and truth is near; it will not tarry long, for
already it approaches.” At these words the veil which hid the
view of</span> <span lang="en-US">these spiritual substances was
slightly lifted; and the holy angels became visible, showing
themselves as during her first years in their own essence, without
hindrance or</span> <span lang="en-US">dependence of the bodily
senses.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">They transmitted
to Her that light, of which I have spoken, in order to purify her
faculties; not because there were any defects to be remedied, for She
could not be guilty of any defects. On the contrary all her actions
and operations during the absence of the Lord</span> <span lang="en-US">had
been meritorious and holy. Nevertheless it was necessary that She be
endowed with new gifts, in order to tranquilize her spirit and her
faculties, which had been moved by affectionate labors and anxieties
during the absence of the Lord, and also in order to withdraw Her
from her present state and raise Her to a position, where She could
enjoy new and different favors, for in order that her faculties might
again be proportioned to the high Object and to the manner of
enjoying It, they must necessarily be renewed and redisposed. All
this the holy seraphim proceeded to do with Her in the manner already
described in book second, chapter fourteenth. When the Lord conferred
upon Her the final adornment and the quality necessary for the
immediate vision about to take place.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
As far as I can explain, this successive elevation
of the faculties of the heavenly Queen engendered those particular
affections and sentiments of love and virtues which the Lord desired,
and in the midst of these elevations his Majesty withdrew the veil.
Then after his long concealment He manifested Himself to his only
Spouse, his beloved and most holy Mary, by an abstractive vision of
the Divinity. Although this vision was given through abstractive
images and not intuitive, yet it was most clear and exalted in its
kind. By it the Lord dried the continual tears of our Queen, rewarded
her affection and her loving anxiety, satisfied all her desires and
overwhelmed Her with delight as She reclined in the arms of her
Beloved (Cant. 8, 5). Then was renewed the youth of that aspiring
Eagle, winging its flight into the impenetrable regions of the
Divinity (Psalm 102, 5), and by the after–effects of this
vision She ascended whither no other creature can ascend, or no other
intellect can reach outside of God’s.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Our Princess issued from this vision
altogether renovated and made godlike; full of the new science of the
Divinity and of the hidden sacraments of the King, confessing Him,
adoring Him, and praising Him with incessant canticles and by the
flights of her pacified and tranquilized spirit. In like proportion
also was the increase of her humility and of all the other virtues.
Her most ardent prayer was to penetrate more and more deeply into
that which is most perfect and most pleasing to the will of the Most
High, and to fulfill and execute it in her actions. Thus passed a
number of days, until that happened, which is to be related in the
next chapter.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962786"></a>
<span lang="en-US">Book 2, Chapter 7</span><br /><br /><span lang="en-US">HER
WONDERFUL ESPOUSAL WITH SAINT JOSEPH</span></h2>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
At the age of thirteen and a half
years, having grown considerably for her age, our most charming
Princess, most pure Mary, had another abstractive vision of the
Divinity of the same order and kind as those already described. In
this vision, we might say, happened something similar to that which
the holy Scriptures relate of Abraham, when God commanded him to
sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, the only pledge of all his hopes.
God tempted Abraham, says Moses (Gen. 12, 12), trying and probing the
promptness of his obedience in order to reward it. We can say the
same thing of our great Lady, that God tried Her in this vision, by
commanding Her to enter the state of matrimony. Thence we can also
understand the truth of the words: How inscrutable are the judgments
of the Lord and how exalted are his ways and thoughts above our own
(Rom. 11, 33)! As distant as heaven is from earth, were the thoughts
of most holy Mary from the plans which the Most High now made known
to Her, by commanding Her to accept a husband for her protection and
company; for as far as depended upon her will She had desired and
resolved during all her life not to have a husband and She had often
repeated and renewed the vow of chastity, which She had taken at such
a premature age.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Nevertheless at this unexpected command the most
prudent Virgin suspended her judgment, and preserved the calmness of
her hope and belief more perfectly than Abraham. Hoping against hope
(Rom. 4, 18), She made answer to the Lord saying: “Eternal God
and incomprehensible Majesty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all
things contained therein, Thou, 0 Lord, who weighest the winds (Job
28, 25), and by thy commands settest bounds to the sea and subjectest
all creation to thy will, canst dispose of me, thy worthless wormlet,
according to thy pleasure, without making me fail in that which I
have promised to Thee; and if it be not displeasing to Thee, my good
Lord, I confirm and ratify anew my desire to remain chaste during all
my life and to have Thee for my Lord and Spouse; and since my only
duty as a creature is to obey Thee, see Thou to it, my Spouse, that
according to thy Providence I may escape from this predicament in
which thy holy love places me.” There was, however, some
uneasiness in the most chaste maiden Mary, as far as her inferior
nature was concerned, just as happened afterwards at the message of
the archangel Gabriel (Luke 1, 8); yet, though She felt some sadness,
it did not hinder Her from practicing the most heroic obedience which
until then had fallen to her lot, and She resigned Herself entirely
into the hand of the Lord. His Majesty answered her: “Mary, let
not thy heart be disturbed, for thy resignation is acceptable to Me
and my powerful arm is not subject to laws; by my disposition that
will happen, which is most proper for Thee.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
Consoled only by this vague promise
of the Lord, most holy Mary recovered from her vision and returned to
her ordinary state. Left between doubt and hope by the divine command
and promise, She was full of solicitude, for the Lord intended that
She should multiply Her tearful sentiments of love and confidence, of
faith, humility, of obedience, of purest chastity and of other
virtues, impossible to enumerate. In the meanwhile, while our great
Lady applied Herself to vigilant prayer, and to her resigned and
prudent sighs and solicitude, God spoke in sleep to the high priest,
saint Simeon, and commanded him to arrange for the marriage of Mary,
the daughter of Joachim and Anne of Nazareth; since He regarded Her
with special care and love. The holy priest answered, asking what was
his will in regard to the person, whom the maiden Mary was to marry
and to whom She was to give Herself as Spouse. The Lord instructed
Him to call together the other priests and learned persons and to
tell them that this Maiden was left alone and an orphan and that She
did not desire to be married; but that, as it was a custom for the
firstborn maidens not to leave the temple without being provided for,
it was proper She should be married to whomever it seemed good to
them.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The most prudent Virgin, with a countenance
betokening virginal modesty, answered the priest with great composure
and humility: “Sir, as far as my inclinations are concerned, I
desire to preserve perpetual chastity during all my life; for I
wished to dedicate myself to God in the service of this holy temple
in return for the great blessings which I have received in it; I
never had the intention or the desire to enter the state of
matrimony, since I consider myself incapable of fulfilling the duties
connected with it. This was my inclination, but thou, my master, who
art to me in place of God, wilt teach me what is according to his
holy Will,” “My Daughter,” answered the priest,
“thy holy desires are acceptable to the Lord; but remember,
that no maiden of Israel abstains from marriage as long as we expect
the coming of the Messias conformably to the divine prophecies.
Therefore all who obtain issue of children among our people, esteem
themselves happy and blessed. In the matrimonial state Thou canst
serve God truly and in great perfection; and in order that Thou
mayest obtain a companion according to the heart of God and who will
be conformable to thy wishes, we will pray to the Lord, as I have
told Thee, asking Him to single out a husband for Thee, who shall be
pleasing to Him and of the line of David; do Thou also pray
continually for the same favor, in order that the Most High may favor
Thee and may direct us all.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
This happened nine days before the one appointed
for the execution and realization of their resolve. During this time
the most holy Virgin multiplied her prayers, beseeching the Lord with
incessant tears and sighs, to fulfill his divine pleasure in that
which She had so much at heart. On one of those nine days the Lord
appeared to Her and said to Her: “My Spouse and my Dove, let
thy afflicted heart expand and let it not be disturbed or sad; I will
attend to thy yearnings and to thy requests, I will direct all
things, and will govern the priests by my enlightenment; I will give
Thee a spouse selected by Myself, and one who will put no hindrance
to thy holy desires, but who, by my grace will prosper Thee in them.
I will find for Thee a perfect man conformable to my heart and I will
choose him from the number of my servants; my power is infinite, and
my protection and aid shall never fail Thee.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">The most holy Mary
answering said: “Highest Good and Love of my soul, Thou well
knowest the secret of my bosom and my desires, which Thou hast
excited in me from the first moment of the existence received from
Thee; preserve me, then, my Spouse, pure and chaste, as I have
desired for Thee and through Thee. Do not despise my sighs and
deprive me not of thy countenance. Remember, my Lord and God, that I
am but a useless wormlet, weak and despicable on account of my
insignificance and if I should fall away from virtue in the state of
matrimony, I shall disappoint Thee and my desires; provide Thou for
my security and be not deterred by my demerits. Although I am but
useless dust (Gen. 18, 27),</span> <span lang="en-US">I will call on
thy greatness, 0 Lord, trusting in thy infinite mercies.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
On the day on which, as we have said
in the preceding chapter, our Princess Mary completed the fourteenth
year of her life, the men, who at that time in the city of Jerusalem
were descendants of the tribe of Juda and of the race of David,
gathered together in the temple. The sovereign Lady was also of that
lineage. Among the number was Joseph, a native of Nazareth. and then
living in Jerusalem; for he was one of the descendants of the royal
race of David. He was then thirty–three years of age, of
handsome person and pleasing countenance, but also of incomparable
modesty and gravity; above all he was most chaste in thought and
conduct, and most saintly in all his inclinations. From his twelfth
year he had made and kept the vow of chastity. He was related to the
Virgin Mary in the third degree, and was known for the utmost purity
of his life, holy and irreprehensible in the eyes of God and of men.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
All these unmarried men gathered in the temple and
prayed to the Lord conjointly with the priests. in order to be
governed by the holy Spirit in what they were about to do. The Most
High spoke to the heart of the highpriest, inspiring him to place
into the hands of each one of the young men a dry stick, with the
command that each ask his Majesty with a lively faith, to single out
the one whom He had chosen as the spouse of Mary. And as the sweet
odor of her virtue and nobility, the fame of her beauty, her
possessions and her modesty, and her position as being the firstborn
in her family was known to all of them, each one coveted the
happiness of meriting Her as a spouse. Among them all only the humble
and most upright Joseph thought himself unworthy of such a great
blessing; and remembering the vow of chastity which he had made and
resolving anew its perpetual observance, he resigned himself to God’s
will, leaving it all to his disposal and being filled at the same
time with a veneration and esteem greater than that of any of the
others for the most noble maiden Mary.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
While they were thus engaged in prayer the staff
which Joseph held was seen to blossom and at the same time a dove of
purest white and resplendent with admirable light, was seen to
descend and rest upon the head of the saint, while in the interior of
his heart God spoke: “Joseph, my servant, Mary shall be thy
Spouse; accept Her with attentive reverence, for She is acceptable in
my eyes, just and most pure in soul and body, and thou shalt do all
that She shall say to Thee.” At this manifestation and token
from heaven the priests declared saint Joseph as the spouse selected
by God himself for the maiden Mary. Calling Her forth for her
espousal, the Chosen one issued forth like the sun, more resplendent
than the moon, and She entered into the presence of all with a
countenance more beautiful than that of an angel, incomparable in the
charm of her beauty, nobility and grace; and the priests espoused Her
to the most chaste and holy of men, saint Joseph.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
The heavenly Princess, more pure than
the stars of the firmament, with tearful and sorrowful countenance
and as the Queen of majesty, most humble yet uniting all perfections
within Herself, took leave of the priests, asking their blessing, and
of her instructress and her companions, begging their pardon. She
gave thanks to all of them for the favors received at their hands
during her stay in the temple. The humility of her behavior enhanced
the prudence and aptness of her words for the performance of these
last duties in the temple; for on all occasions She spoke in few and
weighty words. She took leave of the temple not without great grief
on account of the sacrifice of her inclinations and desires. In the
company of attendants who were some of the more distinguished laymen
in the service of the temple, She betook Herself with her spouse
Joseph to Nazareth, the native city of this most fortunate married
couple. Joseph, although he had been born in that place, had, by the
providential disposition of circumstances, decided to live for some
time in Jerusalem. Thus it happened that he so improved his fortune
as to become the spouse of Her, whom God had chosen to be his own
Mother.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
Having arrived at their home in Nazareth, where
the Princess of heaven had inherited the possessions and estates of
her blessed parents, they were welcomed and visited by their friends
and relatives with the joyful congratulations customary on such
occasions. After they had in a most holy manner complied with the
natural duties of friendship and politeness, and satisfied the
worldly obligations connected with the conversation and interaction
with their fellowmen, the two most holy spouses, Joseph and Mary,
were left at leisure and to their own counsel in their house. Custom
had introduced the practice among the Hebrews, that for the first few
days of their married state the husband and wife should enter upon a
sort of study or trial of each others’ habits and temperament,
in order that afterwards they might be able to make reciprocal
allowance in their conduct one toward the other.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<span lang="en-US">During this time
saint Joseph said to his spouse Mary: “My spouse and Lady, I
give thanks to the Lord most high God for the favor of having
designed me as your husband without my merits, though I judged myself
unworthy even of thy company; but his Majesty, who can raise up the
lowly whenever He wishes, showed this mercy to me, and I desire and
hope, relying on thy discretion and virtue, that Thou help me to make
a proper return in serving Him with an upright heart. Hold me,
therefore, as thy servant, and by the true love which I have for
thee, I beg of thee to supply my deficiencies in the fulfillment of
the domestic duties and of</span> <span lang="en-US">other things,
which as a worthy husband, I should know how to perform; tell me,
Lady, what is thy pleasure, in order that I may fulfill it.”</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The heavenly Spouse heard these words with an
humble heart, and yet also with a serene earnestness, and She
answered the saint: “My master, I am fortunate, that the Most
High, in order to place me in this state of life, has chosen thee for
my husband and that He has given me such evident manifestation of his
will, that I serve thee; but if thou givest me leave I will speak of
my thoughts and intentions, which I wish to manifest to thee for this
purpose.” The Most High forestalled the sincere and upright
heart of saint Joseph with his grace and inflamed it anew with divine
love through the word of most holy Mary, and he answered Her, saying:
“Speak, Lady, thy servant hears.” On this occasion the
Mistress of the world was surrounded by the thousand angels of her
guard, in visible form. She had asked them to be present in that
manner, because the Lord, in order that the most pure Virgin might
act with greater grace and merit, had permitted her to feel the
respect and reverence, with which She was bound to speak to her
husband and left her to the natural shyness and dread, which She
always felt in speaking to men alone; for She had never done this,
except perhaps by accident with the highpriest.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The holy angels obeyed their Queen and, visible
only to Her, stood in attendance. In this glorious company She spoke
to her spouse saint Joseph, and said to him: “My lord and
spouse, it is just that we give praise and glory with all reverence
to our God and Creator, who is infinite in goodness and
incomprehensible in his judgments. To us, who are so needy, He has
manifested his greatness and mercy in choosing us for his service. I
acknowledge myself among all creatures as more beholden and indebted
to Him than all others, and more than all of them together; for,
meriting less. I have received from his liberal hand more than they.
At a tender age, being compelled thereto by the force of this truth,
which, with the knowledge of the deceitfulness of visible things, his
divine light made known to me, I consecrated myself to God by a
perpetual vow of chastity in body and soul; his I am and Him I
acknowledge as my Spouse and Lord, with fixed resolve to preserve for
Him my chastity. I beseech thee, my master, to help me in fulfilling
this vow, while in all other things I will be thy servant, willing to
work for the comfort of thy life as long as mine shall last. Yield,
my spouse, to this resolve and make a like resolve, in order that,
offering ourselves as an acceptable sacrifice to our eternal God, He
may receive us in the odor of sweetness and bestow on us the eternal
goods for which we hope.”</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
The most chaste spouse Joseph, full of interior
joy at the words of his heavenly Spouse, answered Her: “My
Mistress, in making known to me thy chaste and welcome sentiments,
thou hast penetrated and dilated my heart. I have not opened my
thoughts to Thee before knowing thy own. I also acknowledge myself
under greater obligation to the Lord of creation than other men; for
very early He has called me by his true enlightenment to love Him
with an upright heart; and I desire Thee to know, Lady, that at the
age of twelve years I also made a promise to serve the Most High in
perpetual chastity. On this account I now gladly ratify this vow in
order not to impede thy own; in the presence of his Majesty I promise
to aid Thee, as far as in me lies, in serving Him and loving Him
according to thy full desires. I will be, with the divine grace, thy
most faithful servant and companion, and I pray Thee accept my chaste
love and hold me as thy brother, without ever entertaining any other
kind of love, outside the one which Thou owest to God and after God
to me. In this conversation the Most High confirmed anew the virtue
of chastity in the heart of saint Joseph, and the pure and holy love
due to his most holy spouse Mary. This love the saint already had in
an eminent degree, and the Lady herself augmented it sweetly,
dilating his heart by her most prudent discourse.</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
By divine operation the two most holy
and chaste Spouses felt an incomparable joy and consolation. The
heavenly Princess, as one who is the Mistress of all virtues and who
in all things pursued the highest perfection of all virtues, lovingly
corresponded to the desires of saint Joseph. The Most High also gave
to saint Joseph new purity and complete command over his natural
inclinations, so that without hindrance or any trace of sensual
desires, but with admirable and new grace, he might serve his spouse
Mary, and in Her, execute his will and pleasure. They immediately set
about dividing the property inherited from saint Joachim and Anne,
the parents of the most holy Virgin; one part they offered to the
temple, where She had stayed, another they destined for the poor, and
the third was left in the hands of the holy spouse saint Joseph to be
disposed of according to his judgment. Our Queen reserved for Herself
only the privilege of serving Him and of attending to the household
duties. For from intercourse with outsiders and from the management
of property, buying or selling, the most prudent Virgin always kept
aloof, as I will mention farther on.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
In his former life saint Joseph had
learnt the trade of carpentering as being a respectable and proper
way of earning the sustenance in life. He was poor in earthly
possessions, as I have said above. He therefore asked his most holy
Spouse, whether it was agreeable to Her, that he should exercise his
trade in order to be able to serve Her and to gain something for
distribution among the poor; since it was necessary to do some work
and not to remain idle. The most prudent Virgin approved of this
resolve, saying that the Lord did not wish them to be rich, but poor
and lovers of the poor, desirous of helping them in as far as their
means would allow. Then arose between the two Spouses a holy contest,
who should obey the other as superior. But She, who among the humble
was the most humble, won in this contest of humility; for as the man
is the head of the family, She would not permit this natural order to
be inverted. She desired in all things to obey her spouse saint
Joseph, asking him solely for permission to help the poor, which the
saint gladly gave.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
As saint Joseph during these days by
divine enlightenment learnt to know more and more the qualities of
his spouse Mary, her rare prudence, humility, purity and all her
other virtues exceeding by far his thoughts and estimates, he was
seized with ever new admiration and, in great joy of spirit,
continued to praise and thank the Lord again and again for having
given him a Companion and Spouse so far above his merits. And in
order that this work of the Most High might be entirely perfect (for
it was the beginning of the greatest, which He was to execute by his
Omnipotence) He ordained that the Princess of heaven, by her mere
presence and interactions, should infuse into the heart of her spouse
a holy fear and reverence greater than words could ever suffice to
describe. This effect was wrought upon saint Joseph by an effulgence
or reflection of the divine light, which shone from the face of our
Queen and which was mingled with an ineffable and always visible
majesty. So much the more was this due to Her than to Moses
descending from the mountain, (Exod. 24, 30) as her interactions and
conversation with God had been more extended and intimate.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962787"></a>
<span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br /><br />The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
<div class="western">
My daughter, in the example of the matrimonial
life wherein the Most High placed me, thou findest a reproof for
those souls, who allege their life in the world as an excuse for not
following perfection. To God nothing is impossible, and nothing is
likewise impossible to those, who with a lively faith, hope in Him,
and resign themselves entirely to his divine Providence. I lived in
the house of my spouse with the same perfection as in the temple; for
in changing my state of life I altered neither my sentiments nor the
desire and anxiety to love and serve God; on the contrary I added to
my solicitude lest the obligations of a spouse should hinder me in
God’s service. On this account God favored me and disposed and
accommodated powerfully all things in conformity to my desires. The
Lord will do the same for all men, if on their part they correspond.
They however blame the state of matrimony, deceiving themselves; for
the hindrance to a holy and perfect life, is not the state, but the
vain and superfluous cares and anxieties, in which they involve
themselves forgetting the sweetness of the Lord and seeking and
preferring their own.</div>
<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE</b></span></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE - </span><span class="text3">THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text3"><br />
</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text"> <b><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE<br />
THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></b><br />
<span class="text3"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2697"></a><b>2697</b> Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart "We must remember God more often than we draw breath."<sup>1</sup> But we cannot pray "at all times" if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration. </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2698"></a><b>2698</b> The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian's life of prayer. </span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2699"></a><b>2699</b> The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.</span><br />
<span class="text"><br />
</span> <b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text">
<b>ARTICLE 3<br />THE PRAYER OF THE HOUR OF JESUS</b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2746"></a><b>2746</b> When "his hour" came, Jesus prayed to the Father.<sup>43</sup>
His prayer, the longest transmitted by the Gospel, embraces the whole
economy of creation and salvation, as well as his death and
Resurrection. The prayer of the Hour of Jesus always remains his own,
just as his Passover "once for all" remains ever present in the liturgy
of his Church.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2747"></a><b>2747</b> Christian Tradition rightly calls this
prayer the "priestly" prayer of Jesus. It is the prayer of our high
priest, inseparable from his sacrifice, from his passing over (Passover)
to the Father to whom he is wholly "consecrated."<sup>44</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2748"></a><b>2748</b> In this Paschal and sacrificial prayer, everything is recapitulated in Christ:<sup>45</sup>
God and the world; the Word and the flesh; eternal life and time; the
love that hands itself over and the sin that betrays it; the disciples
present and those who will believe in him by their word; humiliation and
glory. It is the prayer of unity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2749"></a><b>2749</b>
Jesus fulfilled the work of the Father completely; his prayer, like his
sacrifice, extends until the end of time. The prayer of this hour fills
the end-times and carries them toward their consummation. Jesus, the
Son to whom the Father has given all things, has given himself wholly
back to the Father, yet expresses himself with a sovereign freedom<sup>46</sup> by virtue of the power the Father has given him over all flesh. The Son, who made himself Servant, is Lord, the <i>Pantocrator</i>. Our high priest who prays for us is also the one who prays in us and the God who hears our prayer.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2750"></a><b>2750</b>
By entering into the holy name of the Lord Jesus we can accept, from
within, the prayer he teaches us: "Our Father!" His priestly prayer
fulfills, from within, the great petitions of the Lord's Prayer: concern
for the Father's name;<sup>47</sup> passionate zeal for his kingdom (glory);<sup>48</sup> the accomplishment of the will of the Father, of his plan of salvation;<sup>49</sup> and deliverance from evil.<sup>50</sup><br />
<sup> </sup>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2751"></a><b>2751</b> Finally, in this prayer Jesus reveals and gives to us the "knowledge," inseparably one, of the Father and of the Son,<sup>51</sup> which is the very mystery of the life of prayer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="brief">IN BRIEF</a></b>
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2752"></a><b>2752</b> Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight
against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. The battle of prayer is
inseparable from the necessary "spiritual battle" to act habitually
according to the Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live, because we live
as we pray.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2753"></a><b>2753</b> In the battle of prayer we must confront
erroneous conceptions of prayer, various currents of thought, and our
own experience of failure. We must respond with humility, trust, and
perseverance to these temptations which cast doubt on the usefulness or
even the possibility of prayer.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2754"></a><b>2754</b> The principal difficulties in the
practice of prayer are distraction and dryness. The remedy lies in
faith, conversion, and vigilance of heart.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2755"></a><b>2755</b> Two frequent temptations threaten prayer:
lack of faith and acedia - a form of depression stemming from lax
ascetical practice that leads to discouragement.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2756"></a><b>2756</b> Filial trust is put to the test when we
feel that our prayer is not always heard. The Gospel invites us to ask
ourselves about the conformity of our prayer to the desire of the
Spirit.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2757"></a><b>2757</b> "Pray constantly" (<i>1 Thess</i> 5:17). It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are inseparable.
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2758"></a><b>2758</b> The prayer of the hour of Jesus, rightly called the "priestly prayer" (cf. <i>Jn </i>17), sums up the whole economy of creation and salvation. It fulfills the great petitions of the Our Father.<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<hr align="LEFT" width="300" />
<span class="text">
<span class="text1">
43 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17.<br />
44 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:11,13,19.<br />
45 Cf. <i>Eph</i> 1:10.<br />
46 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:11,13,19,24.<br />
47 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:6,11,12,26.<br />
48 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:1,5,10,22,23-26.<br />
49 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:2,4,6,9,11,12,24.<br />
50 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:15.<br />
51 Cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:3,6-10,25.
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">Reference</span></h2>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-18897198777993233922017-11-19T10:57:00.001-06:002017-11-19T10:57:48.927-06:00Sunday, November 19, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog: Faith, Reading 1- Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, Gospel - Matthew 25:14-30, Reading 2 - First Thessalonians 5:1-6; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast Day of Saint Cecelia; Feast Day of the Presentation of Most Holy Child Mary; History of Thanksgiving; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 5 Virtue of Charity - Instructions given to the Most Holy Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 2 Battle of Prayer; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>Sunday, November 19, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog:</i><br />
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<i><span style="color: black;">Faith, </span>Reading 1- Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, Gospel - Matthew 25:14-30, Reading 2 - First Thessalonians 5:1-6;<span style="color: black;"> Pope Francis Angelus</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Feast Day of Saint Cecelia; Feast Day of the Presentation of Most Holy Child Mary; </span></i><i><span style="color: black;">History of Thanksgiving; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary;</span> </i><i><span style="color: black;">Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God -</span><span style="color: black;"> Book 2 Chapter 5 Virtue of Charity - Instructions given to the Most Holy Mother Mary; </span>Catholic Catechism</i><i><span class="userContent"> - </span><span class="text4">Part Four - The Christian Prayer</span><span class="text4"> </span></i><i>- Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life</i><i> - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 2 Battle of Prayer; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time </b><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Morning Offering</b></span><br />
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<b> </b><span class="text_exposed_show">O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I<br />
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of<br />
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,<br />
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br />
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and<br />
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.</span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<b>Illuminations (Gregorian Chants)</b></center>
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<b><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Illuminations">Available at Amazon - </span><span class="watch-title " dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Dan Gibson - Gregorian Chants"><i> </i> (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • iTunes) </span></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IONTZ8I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IONTZ8I&linkCode=as2&tag=litanylane-20&linkId=6B3CLUQRT2TAZAJL">Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants</a><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>November 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
<b> </b>Dear children, As I am looking at you gathered around me, your mother, I see many pure souls, many of my children who are seeking love and consolation, but no one is offering it to them. I also see those who are doing evil, because they do not have good examples; they have not come to know my Son. The good which is silent and is spread through pure souls is the strength which sustains this world. There is much sin, but there <span class="text_exposed_show">is also love. My Son is sending me to you - the mother who is the same for everyone - that I may teach you to love, to comprehend that you are brothers. He desires to help you.</span><br />
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Apostles of my love, a living desire of faith and love is sufficient, and my Son will accept it. But you must be worthy, you must have good will and open hearts. My Son enters into open hearts. I, as a mother, desire that you may all the better come to know my Son - God born of God – to come to know the greatness of His love which you need so much. He accepted your sins upon Himself and obtained redemption for you, and in return He asked that you love each other. My Son is love.</span><br />
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He loves all people without difference, all people of all countries and of all nations. If you, my children, would live the love of my Son, His kingdom would already be on earth. Therefore, apostles of my love, pray, pray that my Son and His love may be all the closer to you; that you may be an example of love and may help all those who have not come to know my Son. Never forget that my Son, one and triune, loves you. Love your shepherds and pray for them. Thank you.</span><br />
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<b>October 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer in this time of grace. You all have problems, afflictions, sufferings and lack of peace. May saints be models to you and an encouragement for holiness; God will be near you and you will be renewed in seeking through your personal conversion. Faith will be hope to you and joy will begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my c<span class="text_exposed_show">all.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">General Audience</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
Science, like any other human activity, has its limits which should be
observed for the good of humanity itself, and requires a sense of
ethical responsibility,” Pope Francis said on Saturday. “The true
measure of progress, as Blessed Paul VI recalled, is that which is
aimed at the good of each man and the whole man,” the Pope told some 83
participants in the plenary assembly of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council
for Culture. The participants met the Pope at the conclusion of their
Nov.15-18 assembly which discussed the theme, “The Future of Humanity:
New Challenges to Anthropology.” </div>
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<strong>Incredible advances</strong><br />
The Pope said, the Church wants to give the correct direction to man at the dawn of a new era marked by incredible advances in <strong>medicine</strong>, <strong>genetics</strong>, <strong>neuroscience </strong>and “autonomous” <strong>machines</strong>.
Speaking about the incredible advances in genetics, he noted that
diseases that were considered incurable until recently have been
eradicated, and new possibilities have opened up to “programme” human
beings with certain “qualities”.<br />
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<strong>Not all the answers</strong><br />
The Pope said that "<strong>science and technology</strong> have
helped us to further the boundaries of knowledge of nature, especially
of the human being,” but they alone are not enough to give all the
answers. “Today,” he explained, “we increasingly realize that it is
necessary to draw from the treasures of wisdom of <strong>religious traditions</strong>, popular <strong>wisdom</strong>, <strong>literature </strong>and the <strong>arts </strong>that touch the depths of the mystery of human existence, without forgetting, but rather by rediscovering those contained in <strong>philosophy </strong>and <strong>theology</strong>.”<br />
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<strong>Church teachings</strong><br />
In this regard, the Pope pointed to two principles of the Church’s teaching. The first is the “<strong>centrality of the human person</strong>,
which is to be considered an end and not a means.” Man must be in
harmony with creation, not as a despot about God's inheritance, but as a
loving guardian of the work of the Creator.<br />
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The second principle is the <strong>universal destination of goods</strong>,
including that of knowledge and technology. Scientific and
technological progress, the Pope explained, should serve the good of all
humanity, and not just a few, and this will help avoid new <strong>inequalities </strong>in the future based on knowledge, and prevent widening of the gap between the <strong>rich and the poor</strong>.
The Holy Father insisted that great decisions regarding the direction
scientific research should take, and investment in it, should be taken
together by the whole of society and should not be dictated solely by <strong>market rules or by the interests of a few</strong>.
And finally, the Pope said, one must keep in mind that not everything
that is technically possible or feasible is ethically acceptable. <br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 11/18/2017<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - faith </span></i><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">fay<span class="dbox-bold">th</span></span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman">Origin:</span><span class="dbox-pg"> </span><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1200-50;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">feith</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Anglo-French</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">fed,</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Old</span> <span class="oneClick-link">French</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">feid,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">feit</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">fidem,</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">accusative</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">fidēs</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">trust,</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">akin</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">fīdere</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">trust.</span> <span class="oneClick-link">See</span> confide<br />
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<b><span class="dbox-pg">noun</span></b> <br />
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<span class="def-number">1.</span> confidence or trust in a person or thing: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> faith in another's ability.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">2.</span> belief that is not based on proof: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">3.</span> belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">the firm faith of the Pilgrims.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">4.</span> belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">5.</span> a system of religious belief: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">6.</span> the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example">Failure to appear would be breaking faith.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">7.</span> the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: <span class="def-number"></span><span class="dbox-example"> He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.</span><br />
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<span class="def-number">8.</span><span class="dbox-italic"> Christian Theology. </span>the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved. <span class="def-number"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 1 -</b></span><i> </i>Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31</h2>
10 The truly capable woman -- who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls.<br />
11 Her husband's heart has confidence in her, from her he will derive no little profit.<br />
12 Advantage and not hurt she brings him all the days of her life.<br />
13 She selects wool and flax, she does her work with eager hands.<br />
19 She sets her hands to the distaff, her fingers grasp the spindle.<br />
20 She holds out her hands to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy.<br />
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty; the woman who fears Yahweh is the one to praise.<br />
31 Give her a share in what her hands have worked for, and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms -<i> </i></span>Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5</h2>
1 [Song of Ascents] How blessed are all who fear Yahweh, who walk in his ways!<br />
2 Your own labours will yield you a living, happy and prosperous will you be.<br />
3 Your wife a fruitful vine in the inner places of your house. Your children round your table like shoots of an olive tree.<br />
4 Such are the blessings that fall on those who fear Yahweh.<br />
5 May Yahweh bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life,<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's </b><b>Reading 2</b></span><i> - </i> First Thessalonians 5:1-6</h2>
1 About times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you<br />
2 for you are well aware in any case that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.<br />
3 It is when people are saying, 'How quiet and peaceful it is' that sudden destruction falls on them, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there is no escape.<br />
4 But you, brothers, do not live in the dark, that the Day should take you unawares like a thief.<br />
5 No, you are all children of light and children of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness,<br />
6 so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>- </b></span><i>Matthew 25:14-30</i></h2>
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<span class="date-display-single">Sunday, November 19, 2016</span> </div>
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<i>The Parable of the Talents<br />
To live in a responsible way<br />
Matthew 25:14-30</i></div>
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<b>1. Opening prayer </b><br />
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Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. </div>
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Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, and above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.</div>
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<b>2. Reading </b><br />
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<b>a) The division of the text to help in the reading:</b></div>
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Matthew 25, 14-15: The master distributes his goods among his servants<br />
Matthew 25, 16-18: The way of acting of each servant <br />
Matthew 25, 19-23: The rendering of account of the first and second servant<br />
Matthew 25, 24-25: The rendering of account of the third servant<br />
Matthew 25, 26-27: Response of the master to the third servant<br />
Matthew 25, 28-30: The final word of the master which clarifies the parable</div>
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<b>b) Key for the reading:</b></div>
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On this 33<sup>rd</sup> Sunday in Ordinary time, we shall meditate on the parable of the talents which deals with two very important themes and is very current: (i) The gifts which each person receives from God and the way in which he receives them. Each person has qualities and talents with which he can and should serve others. Nobody is just a pupil, nobody is just a professor. We learn from one another. (ii) The attitude with which persons place themselves before God who has given us His gifts . During the reading, we shall try to be attentive to these two points: what is the attitude of the three servants regarding the gifts received, and what image of God does this parable reveals to us?</div>
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<b>c) Text: </b></div>
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14 It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third, one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. 17 The man who had received two made two more in the same way. 18 But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made." 21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness." 22 Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made." 23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness." 24 Last came forward the man who had the single talent. "Sir," said he, "I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered; 25 so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back." 26 But his master answered him, "You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? 27 Well then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest. 28 So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has. 30 As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."</div>
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<b>3. A moment of prayerful silence</b><br />
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so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.</div>
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<b>4. Some questions </b><br />
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to help us in our personal reflection.</div>
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a) What is the meaning of this text. What has struck me most deeply?<br />
b) In the parable, the three servants receive according to their capacity.What is the attitude of each servant concerning the gift he has received?<br />
c) What is the reaction of the master? What does he demand from his servants?<br />
d) How should the following phrase be understood: “To everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has”?<br />
e) What image of God does the parable reveal to us?</div>
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<b>5. For those who wish to deepen the theme </b><br />
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<b>a) Context of our text in the Gospel of Matthew:</b></div>
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The “Parable of the Talents” (Mt 25, 14-30) forms part of the 5<sup>th</sup> Sermon of the New Law (Mt 24:1-25, 46). These three parables clarify the context relative to the time of the coming of the Kingdom. The parable of the Ten Virgins insists on vigilance: The Kingdom of God can arrive from one moment to the next. The parable of the talents focuses on the growth of the Kingdom. The Kingdom grows when we use the gifts we received in order to serve. The parable of the Final Judgment teaches how to take possession of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is accepted when we accept the little ones.</div>
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One of the things which exerts a great influence in our life is our concept of God. Among Jews of the Phariseeclass, there was an image of God as a severe judge who treated people according to the merits they acquired by observing the law. This caused fear and prevented people from growing. It prevented them from opening a space within themselves to accept the new experience of God which Jesus communicated. To help suchtpeople, Matthew narrates the parable of the talents.</div>
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<b>b) Commentary on the text:</b></div>
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Matthew 25, 14-15: <i>A door to enter into the story of the parable<br />
</i>The parable tells the story of a man, who before setting out on a journey, distributes his goods to his servants, giving five, two and one talent, according to the capacity of each one of them. A talent corresponds to 34 kilos of gold which is no small amount! In the final analysis, all receive the same thing because each one receives “according to his capacity”. To the one who has a big cup, he fills it, and to the one who has a small cup, he also fills it. Then the master goes abroad and remains there a long time. The story leaves us a bit perplexed! We do not know why the master distributed his money to the servants. We do not know how the story will end. Perhaps the purpose is that all those who listen to the parable must begin to compare their life with the story told in the parable.</div>
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Matthew 25, 19-23: <i>The rendering of account of the first and second servant<br />
</i>After a long time, the master returns to take an account from the servants. The first two say the same thing: “Sir, you gave me five / two talents. Here are other five / two which I have gained!” he master responds in the same way to both: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have shown that you are trustworthy in small things, I will trust you with greater, come and join in your master’s happiness”.</div>
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Matthew 25, 24-25: <i>Rendering of an account of the third servant<br />
</i>The third servant arrives and says: “Sir, I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered, so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is, it was yours, you have it back!” In this phrase, there is an erroneous idea of God which is criticized by Jesus. The servant sees in God a severe master. Before such a God, the human being is afraid and hides himself behind the exact and meticulous observance of the law. He thinks that acting in this way he will avoid judgment and the severity of the master who might punish him. This is how some Pharisees thought. In reality, such a person has no trust in God but rather trusts in himself and his observance of the law. It is a person closed in upon himself, far from God and unconcerned about others. This person becomes incapable of growing freely. This false image of God isolates the human being, kills the community and does not help people live joyfully ..</div>
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Matthew 25, 26-27: <i>Response of the master to the third servant<br />
</i>The response of the master is ironic. He says: “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well, then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest!” The third servant was not consistent with the severe image which he had of God. If he had imagined God so severe, he should have deposited the money in the bank. This is why he was condemned not by God but by his wrong idea of God which left him terrified and immature. It was not possible for him to act responsibly because his image of God left him paralyzed by fear.</div>
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Matthew 25, 28-30: <i>The final word of the master which clarifies the parable</i><br />
The master asks that the talent be taken away from him and given to the one who already has some. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has”. This is the key which clarifies everything. In reality, the talents, “the money of the master”, the goods of the Kingdom, are love, service, sharing, all gratuitous gifts. A talent is everything that makes the community grow and which reveals the presence of God. When one is closed in upon oneself out of fear, one loses even what little one has. For love dies, justice is weakened and sharing disappears. In contrast, the person who does not think of himself and gives to others grows and receives everything which he has been given and more. “Because anyone who finds his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his own life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10, 39).</div>
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<b>c) Deepening:</b></div>
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<b>The different currency of the Kingdom:</b></div>
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There is no difference between those who receive more and those who receive less. All receive according to their capacity. What is important is that the gift is placed at the service of the Kingdom by making the community t grow, in love, fraternity, and sharing. The parable does not stress producing more talents, but indicates the way we are to live our life with God. The first two servants ask for nothing. They do not seek their own well being. They do not keep the talents for themselves and make no calculations. Very naturally, without being aware, without seeking merit for themselves, they work, for the Kingdom. Because the third servant is afraid,he does nothing. According to the norms of the ancient law, he acts in a correct way. He remains within the established norms. He loses nothing, but also gains nothing. As a result, he loses even what little he had. The Kingdom entails a risk. The one who does not risk loses the Kingdom!</div>
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<b>6. Psalm 62 </b><br />
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<b>In God alone there is rest for my soul</b></div>
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In God alone there is rest for my soul, <br />
from Him comes my safety;<br />
He alone is my rock, my safety, <br />
my stronghold so that I stand unshaken.<br />
How much longer will you set on a victim, <br />
all together, intent on murder, <br />
like a rampart already leaning over, <br />
a wall already damaged?<br />
Trickery is their only plan, <br />
deception their only pleasure, <br />
with lies on their lips they pronounce a blessing, <br />
with a curse in their hearts.</div>
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Rest in God alone, my soul! <br />
He is the source of my hope.<br />
He alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold, <br />
so that I stand unwavering.<br />
In God is my safety and my glory, <br />
the rock of my strength. <br />
In God is my refuge;<br />
trust in him, you people, at all times. <br />
Pour out your hearts to him, <br />
God is a refuge for us.</div>
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Ordinary people are a mere puff of wind, <br />
important people a delusion; <br />
set both on the scales together, <br />
and they are lighter than a puff of wind.<br />
Put no trust in extortion, <br />
no empty hopes in robbery; <br />
however much wealth may multiply, <br />
do not set your heart on it.<br />
Once God has spoken, <br />
twice have I heard this: <br />
Strength belongs to God,<br />
to you, Lord, faithful love; <br />
and you repay everyone as their deeds deserve.</div>
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<b>7. Final Prayer </b><br />
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Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand the will of the Father better. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary your mother, not only listen to, but also practice, the Word. You who live and reign with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. </div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i><br />
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<b style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Day: </b><b>Saint Cecelia</b></h2>
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<b>Feast Day</b>: November<i> </i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>22</b></span><br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: musicians and performing arts<br />
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<b>Saint Cecilia</b> (Latin: <span lang="la"><i>Sancta Caecilia</i></span>) is the patroness of musicians<sup> </sup>and Church music because, as she was dying, she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches on November 22. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. It was long supposed that she was a noble lady of Rome who, with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier Maximus, suffered martyrdom in about 230, under the Emperor Alexander Severus.<br />
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The research of Giovanni Battista de Rossi, however, appears to confirm the statement of Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers (d. 600), that she perished in Sicily under Emperor Marcus Aurelius between 176 and 180. A church in her honor exists in Rome from about the 5th century, was rebuilt with much splendor by Pope Paschal I around the year 820, and again by Cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfondrati in 1599. It is situated in Trastevere, near the Ripa Grande quay, where in earlier days the ghetto was located, and is the titulus of a Cardinal Priest, currently Carlo Maria Martini.<br />
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The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband and his brother by the prefect Turcius Almachius. The officers of the prefect then sought to have Cecilia killed as well. She arranged to have her home preserved as a church before she was arrested. At that time, the officials attempted to kill her by smothering her by steam. However, the attempt failed, and she was to have her head chopped off. But they were unsuccessful three times, and she would not die until she received the sacrament of Holy Communion.<br />
Cecilia survived another three days before succumbing. In the last three days of her life, she opened her eyes, gazed at her family and friends who crowded around her cell, closed them, and never opened them again. The people by her cell knew immediately that she was to become a saint in heaven. When her incorruptible body was found long after her death, it was found that on one hand she had two fingers outstretched and on the other hand just one finger, denoting her belief in the Holy Trinity.<br />
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The Sisters of Saint Cecilia are a group of women consecrated religious sisters. They are the ones who shear the lambs' wool used to make the palliums of new metropolitan archbishops. The lambs are raised by the Cistercian Trappist Fathers of the Tre Fontane (Three Fountains) Abbey in Rome. The lambs are blessed by the Pope every January 21, the Feast of the martyr Saint Agnes. The pallia are given by the Pope to the new metropolitan archbishops on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Meaning_of_the_name">Meaning of the name</span></h2>
The name "Cecilia" was shared by all women of the Roman <i>gens</i> known as the Caecilii, whose name may be related to the root of 'caecus', blind. Legends and hagiographies, mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among those cited by Chaucer in The Second Nun's Tale are: lily of heaven; the way for the blind; contemplation of heaven and the active life; as if lacking in blindness; a heaven for people to gaze upon.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Patroness_of_musicians">Patroness of musicians</span></h2>
Cecilia's musical fame rests on a passing notice in her legend that she was beheaded and at the same time praised God, singing to Him, as she lay dying a martyr's death. She is frequently depicted playing an organ or other musical instrument. Musical societies and conservatories frequently have been named for St. Cecilia. Her feast day became an occasion for musical concerts and festivals that occasioned well-known poems by John Dryden and Alexander Pope, and music by Henry Purcell (Ode to St. Cecilia), George Frideric Handel (Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, Alexander's Feast), Charles Gounod (Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cecile} and Benjamin Britten, who was born on her feast day, (Hymn to St. Cecilia), as well as Herbert Howells with text from a poem by W. H. Auden. Gerald Finzi's "For Saint Cecilia", Op. 30, was set to verses written by Edmund Blunden, and Frederik Magle's <i>Cantata to Saint Cecilia</i> is based on the history of Cecilia.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Use_in_contemporary_music">Use in contemporary music</span></h2>
The New York post-hardcore band Polar Bear Club refer to St. Cecilia in their song "Song to Persona". David Byrne and Brian Eno's song, The River, on the album, Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, also refers to St. Cecilia's Day. Paul Simon, of Simon and Garfunkel fame, wrote the song "The Coast" which references her when a family of musicians taking refuge in the Church of St. Cecilia. There is also evidence that another of Paul Simon's songs was also in her honor, as "Cecilia" can be interpreted to refer to her and the frustration of song writing. English lyrics were written for a Swedish popular song "Min soldat" and released as "The Shrine of Saint Cecilia". It was recorded by a number of American close harmony and doo-wop groups during the 20th century like Willie Winfield and the Harp-Tones. Others were the Bon Aires and The Andrews Sisters. The song was first released in the U.S. in 1941. Stalk-Forrest group (an early incarnation of Blue Öyster Cult) recorded a song called "St. Cecilia" on their album that was scrapped by Elektra Records. The album finally saw a limited release in 2003 through Rhino Handmade under the title <i>St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings</i>. Then in 2007 Radioactive Records released the album (on CD and vinyl) as <i>St. Cecilia: The California Album – Remastered.</i><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Use_in_contemporary_poetry">Use in contemporary poetry</span></h2>
A poem by Australian poet A.D.Hope (1907–2000) <i>Moschus Moschiferus</i> is sub-titled <i>A Song for St Cecilia's Day</i>. The poem is of 12 stanzas and was written in the 1960s</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-Reni_painting-1"><span class="reference-text">St Cecilia by RENI, Guido</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-CE-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup> <sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">"St. Cecilia". <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913<span class="printonly">. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03471b.htm</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Fuller, Osgood Eaton: <i>Brave Men and Women.</i> BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008, page 272. ISBN 0-554-34122-0</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Rom. sott. ii. 147.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">The Life of Saint Cecilia – Golden Legend article</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Chaucer, <i>Canterbury Tales</i>, The Second Nun's Tale, prologue, 85–119. As the rubric to these lines declare, the nun draws her etymologies from the <i>Legenda Aurea</i> of Jacobus de Voragine (<i>Jacobus Januensis</i> - James of Genoa - in the rubric).</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Ode on St. Cecilia's Day</i> (composed 1711) at, for example, www.PoemHunter.com</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"En bemærkelsesværdig cd" (in Danish). Udfordringen. 29 January 2004<span class="printonly">. http://www.udfordringen.dk/art.php?ID=2486</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 17 May 2012</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lyrics of "The Coast"</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Cecilia will put song in your heart</i>, Ideally Speaking (Jerry Johnston), <i>Deseret News</i>, 14 November 2009, p. E1. Johnston writes: " . . If you're a composer who needs a melody, talk to Cecilia. She'll put a song in your heart."</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Feast of the </span><i><b>Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary</b></i></h2>
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The <b>Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary</b> (as it is known in the West), or <b>The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple</b> (its name in the East), is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.<br />
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The feast is associated with an event recounted not in the New Testament, but in the apocryphal Infancy Narrative of James. According to that text, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, who had been childless, received a heavenly message that they would have a child. In thanksgiving for the gift of their daughter, they brought her, when still a child, to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate her to God. Later versions of the story (such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary) tell us that Mary was taken to the Temple at around the age of three in fulfillment of a vow. Tradition held that she was to remain there to be educated in preparation for her role as Mother of God.<br />
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In Eastern Orthodox tradition, this is one of the days when women named Mary (<i>Μαρία</i> in Greek) and Despoina (Δέσποινα in Greek) celebrate their Name Day.<br />
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The account of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is principally based on the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. The story relates that in thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter, Mary, Joachim and Anne decide to consecrate her to God, and bring her, at the age of three years, to the temple in Jerusalem. Mary’s presentation in the temple draws parallels to that of the prophet Samuel, whose mother Hannah, like Anne was also thought to be barren, and who offered her child as a gift to God at Shiloh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peters_2-0">[2]</sup><br />
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Mary remained in the Temple until her twelfth year,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peters_2-1">[2]</sup> at which point she was assigned to Joseph as guardian. According to Coptic tradition, her father Joachim died when Mary was six years old and her mother when Mary was eight.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peters_2-2">[2]</sup> While the story is a legend with no foundation in history, the point is to show that even in her childhood Mary was completely dedicated to God. It is from this account that arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mauriello_3-0">[3]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_day">Feast day</span></h2>
The feast originated as a result of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New, built in 543 by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I near the site of the ruined Temple in Jerusalem.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mauriello_3-1">[3]</sup> This basilica was destroyed by the Sassanid Persians under Khosrau II after the Siege of Jerusalem (614). The first documented celebration of the feast in any calendar is the mention of the <i>Εἴσοδος τῆς Παναγίας Θεοτόκου</i> (Entry of the All-Holy Theotokos, i.e., into the Temple) in the <i>Menologion of Basil II</i>, an 11th-century menology of the Eastern Roman (also known as Byzantine) emperor Basil II.<br />
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The feast continued to be celebrated throughout the East, was celebrated in the monasteries of Southern Italy by the ninth century, and was introduced into the Papal Chapel in Avignon in 1372 by decree of Pope Gregory XI.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-andrew_4-0">[4]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-coleman_5-0">[5]</sup> The feast was included in the Roman Missal in 1472, but was suppressed by Pope Pius V in 1568.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-andrew_4-1">[4]</sup> As a result, it did not appear in the Tridentine Calendar. Pope Sixtus V reintroduced it into the Roman Calendar in 1585.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup> Pope Clement VIII made this feast a greater double in 1597.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-andrew_4-2">[4]</sup> The feast also continued as a memorial in the Roman Calendar of 1969.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Liturgical_celebration">Liturgical celebration</span></h2>
The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates it on November 21 as one of its twelve Great Feasts. For those churches which follow the Julian Calendar, November 21 falls on December 4 of the modern Gregorian Calendar. In the Orthodox Church the feast always falls during the Nativity Fast, and on the day of the feast the fasting rules are lessened somewhat so that fish, wine, and oil may be eaten.<br />
For the Roman Catholic Church, on the day of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, <i>"we celebrate that dedication of herself which Mary made to God from her very childhood under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who filled her with grace ... ."</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup> In the 1974 encyclical <i>Marialis Cultus</i>, Pope Paul VI wrote that "despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern churches".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mauriello_3-2">[3]</sup><br />
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The three feasts of the Birthday of Our Lady, the Holy Name of Mary, and her Presentation in the Temple correspond in the Marian cycle with the first three feasts of the cycle of feasts of Jesus: namely, Christmas, the Holy Name of Jesus, and His Presentation at the Temple.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-passionist_8-0">[8]</sup> November 21 is also a <i>"Pro Orantibus"</i> Day, a day of prayer for cloistered religious "totally dedicated to God in prayer, silence, and concealment".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Legacy">Legacy</span></h2>
During the World Youth Day in July 2016, Pope Francis paid a private morning visit to the Convent of the Sisters of the Presentation (lat. <i>Congregatio Virginum a Praesentatione Beatae Mariae Virginis</i>) founded in 1627 in Cracow as the first Polish active Holy Order.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup><br />
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St. Peter's Basilica contains the "Cappella della Presentazione" (Presentation Chapel); the altar is dedicated to St. Pius X.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup><br />
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Monastery is located in Marshfield, Missouri.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM for short), a religious institute of Roman Catholic women, was founded in Cork, Ireland, by Nano (Honoria) Nagle in 1775.<br />
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The congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, dedicated to the education of youth, was founded November 21, 1796, in Thueyts, France, by Marie Rivier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_art">In art</span></h2>
Western depictions of the subject usually focused on the lone figure of the child Mary climbing the steep steps of the Temple. Having left her parents at the bottom, she is to be received by the High Priest and other Temple officials waiting at the top of the steps.<br />
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The Presentation was one of the usual scenes in larger cycles of the Life of the Virgin, although it was not usually one of the scenes shown in a Book of Hours. One of the most important illustrations of this event was Pietro Testa´s famous painting.<br />
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References </h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-6"></li>
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="reference-text">Some but not all Eastern Rite churches reckon by the Julian calendar, in which this date falls 13 days later on December 4 of the Gregorian calendar.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-peters-2"> <span class="reference-text">Peters, Sr. Danielle. "The Holy Land: In the Footsteps of Mary of Nazareth", Marian Library, University of Dayton</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-mauriello-3"> <span class="reference-text">Mauriello, Matthew R., "November 21: Presentation of Mary", <i>Fairfield County Catholic</i>, 1996</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-andrew-4"> <span class="reference-text">"The Saint Andrew Missal, with Sundays and Feasts," by Dom Gaspar LeFebvre, O.S.B., Saint Paul, MN: The E. M. Lohmann Co., 1952, p. 1684</span></li>
<span class="reference-text">William E. Coleman, Ed. "<i>Philippe de Mezieres' Campaign for the Feast of Mary's Presentation,"</i> Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1981, pp. 3-4.</span>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="reference-text">Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), pp. 108-109</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"> <span class="reference-text">"Liturgy of the Hours," November 21</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-passionist-8"> <span class="reference-text">"The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary", Passionist Nuns</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"> <span class="reference-text">Angelus Address of Pope Benedict XVI, November 19, 2006</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"> <span class="reference-text">Presentation Sisters</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"> <span class="reference-text">"Presentation Chapel", St. Peter's Basilica</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"> <span class="reference-text">Presentation of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Monastary</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet II:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b>History of Thanksgiving</b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>First Thanksgiving 1621</i>, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899).</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Because of the longstanding traditions of the holiday, the celebration often extends to the weekend that falls closest to the day it is celebrated. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. Historically, Thanksgiving had roots in religious and cultural tradition. Today, Thanksgiving is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. This feast lasted three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans (as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow) and 53 Pilgrims. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought </span></div>
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Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date of the holiday</div>
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In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Puritans, the radical reformers of their age, wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plague in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588, and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705. An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, and developed into Guy Fawkes Day.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_the_United_States">In the United States</span></h3>
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<i>The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth</i> By Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914)</div>
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In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.</div>
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In later years, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the "First Thanksgiving", including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.</div>
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Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God".</div>
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According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.</div>
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Every year, the President of the United States will "pardon" a turkey, which spares the bird's life and ensures that it will spend the duration of its life roaming freely on farmland.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Debate_about_first_celebrations">Debate about first celebrations</span></h4>
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The traditional representation of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States, and even the Americas, has often been a subject of boosterism and debate, though the debate is often confused by mixing up the ideas of a Thanksgiving holiday celebration and a Thanksgiving religious service. According to author James Baker, this debate is a "tempest in a beanpot" and "marvelous nonsense."</div>
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Local boosters in Virginia, Florida, and Texas promote their own colonists, who (like many people getting off a boat) gave thanks for setting foot again on dry land.</div>
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These claims include an earlier religious service by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony. Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida argue that the earliest Thanksgiving service in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565, in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida. A day for Thanksgiving services was codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619.</div>
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According to Baker, "Historically, none of these had any influence over the evolution of our modern holiday. The American holiday's true origin was the New England Calvinist Thanksgiving. Never coupled with a Sabbath meeting, the Puritan observances were special days set aside during the week for thanksgiving and praise in response to God's providence."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fixing_the_date_of_the_holiday">Fixing the date of the holiday</span></h3>
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The reason for the earlier Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada has often been attributed to the earlier onset of winter in the north, thus ending the harvest season earlier.Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century. Prior to Canadian Confederation, many of the individual colonial governors of the Canadian provinces had declared their own days of Thanksgiving. The first official Canadian Thanksgiving occurred on April 15, 1872, when the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wales' recovery from a serious illness. By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day was normally celebrated on November 6. However, when World War I ended, the Armistice Day holiday was usually held during the same week. To prevent the two holidays from clashing with one another, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on its present date on the second Monday of October. Since 1971, when the American Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, the American observance of Columbus Day has coincided with the Canadian observance of Thanksgiving.</div>
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Much like in Canada, Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state. The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the final Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states.<sup> </sup>Because of the ongoing Civil War and the Confederate States of America's refusal to recognize Lincoln's authority, a nationwide Thanksgiving date was not realized until Reconstruction was completed in the 1870s.</div>
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On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.</div>
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<span class="userContent">Timeline: </span></h3>
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<span class="userContent">The History of the Origin of Thanksgiving in United States of America:</span></h3>
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1619 – On December 4th, a group of English settlers landed about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown (the Colony of Virginia). Their charter required that a “day of thanksgiving” be observed every year on the day of their arrival. After several years</span>, this site was abandoned.</div>
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1621 – The Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony celebrated a “harvest festival” with Massasoit (Great Sachem) and the people of the Pokanoket tribe, one of the tribes of the Wampanoag nation. Their feast consisted of waterfowl, wild turkeys, fish, and deer as well as corn, squash, and beans which Native Americans had taught the Pilgrims to cultivate.<br />
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1777- The first Thanksgiving Proclamation was given by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. The Declaration of Independence had been issued the previous year and it was a time of great peril for the newly formed United States of America;<br />
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<b>The First U.S. Thanksgiving Proclamation 1777 : God Bless America</b><br />
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<i>"FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:</i><br />
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<i> It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost."</i></div>
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<span class="userContent">1789 – President George Washington proclaimed and created the first Thanksgiving for the United States of America for “…Thursday, the 26th day of November next…”</span><br />
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1863 – During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November 1863. Since this date, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.<br />
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1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law establishing the day of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Observance_in_North_America">Observance in North America</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Canada">Canada</span></h3>
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Pumpkin pie is commonly served on and around Thanksgiving in North America.</div>
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<b>Thanksgiving</b> or <b>Thanksgiving Day</b> (Canadian French: <i>Jour de l'Action de grâce</i>), occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although the original act of Parliament references God and the holiday is celebrated in churches, the holiday is mostly celebrated in a secular manner. Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in all provinces in Canada, except for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. While businesses may remain open in these provinces, the holiday is nonetheless, recognized and celebrated regardless of its status.</div>
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"There is no compelling narrative of the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving day." Though there were no permanent English settlements in Canada until the early eighteenth century, the origin of the first Canadian Thanksgiving is often traced back to 1578 and the explorer Martin Frobisher who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest but was in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. On his third and final voyage to the far north, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Frobisher Bay in Baffin Island (present-day Nunavut) to give thanks to God and in a service ministered by the preacher Robert Wolfall they celebrated Communion.</div>
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The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing their food with the indigenous peoples of the area.</div>
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As settlers arrived in Canada from New England, late autumn Thanksgiving celebrations became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish and Germans, also added their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey or what were called guineafowls originating from Madagascar), were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.</div>
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Thanksgiving is now a statutory holiday in most jurisdictions of Canada, with the Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia being the exceptions</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Other_observances_known_as_Thanksgiving">Worldwide observances known as Thanksgiving</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Germany">Germany</span></h3>
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The Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (<i>Erntedankfest</i>) is an early October, German festival. The festival has a significant religious component to it but also, like its North American counterpart, includes large harvest dinners (consisting mostly of autumn crops) and parades. The Bavarian beer festival Oktoberfest generally takes place within the vicinity of <i>Erntedankfest.</i></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Grenada">Grenada</span></h3>
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In the West Indian island of Grenada, there is a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day which is celebrated on October 25. Even though it bears the same name, and is celebrated at roughly the same time as the American and Canadian versions of Thanksgiving, this holiday is unrelated to either of those celebrations. Instead the holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983, in response to the deposition and execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Korea">Korea</span></h3>
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In Korean culture, the festival of Chuseok is celebrated typically around Fall, and fills a similar social role as Thanksgiving, though the origins and traditions are different. In English translations, Chuseok is often described as "Korean Thanksgiving" as well.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Japan">Japan</span></h3>
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Labor Thanksgiving Day <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">勤労感謝の日</span> <i>Kinrō Kansha no Hi</i><span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><sup><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding: 0 0.1em; text-decoration: none;">?</span></sup></span>)</span> is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23. The law establishing the holiday, which was adopted during the American occupation after World War II, cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving one another thanks. It has roots in an ancient harvest ceremony celebrating hard work.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Liberia">Liberia</span></h3>
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In the West African country of Liberia, which beginning in 1820, was colonized by free blacks from the United States (most of whom had been formerly enslaved), Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Netherlands">The Netherlands</span></h3>
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Many of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation had resided in the city of Leiden from 1609–1620, many of whom had recorded their birth, marriages and deaths at the Pieterskerk. To commemorate this, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, to commemorate the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Norfolk_Island">Norfolk Island</span></h3>
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In the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Wednesday of November, similar to the pre-World War II American observance on the last Thursday of the month. This means the Norfolk Island observance is the day before or six days after the United States' observance. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">Baker, James W. (2009). <i>Thanksgiving: the biography of an American holiday</i>. UPNE. pp. 1–14. ISBN 9781584658016.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="reference-text"><i>The fast and thanksgiving days of New England</i> by William DeLoss Love, Houghton, Mifflin and Co., Cambridge, 1895</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="reference-text">Kaufman, Jason Andrew "The origins of Canadian and American political differences" Harvard University Press, 2009, ISBN 0-674-03136-9 p.28</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-20"><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news">Davis, Kenneth C. (Nov 25, 2008). "A French Connection". Nytimes.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-11-15</span>.</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">"The First Thanksgiving Proclamation — 20 June 1676". The Covenant</span></span></li>
<li id="cite_note-21"> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book">"Thanksgiving Day". <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2011-11-25</span>.</span></span> </li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" style="color: #660000; text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7gep0MOsN30/UDEFALywFFI/AAAAAAAABpI/FEGhZ3z4NaU/s1600/sorrowful-and-immaculate-heart-of-mary.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"> </sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
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<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
</ul>
The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
<br />
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
<br />
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
<br />
In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
<br />
Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
<br />
These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
<br />
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 160px;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/SrMarieofStPeter.jpg" width="158" /> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
<br />
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
<br />
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
<br />
<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/MarthaChambon.gif" width="103" /> <br />
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
<br />
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
<br />
The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
<br />
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
</ul>
</dd><dd><ul> </ul>
<ul> </ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
<br />
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
<br />
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Book 2, Chapter 5</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">OF THE VIRTUE OF CHARITY IN THE MOST HOLY MARY, OUR LADY</span></h2>
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The most excellent virtue of charity is the mistress, the queen, the mother, the life and beauty of all the other virtues; charity governs, moves and directs them to their ultimate and true end, charity leads them on to their ultimate perfection, preserves them and makes them grow, enlightens them and beautifies them, gives them life and efficacy. If the other virtues confer each their measure of perfection on creatures, charity gives them perfection itself and brings them to their full complement. Without charity all is of small value, obscure, languid, lifeless and unprofitable, not being endowed either with the essence or the appurtenances of true vitality. Charity is kind, patient, meek, without emulation, without envy, without offensiveness, desires not to acquire, but readily distributes all, is the cause of all good and consents not to evil; as far as it is concerned (I Cor. 13, 4) it is the fullest participation in the true and ultimate Good. 0 Virtue of virtues and greatest treasure of heaven! Thou alone hast the key of paradise! Thou art the dawn of eternal light, the sun of eternity’s day, the fire which purifies, the wine which inebriates with new delights, the nectar which rejoices, the sweetness which satiates without surceasing, the chamber of rest for the soul, a bond so intimate that it makes us one with God (John 17, 21), with the same bond that unites the eternal Father to the Son, and Both to the holy Spirit.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">On account of the nobility of this most excellent of all virtues, our God and Lord, according to the Gospel of St. John, wished to honor Himself or wished to honor it, by calling Himself Charity (I John 4, 15). There are many reasons why the Catholic Church attributes the divine perfections of omnipotence to the Father; of wisdom to the Son, and of love to the Holy Ghost. For the Father is the beginning, the Son is engendered of the Father through the divine intelligence, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from Both through the will. But the name of Charity and the perfection which it implies is attributed to the Lord himself without distinction of Persons, since the Evangelist says indiscriminately: “God is charity.” This virtue in the Lord has the distinction of being the terminus or end of all his operations </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad intra </i></span><span lang="en-US">and </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad extra. </i></span><span lang="en-US">For on the one hand all the divine processions (which are the operations of the Godhead with Himself or </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad intra), </i></span><span lang="en-US">terminate in the reciprocal union and love of the three divine Persons, and thus they constitute an indissoluble bond of unity over and above the indivisibility of the divine Essence, proper to it as being one and the same God. On the other hand the works </span><span lang="en-US"><i>ad extra, </i></span><span lang="en-US">namely the creatures, are an off–spring of divine charity and are ordained towards it, so that, issuing from that immense sea of divine bounty, they also return by charity and love to the source from whence they sprang. It is peculiar to the virtue of charity in opposition to all the other virtues and gifts, that it is a perfect participation of a divine virtue; it is born of one source, is directed back to the same, and is more adapted to that eternal source than all other virtues. If we call God our hope, our patience, or our wisdom, it is because we receive them from his hand, and not because these perfections are in God as they exist in ourselves. But we call God our charity, not only because we receive it from the Lord, and because He communicates it to us, but because He himself is essential charity, and the overflow of this divine perfection, which we represent to ourselves as a form and attribute of his Divinity, redounds in our souls, transforming it more perfectly and abundantly than any other virtue.</span></div>
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This is in part the nature of Charity in its divine original, God. Outside of God himself, however, we will find it in the fullest perfection possible to a mere creature in none other than most holy Mary, and in Her we find the model after which we are more immediately to copy our own charity. It is evident that the light proceeding from the uncreated Sun of charity, where it is contained without limit or circumscription, communicates itself to all creatures even the most remote according to an order and measurement adjusted in proportion to the proximity or distance of each from the divine source. And this order manifests the fullness and perfection of the divine Providence; for without it, this Providence would show a certain defect, confusedness and discord in the creatures as far as the participation of his goodness and love is concerned. The first place after God himself, in the distribution of divine Charity, was due to that Soul and that Person, who was at the same time uncreated God and created man; for the highest grace and participation of love naturally was to be found where existed the closest and most intimate union with God, as it existed and as it will exist forever in Christ our Lord.</div>
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The second place is due to his most holy Mother Mary, in whom charity and divine love found its resting place in an especial manner. For, according to our way of apprehending, the uncreated Charity could not be quieted until It should find a creature to which It could communicate Itself in such great plenitude, that the love and affection of the whole human race should in its entirety be reproduced in that Creature alone. It was intended that this chosen Creature should in Herself be endowed with the gifts of charity, without the shortcomings and defects common to the rest of mortals infected with sin, so that She by Herself would be able to supply the balance of creation and make for it the greatest possible return of love. Mary alone was chosen among all creatures to imitate the Sun of justice in charity (I Cant. 4, 9), and faithfully to copy this virtue from its Original. She by Herself knew how to love more ardently and perfectly than all the rest of creatures combined, to love God entirely for his own sake, purely, intensely and without defect, and also loving creatures for God’s sake and in a manner similar to Him. She alone adequately followed the impulse of charity and her generous inclination of loving the highest Good as highest Good, without any side intentions; and of loving the creatures on account of their participation in God, without the thought of a return or reward of her love. And in perfect imitation of the uncreated Charity, Mary by her charity was able and knew how to love in such a way as to make better that which is loved; for by her love She made better heaven and earth and all things that exist outside of God.</div>
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If the charity of this great Lady were put in the balance with that of all the men and angels, hers would outweigh theirs by far; for She by Herself exceeded them all in her knowledge of the essence and qualities of the divine Charity and consequently only Mary knew how to imitate It with adequate perfection and above all the powers of intellectual creatures. In this excess of love and charity She repaid and satisfied the debt of infinite love due to the Lord from creatures, as far as He could demand a return of them, for their return was not to he infinite in value, that being impossible. Just as the love and the charity of the most holy soul of Jesus Christ was in its greatness proportionate to the hypostatic union, so the love of Mary was great in proportion to the excellence conferred upon Her by the eternal Father, when He appointed Her as the one, who as Mother was to conceive and bear his Son for the salvation of the world.</div>
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Thence we understand that all the gifts and the blessings of creatures depend in some manner on the love and charity of the blessed Virgin toward God. In Her alone it was possible that divine Charity could exist in this world in its highest and ultimate perfection. She paid the whole debt of charity at a time when all men were unable to pay or even to understand the greatness of their debt. She, by her most perfect charity, obliged the eternal Father to sacrifice his most holy Son for Herself and in Redemption of the whole world; for if Mary had loved less and if her charity had been defective, the proper preparation for his Incarnation would have been wanting. But as soon as any creature was found, which resembled God so closely as She, it was, so to say, but a natural consequence that He should descend to Her as He did.</div>
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All this is the meaning of the words of the Holy Ghost when He calls Mary the mother of beautiful love (Eccli. 24, 24), as has already been explained correspondingly in regard to hope. These words to Mary signify: Mary is the Mother of Him, who is our sweetest love, Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer, who became the most beautiful among men by a divine, infinite and uncreated beauty, and by a human nature which was to be without guilt or blemish and to which no beauty of grace that could be communicated by the Divinity, was wanting (I Pet. 2, 22). She is also the Mother of beautiful love, for She alone engendered in her soul the perfect love and charity and the most beautiful affection. All the rest of the creatures combined could not attain the beauty and faultlessness of her Charity for theirs was not worthy to be called absolutely beautiful. She is the Mother of our love; for She drew it toward the earth for us; She cultivated it for us; She taught us to know and practice it; there is no other creature in heaven or on earth that could be such a teacher of this beautiful love for men or angels. Therefore all the saints are but rays of this Sun. and streamlets flowing from this ocean; so much the better will they know how to love, the more they participate in this love and charity of most holy Mary, and in as far as they succeed in imitating and copying it more exactly.</div>
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The sources of this charity and love of our princess Mary were her profound knowledge and wisdom, derived as well from her infused faith and hope, as also from the gifts of science, intellect and wisdom given to Her by the Holy Ghost; but the greatest of all the sources of her love were the intuitive and abstractive visions of the Divinity. Through all these mediums She reached the highest knowledge of the uncreated Charity drank of it at its very fountain, and as She thus learned, how God was to be loved for his own sake and the creature for the sake of God, also how to practice and execute this love with the most intense and fervent desire. Moreover, as the power of God found no impediment or hindrance, no inadvertence, ignorance or imperfection, nor any tardiness of the will in this Queen, it could operate in Her according to his pleasure. This was not possible in other creatures, since in none of them it found the same disposition as in most holy Mary.</div>
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In Her was the fulfillment of that great natural and divine precept: “Thou shalt love thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.” Mary alone satisfied this obligation and debt for all men, which in this life and before seeing God they neither knew nor could ever fulfill entirely. This Lady fulfilled it more perfectly during her pilgrimage than the saints even in the state of beatitude. Moreover She also satisfied the intentions of God in regard to this precept, namely that it remain not unfruitful and as it were frustrated on the part of wayfaring men; for most holy Mary by Herself sanctified and fulfilled it entirely for all of them, supplying by her charity all that was wanting in the fulfillment of this precept among men. And probably if God had not foreknown that Mary our Queen would be among the number of the mortals, He would not have given this command in this form. But on Her account He was pleased to give it; to Her we owe not only this command of perfect charity, but also the adequate fulfillment of it among men.</div>
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0 most sweet and most beautiful Mother of beautiful love and charity! Let all the nations know Thee, let all generations bless Thee, and let all the creatures magnify and praise Thee! Thou alone art the perfect One, the beloved One, the chosen Mother of uncreated Charity. It formed Thee and selected Thee to shine like the sun in thy most beautiful and most perfect love (Cant. 6, 9)! Let all us miserable children of Eve approach this sun in order to be enlightened and inflamed. Let us approach this Mother in order to be born again in love. Let us approach this Teacher in order to be taught the love, affection and charity which is without defect. Love is a disposition which is pleased and satisfied with the thing loved. Affection is a selection and separation of the beloved from other of the same kind, and charity implied in addition to these, a high appreciation and esteem for the goodness of the beloved. All this we will learn from the Mother of true love, who is called by that name precisely because her love possesses all these qualities. In Her we learn to love God for his own sake, resting satisfied in Him with all our heart; to give Him a separate place in all our love from all that is not God, for loving Him, together with other things, only diminishes our love of God. We learn to appreciate Him and esteem Him above gold and above all precious things, for in comparison with Him all precious things are of no value, all beauty is ugliness, and all that is great and estimable in carnal eyes, becomes contemptible and valueless. Of the effects of this love of the most holy Mary, this whole history treats and of them heaven and earth are full. Therefore I will not stay to describe more particularly what no human tongue, nor words of men or angels can convey.</div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962784"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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My daughter, if I desire in maternal affection, that thou follow me and imitate me in all the other virtues, then more especially do I make known and declare to thee my desire to see thee follow me in the virtue of charity, for this is the end and the crowning glory of all other virtues. I desire that thou exert thy utmost powers to copy in thy soul, with the greatest perfection, all that thou hast learnt of my charity. Light up the lamp of thy faith and reason in order to find this drachm of infinite value, and after thou hast (Luke 15, 8) found it, forget and despise all that is earthly and corruptible. In thy own mind consider again and again, ponder and take heed of the infinite reasons and causes that make God lovable above all other things. In order that thou mayest be sure that thou lovest Him perfectly and truly, search within thyself for the following signs and effects of that love; whether thy thought and meditation dwell continually on God, whether his commands and counsel find in thee no repugnance or remissness, whether thou fearest to offend Him, whether thou seekest immediately to appease Him after having offended Him, whether thou grievest to see Him offended and rejoicest to see Him served by all creatures, whether thou desirest and art delighted to speak continually of his love; see whether thou delightest in the memory of his presence, whether thou grievest at thy forgetfulness of Him and at his absence from thee, whether thou lovest what He loves, and abhorrest what He abhors, whether thou seekest to draw all men towards his friendship and grace, whether thou prayest with confidence; see whether thou receivest with gratitude his benefits, whether thou dost not waste them but rather turnst them to good account for his honor and glory, whether thou strivest to extinguish in thyself all the movements of the passions, which retard thee or hinder thee in thy loving aspirations and in thy works of virtue.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The right order of this virtue is to love God above all the creatures, then to love oneself, and him who is nearest to oneself, namely, our neighbor. God must be loved with the whole understanding, without deceit, with the whole will, without reserve or division, with the whole mind, without forgetfulness, without diminution, without negligence or remissness. The motive of charity in loving God is none else than God Himself; for He must be loved for his own sake, being the highest Good and most perfect goodness and holiness. Loving God for</span> <span lang="en-US">such motives causes the creature to love itself and the neighbor and itself; for both belong to one and the same God, from whom they derive their origin, their life and activity. He that loves God truly for Himself will also love all that is of God and all that in some way participates in his goodness. Therefore charity looks upon the neighbor as a work and a participation of God and makes no distinction between friend or enemy. Charity looks only upon that which is of God and which pertains to Him in others, no matter whether the neighbor is friendly or hostile, a benefactor or a persecutor. It attends only to the difference in the participation of the divine and infinite goodness and according to this standard it loves all in God and for God.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE</b></span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE - </span><span class="text3">THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <b><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE<br />
THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2697"></a><b>2697</b> Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart "We must remember God more often than we draw breath."<sup>1</sup> But we cannot pray "at all times" if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration. </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2698"></a><b>2698</b> The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian's life of prayer. </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2699"></a><b>2699</b> The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.</span><br />
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<span class="text"> <b>ARTICLE 2<br />
THE BATTLE OF PRAYER</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2725"></a><b>2725</b> Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer. </span><br />
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<b>I. OBJECTIONS TO PRAYER</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2726"></a><b>2726</b> In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us <i>erroneous notions of prayer</i>. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone. </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2727"></a><b>2727</b> We must also face the fact that certain attitudes deriving from the <i>mentality </i>of "this present world" can penetrate our lives if we are not vigilant. For example, some would have it that only that is true which can be verified by reason and science; yet prayer is a mystery that overflows both our conscious and unconscious lives. Others overly prize production and profit; thus prayer, being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt sensuality and comfort as the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful; whereas prayer, the "love of beauty" (<i>philokalia</i>), is caught up in the glory of the living and true God. Finally, some see prayer as a flight from the world in reaction against activism; but in fact, Christian prayer is neither an escape from reality nor a divorce from life. </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2728"></a><b>2728</b> Finally, our battle has to confront what we experience as <i>failure in prayer</i>: discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that, because we have "great possessions,"<sup>15</sup> we have not given all to the Lord; disappointment over not being heard according to our own will; wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray? To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance. </span><br />
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<b>II. HUMBLE VIGILANCE OF HEART</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2729"></a><b>Facing difficulties in prayer</b> <br />
<b>2729</b> The habitual difficulty in prayer is <i>distraction</i>. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve.<sup>16</sup></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2730"></a><b>2730</b> In positive terms, the battle against the possessive and dominating self requires vigilance, sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists on <i>vigilance</i>, he always relates it to himself, to his coming on the last day and every day: <i>today</i>. The bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; the light that must not be extinguished is that of faith: "'Come,' my heart says, 'seek his face!'"<sup>17</sup></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2731"></a><b>2731</b> Another difficulty, especially for those who sincerely want to pray, is <i>dryness</i>. Dryness belongs to contemplative prayer when the heart is separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. This is the moment of sheer faith clinging faithfully to Jesus in his agony and in his tomb. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if dies, it bears much fruit."<sup>18</sup> If dryness is due to the lack of roots, because the word has fallen on rocky soil, the battle requires conversion.<sup>19</sup> </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2732"></a><b>Facing temptations in prayer</b> <br />
<b>2732</b> The most common yet most hidden temptation is our <i>lack of faith</i>. It expresses itself less by declared incredulity than by our actual preferences. When we begin to pray, a thousand labors or cares thought to be urgent vie for priority; once again, it is the moment of truth for the heart: what is its real love? Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Sometimes we enlist the Lord as an ally, but our heart remains presumptuous. In each case, our lack of faith reveals that we do not yet share in the disposition of a humble heart: "Apart from me, you can do <i>nothing</i>."<sup>20</sup></span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2733"></a><b>2733</b> Another temptation, to which presumption opens the gate, is <i>acedia</i>. The spiritual writers understand by this a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."<sup>21</sup> The greater the height, the harder the fall. Painful as discouragement is, it is the reverse of presumption. The humble are not surprised by their distress; it leads them to trust more, to hold fast in constancy. </span><br />
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<b>III. FILIAL TRUST</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2734"></a><b>2734</b> Filial trust is tested - it proves itself - in tribulation.<sup>22</sup> The principal difficulty concerns the <i>prayer of petition</i>, for oneself or for others in intercession. Some even stop praying because they think their petition is not heard. Here two questions should be asked: Why do we think our petition has not been heard? How is our prayer heard, how is it "efficacious"? </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2735"></a><b>Why do we complain of not being heard?</b> <br />
<b>2735</b> In the first place, we ought to be astonished by this fact: when we praise God or give him thanks for his benefits in general, we are not particularly concerned whether or not our prayer is acceptable to him. On the other hand, we demand to see the results of our petitions. What is the image of God that motivates our prayer: an instrument to be used? or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2736"></a><b>2736</b> Are we convinced that "we do not know how to pray as we ought"?<sup>23</sup> Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him,<sup>24</sup> but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom. We must pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants.<sup>25</sup> </span><br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2737"></a><b>2737</b> "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."<sup>26</sup> If we ask with a divided heart, we are "adulterers";<sup>27</sup> God cannot answer us, for he desires our well-being, our life. "Or do you suppose that it is in vain that the scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us?'"<sup>28</sup> That our God is "jealous" for us is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter into the desire of his Spirit, we shall be heard. <br />
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<dl><dd><span class="text"><span class="text1">Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer.<sup>29</sup> God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what he is prepared to give.<sup>30</sup></span></span>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2738"></a><b>How is our prayer efficacious?</b> <br />
<b>2738</b> The revelation of prayer in the economy of salvation teaches us that faith rests on God's action in history. Our filial trust is enkindled by his supreme act: the Passion and Resurrection of his Son. Christian prayer is cooperation with his providence, his plan of love for men.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2739"></a><b>2739</b> For St. Paul, this trust is bold, founded on the prayer of the Spirit in us and on the faithful love of the Father who has given us his only Son.<sup>31</sup> Transformation of the praying heart is the first response to our petition.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2740"></a><b>2740</b> The prayer of Jesus makes Christian prayer an efficacious petition. He is its model, he prays in us and with us. Since the heart of the Son seeks only what pleases the Father, how could the prayer of the children of adoption be centered on the gifts rather than the Giver?<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2741"></a><b>2741</b> Jesus also prays for us - in our place and on our behalf. All our petitions were gathered up, once for all, in his cry on the Cross and, in his Resurrection, heard by the Father. This is why he never ceases to intercede for us with the Father.<sup>32</sup> If our prayer is resolutely united with that of Jesus, in trust and boldness as children, we obtain all that we ask in his name, even more than any particular thing: the Holy Spirit himself, who contains all gifts.<br />
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<b>IV. PERSERVERING IN LOVE</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2742"></a><b>2742</b> "Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father."<sup>33</sup> St. Paul adds, "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints."<sup>34</sup> For "we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly, but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing."<sup>35</sup> This tireless fervor can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. This love opens our hearts to three enlightening and life-giving facts of faith about prayer.<br />
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2743"></a><b>2743</b> <i>It is always possible to pray</i>: The time of the Christian is that of the risen Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests may arise.<sup>36</sup> Our time is in the hands of God: <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, . . . while buying or selling, . . . or even while cooking.<sup>37</sup></span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2744"></a><b>2744</b><i> Prayer is a vital necessity</i>. Proof from the contrary is no less convincing: if we do not allow the Spirit to lead us, we fall back into the slavery of sin.<sup>38</sup> How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him? <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy. . . . For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin.<sup>39</sup> Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned.<sup>40</sup> </span></dd></dl>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2745"></a><b>2745</b> Prayer and <i>Christian life</i> are <i>inseparable</i>, for they concern the same love and the same renunciation, proceeding from love; the same filial and loving conformity with the Father's plan of love; the same transforming union in the Holy Spirit who conforms us more and more to Christ Jesus; the same love for all men, the love with which Jesus has loved us. "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he [will] give it to you. This I command you, to love one another."<sup>41</sup> <br />
<dl><dd><span class="text1">He "prays without ceasing" who unites prayer to works and good works to prayer. Only in this way can we consider as realizable the principle of praying without ceasing.<sup>42</sup></span>
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<span class="text1"> 15 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 10:22.<br />
16 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:21,24.<br />
17 <i>Ps</i> 27:8.<br />
18 Jn 12:24.<br />
19 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 8:6,13.<br />
20 <i>Jn</i> 15:5.<br />
21 <i>Mt</i> 26:41.<br />
22 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 5:3-5.<br />
23 <i>Rom</i> 8:26.<br />
24 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 6:8.<br />
25 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 8:27.<br />
26 <i>Jas</i> 4:3; cf. the whole context: <i>Jas</i> 4:1-10; 1:5-8; 5:16.<br />
27 <i>Jas</i> 4:4.<br />
28 <i>Jas</i> 4:5.<br />
29 Evagrius Ponticus, <i>De oratione</i> 34:PG 79,1173.<br />
30 St. Augustine, <i>Ep</i>. 130,8,17:PL 33,500.<br />
31 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 10:12-13; 8:26-39.<br />
32 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 5:7; 7:25; 9:24<br />
33 <i>1 Thess</i> 5:17; <i>Eph</i> 5:20.<br />
34 <i>Eph</i> 6:18.<br />
35 Evagrius Ponticus, <i>Pract</i>. 49:PG 40,1245C.<br />
36 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 28:20; <i>Lk</i> 8:24.<br />
37 St. John Chrysostom, <i>Ecloga de oratione</i> 2:PG 63,585.<br />
38 Cf. <i>Gal</i> 5:16-25.<br />
39 St. John Chrysostom, <i>De Anna</i> 4,5:PG 54,666.<br />
40 St. Alphonsus Liguori, <i>Del gran Mezzo della preghiera</i>.<br />
41 <i>Jn</i> 15:16-17.<br />
42 Origen, <i>De orat.</i> 12:PG 11,452c. </span> <br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</span></h2>
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<span class="userContent">To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assi<span class="text_exposed_show">stance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...</span></span></div>
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<li> Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.</li>
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Litany Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949023248907762044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8540590902020777207.post-89169453243070175192017-11-02T14:40:00.000-05:002017-11-19T10:50:38.046-06:00All Souls Day, November 2, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog: Reparation, Wisdom 3:1-9 , Psalms 27:1-14, Roman 6:3-9, John 6:3740; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; All Souls Day: Beatitudes; Purgatory; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 4 Virtue of Hope - Instructions given to the Most Holy Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 3 Expressions of Prayer; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults<br />
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<i>All Souls Day, November 2, 2017 - Litany Lane Blog:</i><br />
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<i><span style="color: black;">Reparation, Wisdom 3:1-9</span></i><i> , </i><i><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="color: black;">Psalms</span></i></span></i><i> 27:1-14<span style="color: black;">,</span> Roman 6:3-9, John 6:3740;<span style="color: black;"> Pope Francis Angelus</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">; All Souls Day: Beatitudes; Purgatory; </span></i><i><span style="color: black;">Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary;</span> </i><i><span style="color: black;">Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God -</span><span style="color: black;"> Book 2 Chapter 4 Virtue of Hope - Instructions given to the Most Holy Mother Mary; </span>Catholic Catechism</i><i><span class="userContent"> - </span><span class="text4">Part Four - The Christian Prayer</span><span class="text4"> </span></i><i>- Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life</i><i> - Chapter 3 The Life of Prayer - Article 1 Expressions of Prayer; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults</i><br />
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<b>Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary </b>~ Zarya Parx 2017<br />
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<b>JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy).</b> "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds"<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2016</span><br />
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<b>P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens).</b> A remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience, tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> </b>~ Zarya Parx 2015</span><br />
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<b>"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way",</b> "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014<br />
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<b>The world begins and ends everyday for someone.</b> We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will, make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in Heaven. The <span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony...</span></span>Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...<i>~ Zarya Parx 2013</i></div>
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<i><b>"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill."</b> ~ Zarya Parx 2012</i><br />
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<b>Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time </b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Daily Rosary</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b> (MON, SAT) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Joyful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(TUES, FRI) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Sorrowful Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(WED,SUN) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_25.html" target="_blank"><i>G</i>lorious Mysteries</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>(THURS) - <a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/begin-1.html" target="_blank">Luminous Mysteries </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/divine-mercy.html" target="_blank">Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: #274e13;">C</span>haplet of Saint Michael the Archangel</span></b></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://litanylane.blogspot.com/p/chaplet-of-precious-blood-each-bead-of.html" target="_blank">Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood</a> </span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages</span></h2>
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<b>November 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
<b> </b>Dear children, As I am looking at you gathered around me, your mother, I see many pure souls, many of my children who are seeking love and consolation, but no one is offering it to them. I also see those who are doing evil, because they do not have good examples; they have not come to know my Son. The good which is silent and is spread through pure souls is the strength which sustains this world. There is much sin, but there <span class="text_exposed_show">is also love. My Son is sending me to you - the mother who is the same for everyone - that I may teach you to love, to comprehend that you are brothers. He desires to help you.</span><br />
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Apostles of my love, a living desire of faith and love is sufficient, and my Son will accept it. But you must be worthy, you must have good will and open hearts. My Son enters into open hearts. I, as a mother, desire that you may all the better come to know my Son - God born of God – to come to know the greatness of His love which you need so much. He accepted your sins upon Himself and obtained redemption for you, and in return He asked that you love each other. My Son is love.</span><br />
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He loves all people without difference, all people of all countries and of all nations. If you, my children, would live the love of my Son, His kingdom would already be on earth. Therefore, apostles of my love, pray, pray that my Son and His love may be all the closer to you; that you may be an example of love and may help all those who have not come to know my Son. Never forget that my Son, one and triune, loves you. Love your shepherds and pray for them. Thank you.</span><br />
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<b>October 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:</b><br />
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“Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer in this time of grace. You all have problems, afflictions, sufferings and lack of peace. May saints be models to you and an encouragement for holiness; God will be near you and you will be renewed in seeking through your personal conversion. Faith will be hope to you and joy will begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my c<span class="text_exposed_show">all.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary</span><br />
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<b> Papam Franciscus</b><br />
<b>(Pope Francis)</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium;">THE A<span style="font-size: small;">NGELUS</span></span></b></i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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(Vatican Radio)<br />
<b>Pope Francis</b> celebrated the<b> Feast of All Souls Day</b> on Thursday commemorating all those who have died in war, reminding humanity not to forget past lessons and warning that the only fruit yielded by conflict is death. </div>
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His words of warning and his powerful condemnation of warmongers came during his homily at the <b>Sicily-Rome American War Cemetery</b> some 50 kilometers south of Rome.<br />
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Taking the occasion to reiterate his deep conviction that “wars produce nothing more than cemeteries and death” the Pope said he chose to visit a war cemetery as a sign “in a moment when our humanity seems not to have learned the lesson, or doesn't want to learn it.”<br />
The Nettuno US War Cemetery and Memorial is the final resting place for thousands of men who died during military operations carried out to liberate Italy – from Sicily to Rome – from Nazi Germany. Its chapel contains a list of the 3095 missing.<br />
Pope Francis arrived at the War Cemetery early in the afternoon so that he could spend time reflecting and paying his personal respects to the 7,860 – mostly young – soldiers who gave their lives in the name of freedom and respect for humanity.<br />
Walking in poignant silence between the rows and rows of tombstones, Pope Francis bowed to read some of the names and dates inscribed in the white marble: stark reminders of the fact – as he stated during his homily – that the only fruit of war is death.<br />
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<b>Please God: no more war</b><br />
To the somber congregation gathered on this holy day to honour all those who have died, Pope Francis said he chose to come to a place where thousands died in bloody combat, to appeal to the Lord – yet again “Please God: stop them. No more war. No more useless carnage.”<br />
The Pope delivered his off-the-cuff homily with an emotion charged by the dramatic setting provided by hundreds of thousands of graves of young men whose hopes – he said - were cruelly severed, at a time in which the world is again at war and is even preparing to step-up war.<br />
“Please God – he prayed – everything is lost with war”<br />
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<b>There are men today who are doing everything to declare war and step up conflict</b><br />
“There are men, Francis said, who are doing everything to declare war and to enter into conflict. They end up destroying themselves and everything.”<br />
Remarking on the fact that today is a day of hope, but also of tears, he said that the tears wept by those who have lost husbands, sons and friends at war should never be forgotten.<br />
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<b>Humanity does not seem to want to learn the lesson</b><br />
“But humanity, the Pope continued, has not learnt the lesson and seems not to want to learn the lesson”.<br />
Let us pray, he said, in a special way for all those young people caught up in conflict, “many of whom are dying every day in this piecemeal war”.<br />
And he remembered the thousands of innocent children who are also paying the price of war.<br />
“Let us ask the Lord, Pope Francis concluded, to give us the grace to weep”. <br />
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<b>Reference: </b> </h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 11/02/2017<i> </i> </li>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Word</b></span><i><span style="color: #660000;"> - reparation</span></i><span class="prondelim"> [</span><span class="pron spellpron" style="display: inline;">rep-<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span>-<span class="dbox-bold">rey</span>-sh<span class="dbox-italic">uh</span> n</span>]</h2>
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<span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Origin: </span></span><br />
<span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link"><span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">1350-1400;</span> </span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">English</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">reparacion</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Middle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">French</span> </span>< <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link">Late</span> <span class="oneClick-link">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">reparātiōn-</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">(stem</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">reparātiō</span></span>), <span class="oneClick-link">equivalent</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="dbox-roman"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">Latin</span> </span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">reparāt(us</span></span>) <span class="oneClick-link">(past</span> <span class="oneClick-link">participle</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link">reparāre</span> </span><span class="oneClick-link">to</span> repair<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span>; <span class="oneClick-link">see</span> -ate<span class="dbox-hn"><sup>1</sup></span>) + <span class="dbox-italic"><span class="oneClick-link oneClick-available">-iōn-</span> </span> -ion</span></span><br />
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<header class="luna-data-header"><span class="dbox-pg"><span class="oneClick-link">noun</span> </span> </header> <br />
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">1.</span></span><span class="oneClick-link"> the</span> <span class="oneClick-link">making</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">amends</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">wrong</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">injury</span> <span class="oneClick-link">done:</span> <span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span><br />
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<span class="dbox-example"><span class="oneClick-link">reparation</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">an</span> <span class="oneClick-link">injustice.</span></span></div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">2.</span></span><span class="oneClick-link"> Usually,</span> <span class="dbox-bold"><span class="oneClick-link">reparations</span></span>. <span class="oneClick-link">compensation</span> <span class="oneClick-link">in</span> <span class="oneClick-link">money,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">material,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">labor,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">etc.,</span> <span class="oneClick-link">payable</span> <span class="oneClick-link">by</span> <span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link">defeated</span> <span class="oneClick-link">country</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">another</span> <span class="oneClick-link">country</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">an</span> <span class="oneClick-link">individual</span> <span class="oneClick-link">for</span> <span class="oneClick-link">loss</span> <span class="oneClick-link">suffered</span> <span class="oneClick-link">during</span> <span class="oneClick-link">or</span> <span class="oneClick-link">as</span> <span class="oneClick-link">a</span> <span class="oneClick-link">result</span> <span class="oneClick-link">of</span> <span class="oneClick-link">war.</span> <span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span> </div>
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<span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link">3.</span></span><span class="oneClick-link"> restoration</span> <span class="oneClick-link">to</span> <span class="oneClick-link">good</span> <span class="oneClick-link">condition.</span> <span class="def-number"><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's Old Testament</b><b> Reading -</b></span><i> </i><i>Wisdom 3:1-9</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them.<br />
<sup>2</sup> To the unenlightened, they appeared to die, their departure was regarded as disaster,<br />
<sup>3</sup> their leaving us like annihilation; but they are at peace.<br />
<sup>4</sup> If, as it seemed to us, they suffered punishment, their hope was rich with immortality;<br />
<sup>5</sup> slight was their correction, great will their blessings be. God was putting them to the test and has proved them worthy to be with him;<br />
<sup>6</sup> he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a perfect burnt offering.<br />
<sup>7</sup> At their time of visitation, they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.<br />
<sup>8</sup> They will judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever.<br />
<sup>9</sup> Those who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await his holy ones, and he intervenes on behalf of his chosen.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Psalms -</span><i> </i><i>Psalms 27:1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13-14</i></h2>
<sup>1</sup> [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?<br />
<sup>4</sup> One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek: to dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh, to seek out his temple.<br />
<sup>7</sup> Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry, pity me, answer me!<br />
<sup>8</sup> Of you my heart has said, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Yahweh, I seek;<br />
<sup>9</sup> do not turn away from me. Do not thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour.<br />
<sup>13</sup> This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living.<br />
<sup>14</sup> Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Today's New Testament</b><b> Reading</b></span><i> - </i> <i>Romans 6:3-4, 8-9</i></h2>
<sup>3</sup> You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death.<br />
<sup>4</sup> So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glorious power, we too should begin living a new life.<br />
<sup>8</sup> But we believe that, if we died with Christ, then we shall live with him too.<br />
<sup>9</sup> We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will never die again. Death has no power over him any more.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Today's </b><b>Gospel Reading</b></span></span> <b>-</b><b> John 6: 36-40</b></span></h2>
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<span class="date-display-single">Thursday, November 2, 2017</span> </div>
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<b>All Souls Day</b></div>
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<b>1. Lectio</b></div>
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<b>a) Opening prayer</b></div>
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Spirit of God, come from the four corners of the earth and breathe on these dead persons so that they may rise again (Ez 37: 9). Come Holy Spirit, breathe on our minds, hearts and souls so that we may become a new creation in Christ, firstborn into life eternal. Amen.</div>
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Jesus said to them, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and him who <img rel="lightbox" 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" style="float: right;" />comes to Me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me; and this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."</div>
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<b>c) Prayerful silent time </b></div>
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That the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our life.</div>
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<b>2. Meditatio</b></div>
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<b>a) A key to the reading</b></div>
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In John’s Gospel, the basic perspective concerning Jesus and His mission is that the Word made flesh is sent by the Father into the world to give us life and to save that which was lost. The world, however, rejects the Word incarnate. The prologue of the Gospel presents us with this thought (Jn 1: 1-18), which the Evangelist will gradually elaborate on in the Gospel story. The synoptic Gospels, in their own way, proclaim the same news. One need only think of the parables of the lost sheep and the lost drachma (Lk 15: 1-10) or the declaration: I did not come to call the just, but sinners (Mk 2: 17).</div>
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This thought is also found in this passage: I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (Jn 6: 38). This is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life (Jn 6: 40). The key words in John’s Gospel are see and believe. To see implies and automatically means to believe in the Son sent by the Father. This faith brings the believer to possess eternal life. In John’s Gospel, the salvation of the world is already fulfilled by the first coming of Christ through the incarnation and the resurrection of the one who allows Himself to be lifted up on the cross. The second coming of Christ on the last day will be a completion of this mystery of salvation.</div>
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Today’s Gospel is taken from the section that speaks of the mystery of Jesus (Jn 1-12). The text takes us, for the second time in John’s Gospel, to Galilee at the time of the Passover: After this, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee ... it was near the Passover, the feast of the Jews (Jn 6: 1, 4). A great crowd followed him, (Jn 6: 2) and Jesus, seeing the crowd that followed him, multiplies the loaves. The crowd wants to proclaim Him king, but Jesus disappears and goes up to the mountain alone (Jn 6: 15). After a brief pause that allows us to contemplate the Lord walking on the water (Jn 6: 16-21). the story continues the next day (Jn 6: 22)when the crowd , seeks out Jesus. Then comes the discourse on the bread of life and Jesus’ warning to obtain the food that will last forever (Jn 6: 27). Jesus defines Himself as the bread of life. He makes reference to the manna given to the people by Moses as a figure of the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (Jn 6:, 30-36). This is the context in which the words of Jesus are pronounced (Jn 6: 37-40). In this context we come across a new kind of opposition and a new rejection of the revelation of the Christ as the bread of life (Jn 6: 41-66).</div>
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Jesus’ words concerning everyone who goes to him echo God’s invitation to take part in the benefits of the banquet of the covenant (Is 55: 1-3). Jesus does not reject those who come to him. R ather, He gives them eternal life. In fact, His mission is to seek and save the lost ones (Lk 19: 27). We are reminded of this in the story of the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well (Jn 4: 1-42). Jesus does not reject the Samaritan woman, but begins a ‘pastoral’ dialogue with the woman who comes to the well to draw material water and there finds the man, the prophet, and the Messiah who promises to give her the water of eternal life (Jn 4: 13-15). In our passage, we find the same structure. On the one hand the people seek material bread. On the other hand, Jesus gives them a long spiritual discourse on the bread of life. The witness of Jesus who eats the bread of God’s will (Jn 4: 34) echoes the teaching of the Master in this Gospel passage (Jn 6: 38).</div>
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At the last supper, Jesus takes up this discourse again in chapter 17. It is He who gives eternal life (Jn 17: 2) and preserves and watches over all those whom the Father has given to him. Of these none is lost except the son of perdition (Jn 17: 12-13).</div>
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<b>b) A few questions </b></div>
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to guide our meditation and practice.</div>
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* The Word made flesh is sent into the world by the Father to give us life, but the world rejects the incarnate Word. Do I welcome into my life the Divine Word who gives eternal life? How?</div>
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* I came down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of Him who sent Me (Jn 6: 38). In Jesus, we see obedience to the will of the Father. Do I internalise this virtue in my life and live it out daily?</div>
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* Anyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life (Jn 6: 40). Who is Jesus for me? Do I try to see Him with the eyes of faith, listen to His words and contemplate His way of being? What does eternal life mean for me?</div>
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<b>3. Oratio</b></div>
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<b>a) Psalm 23</b></div>
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The Lord is my shepherd,<br />
I shall not want;<br />
he makes me lie down in green pastures.<br />
He leads me beside still waters;<br />
he restores my soul.<br />
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.<br />
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,<br />
I fear no evil;<br />
for thou art with me;<br />
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.<br />
Thou preparest a table before me<br />
in the presence of my enemies;<br />
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.<br />
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;<br />
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.</div>
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<b>b) Closing prayer</b></div>
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O God, who at the table of your word and of the bread of life nourish us so that we may grow in love, grant that we may welcome your message into our heart so that we may become yeast and instruments of salvation in the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen</div>
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<b>4. Contemplatio</b></div>
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Contemplation is knowing how to adhere with one’s mind and heart to the Lord who by His Word transforms us into new beings who always do His will. “Knowing these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13: 17)</div>
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<b>Reference: </b><i>Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.</i> </div>
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<b style="color: #660000;">Saint of the Day: </b> All Souls Day</h2>
<b>Feast Day</b>: November<i> </i>2<br />
<b>Patron Saint</b>: n/a<br />
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The official name of the celebration in the Roman Rite liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church is <b>The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed</b>". Another popular name in English is <b>Feast of All Souls</b>. In some other languages the celebration, not necessarily on the same date, is known as <b>Day of the Dead</b>.In Western Christianity, <b>All Souls' Day</b> is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls' Days during the year. The Roman Catholic celebration is associated with the doctrine that the souls of the faithful who at death have not been cleansed from the temporal punishment due to venial sins and from attachment to mortal sins cannot immediately attain the beatific vision in heaven, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the Mass. In other words, when they died, they had not yet attained full sanctification and moral perfection, a requirement for entrance into Heaven. This sanctification is carried out posthumously in Purgatory.<br />
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The Western celebration of All Souls' Day is on 2 November and follows All Saints' Day. In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, if 2 November falls on a Sunday, the Mass is of All Souls, but the Liturgy of the Hours is that of the Sunday, though Lauds and Vespers for the Dead in which the people participate may be said. In the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and in the Anglican Communion, All Souls Day is instead transferred, whenever 2 November falls on a Sunday, to the next day, 3 November.<br />
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The Eastern Orthodox Church dedicates several days throughout the year to the dead, mostly on Saturdays, because of Jesus' resting in the Holy Sepulchre on that day. In the Methodist Church, saints refer to <i>all</i> Christians and therefore, on All Saint's Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation are honoured and remembered.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholicism">Roman Catholicism</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span></h3>
The Catholic Church teaches that the fate of those in purgatory can be affected by the actions of the faithful on earth. Its teaching is based also on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead. Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witness to the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians.<sup> </sup>The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass. Because Purgatory is outside created time and space, it is not necessarily accurate to speak of a location or duration in Purgatory.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h3>
In the sixth century, it was customary in Benedictine monasteries to hold a commemoration of the deceased members at Whitsuntide. According to Widukind of Corvey (c. 975), in Saxony, there existed a time-honoured ceremony of praying to the dead on 1 October. The Diocese of Liège was the first diocese to adopt the practice under Bishop Notger (d. 1008). The day after All Saints' Day, was that which Saint Odilo of Cluny chose in the 11th century for all the monasteries dependent on the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo instituted the annual commemoration of all the faithful departed, to be observed by the members of his community with alms, prayers, and sacrifices, for the relief of the suffering souls in purgatory. Odilo decreed that that those requesting a Mass be offered for the departed should make an offering for the poor, thus linking almsgiving with fasting and prayer for the dead. From there the 2 November custom spread to other Benedictine monasteries and thence to the Western Church in general<sup>.</sup><br />
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In the 15th century the Dominicans instituted a custom of each priest offering three Masses on the Feast of All Souls. During World War I, given the great number of war dead and the many destroyed churches where mass could no longer be said, Pope Benedict XV, granted all priests the privilege of offering three Masses on All Souls Day, a permission that still stands.<br />
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Known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, in some countries the celebration is known as the "Day of the Dead".<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Liturgical_practice">Liturgical practice</span></h3>
In the Roman Rite as revised in 1969, if 2 November falls on a Sunday, the Mass is of All Souls, but the Liturgy of the Hours is that of the Sunday. However, public celebration of Lauds and Vespers of the Dead with the people participating is permitted. While celebration of a Sunday, a solemnity or a feast of the Lord replacing a Sunday begins on the previous evening with Vespers and perhaps evening Mass, the general norms do not allow for anticipation on Saturday evening of the liturgy of All Souls' Day falling on a Sunday, and so they suggest that the formula of the Mass on that Saturday evening is that of the solemnity of All Saints, which outranks the Sunday of Ordinary Time whose Mass would be celebrated on that evening. However, in 2014, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops decided that for that year the Saturday evening (Sunday vigil) Mass in that country was to be that of All Souls; in countries such as Italy the situation was less clear.<br />
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In countries where All Saints' Day is not a holy day of obligation attendance at an evening Mass of All Saints on Saturday 1 November satisfies the Sunday obligation. In England and Wales, where holy days of obligation that fall on a Saturday are transferred to the following day, if 2 November is a Sunday, the solemnity of All Saints is transferred to that date, and All Souls Day is transferred to 3 November. In pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, still observed by some, if All Souls Day falls on a Sunday, it is always transferred to 3 November.<br />
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In Divine Worship: The Missal the minor propers (Introit, Gradual, Tract, Sequence, Offertory, and Communion) are those used for Renaissance and Classical musical requiem settings, including the Dies Irae. This permits the performance of traditional requiem settings in the context of the Divine Worship Form of the Roman Rite on All Souls Day as well as at funerals, votive celebrations of all faithful departed, and anniversaries of deaths.<br />
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<span id="All_Souls'_indulgence"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="All_Souls.27_indulgence">All Souls' indulgence</span></h3>
According to The Enchiridion of Indulgences, An indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the departed. The indulgence is plenary, under the usual conditions, each day from the first to the eighth of November; a partial indulgence is granted on any other days of the year.<br />
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"Visit to a Church or Oratory on All Souls Day. PLENARY INDULGENCE. A plenary indulgence, applicable ONLY to the souls in purgatory, may be obtained by those who, on All Souls Day, piously visit a church, public oratory, or -for those entitled to use it, a semi public oratory. It may be acquired either on the day designated as All Souls Day or, with the consent of the bishop, on the preceding or following Sunday or the feast of All Saints. On visiting the church or oratory it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited<br />
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<span dir="auto">Office of the Dead - Liturgy of the Hours</span></h2>
The <b>Office of the Dead</b> is a prayer cycle of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Roman Catholic Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper reading on All Souls' Day (normally November 2) for all souls in Purgatory, and can be a votive office on other days when said for a particular decedent. The work is composed of different psalms, scripture, prayers and other parts, divided into The Office of Readings, Lauds, Daytime Prayer, and Vespers (with Compline taken from the Sunday hour of Compline).<br />
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<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Composition_of_the_Current_Office">Composition of the Current Office</span></h3>
The current office, according to the 2000 <i>Liturgia Horarum</i> (Liturgy of the Hours) <i>editio typica altera</i> (second typical edition) includes the normal cycle of a typical ferial office, namely an Office of Readings (Matins), Lauds, Daytime Prayer (Terce, Sext, or None), and Vespers. The final hour of Compline is taken from Sunday. The Office of Readings includes Psalms 40 [39]: 2-14, 17-18 (this psalm selection is split between verses 9 and 10 into two sections, to keep the character of threefold cycle of Psalms for the hour); and 42 [41]. These psalms are followed by two longer lessons which are variable and come from one of multiple options. Lauds includes Psalm 51 [50], the Canticle of Ezechias (Hezekiah) (verses 15-16 are not included), and Psalm 146 [145] or 150. These are followed by a short lesson, a responsory, the <i>Benedictus</i> and the preces. Daytime Prayer consists of Psalms 70 [69], 85 [84], and 86 [85]. These are followed by a short lesson and a versicle which vary depending on which of the little hours (Terce, Sext, or None) are being used for Daytime Prayer. Vespers includes Psalms 121 [120], 130 [129], and a canticle from Phil 2:6-11. This is followed by a short lesson, a responsory, the <i>Magnificat</i>, and the preces. The hour of Compline is taken from Sunday after Second Vespers.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Pre-Vatican_II_Composition_of_the_Office">The Pre-Vatican II Composition of the Office</span></h3>
This office, as it existed in the Roman Liturgy prior to the Second Vatican Council, was composed of First Vespers, Mass, Matins, and Lauds. The editor is not known, but the office as it existed before the reforms was no older than from 7th or 8th century. A well known refrain from the cycle is <i>Timor mortis conturbat me</i>, "The fear of death confounds me" or, more colloquially, "I am scared to death of dying". The word dirge comes from it.<br />
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The Vespers of the older office comprise Psalms 116.1–9 [114], 120 [119], 121 [120], 130 [129], and 138 [137], with the <i>Magnificat</i> and the preces. The Matins, composed like those of feast days, have three nocturns, each consisting of three psalms and three lessons; the Lauds, as usual, have three psalms (Psalms 63 [62] and 67 [66] united are counted as one) and a canticle (that of Ezechias), the three psalms Laudate, and the <i>Benedictus</i>. We shall speak presently of the Mass. The office differs in important points from the other offices of the Roman Liturgy. It has not the Little Hours, the Second Vespers, or the Compline. In this respect it resembles the ancient vigils, which began at eventide (First Vespers), continued during the night (Matins), and ended at the dawn (Lauds); Mass followed and terminated the vigil of the feast. The absence of the introduction, "<i>Deus in adjutorium</i>", of the hymns, absolution, blessings, and of the doxology in the psalms also recall ancient times, when these additions had not yet been made. The psalms are chosen not in their serial order, as in the Sunday Office or the Roman ferial Office, but because certain verses, which serve as antiphons, seem to allude to the state of the dead. The use of some of these psalms in the funeral service is of high antiquity, as appears from passages in St. Augustine and other writers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The lessons from Job, so suitable for the Office of the Dead, were also read in very early days at funeral services. The responses, too, deserve notice, especially the response "<i>Libera me, Domine, de viis inferni qui portas æreas confregisti et visitasti inferum et dedisti eis lumen . . . qui erant in poenis . . . advenisti redemptor noster</i>" etc. This is one of the few texts in the Roman Liturgy alluding to Christ's descent into hell. It is also a very ancient composition (see Cabrol, "<i>La descente du Christ aux enfers</i>" in "Rassegna Gregor.", May and June, 1909).<br />
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The "<i>Libera me de morte æterna</i>", which is found more complete in the ancient manuscripts, dates also from an early period (see Cabrol in "Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie", s. v. Absoute). Mgr Batiffol remarks that it is not of Roman origin, but it is very ancient (Hist. du brév., 148). The distinctive character of the Mass, its various epistles, its tract, its offertory in the form of a prayer, the communion (like the offertory) with versicles, according to the ancient custom, and the sequence "Dies Iræ" (q.v.; concerning its author see also BURIAL), it is impossible to dwell upon here. The omission of the Alleluia, and the kiss of peace is also characteristic of this mass. There was a time when the Alleluia was one of the chants customary at funeral services (see Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie, s. v. Alleluia, I, 1235). Later it was looked upon exclusively as a song of joy, and was omitted on days of penance (e.g. Lent and ember week), sometimes in Advent, and at all funeral ceremonies. It is replaced to-day by a tract. A treatise of the 8th-9th century published by Muratori (Liturg. Rom. vet., II, 391) shows that the Alleluia was then suppressed. The omission of the kiss of peace at the Mass is probably because that ceremony preceded the distribution of the Eucharist to the faithful and was a preparation for it, so, as communion is not given at the Mass for the Dead, the kiss of peace was suppressed.<br />
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Not to speak of the variety of ceremonies of the Mozarabic, Ambrosian, or Oriental liturgies, even in countries where the Roman liturgy prevailed, there were many variations. The lessons, the responses, and other formulæ were borrowed from various sources; certain Churches included in this office the Second Vespers and Complin; in other places, instead of the lessons of our Roman Ritual, they read St. Augustine, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, Osee, Isaiah, Daniel, etc. The responses varied likewise; many examples may be found in Martène and the writers cited below in the bibliography. It is fortunate that the Roman Church preserved carefully and without notable change this office, which, like that of Holy Week, has retained for us in its archaic forms the memory and the atmosphere of a very ancient liturgy. The Mozarabic Liturgy possesses a very rich funeral ritual. Dom Férotin in his "Liber Ordinum" (pp. 107 sqq.) has published a ritual (probably the oldest extant), dating back possibly to the 7th century. He has also published a large number of votive masses of the dead. For the Ambrosian Liturgy, see Magistretti, "Manuale Ambrosianum", I (Milan, 1905), 67; for the Greek Ritual, see Burial, pp. 77–8.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span></h3>
The Office of the Dead has been attributed at times to St. Isidore, to St. Augustine, to St. Ambrose, and even to Origen. There is no foundation for these assertions. In its 20th century form, while it has some very ancient characteristics, it cannot be older than the 7th or even 8th century. Its authorship is discussed at length in the dissertation of Horatius de Turre. Some writers attribute it to Amalarius, others to Alcuin (see Pierre Batiffol, "Hist. du Brév.", 181-92; and for the opposing view, Bäumer-Biron, "Hist. du Brév.", II, 37). These opinions are more probable, but are not as yet very solidly established. Amalarius speaks of the Office of the Dead, but seems to imply that it existed before his time ("De Eccles. officiis", IV, xlii, in P. L., CV, 1238). He alludes to the "Agenda Mortuorum" contained in a sacramentary, but nothing leads us to believe that he was its author. Alcuin is also known for his activity in liturgical matters, and we owe certain liturgical compositions to him; but there is no reason for considering him the author of this office (see Cabrol in "Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie", s. v. Alcuin). In the Gregorian Antiphonary we do find a mass and an office in agenda mortuorum, but it is admitted that this part is an addition; a fortiori this applies to the Gelasian. The Maurist editors of St. Gregory are inclined to attribute their composition to Albinus and Etienne of Liège (Microl., lx). But if it is impossible to trace the office and the mass in their actual form beyond the 9th or 8th century, it is notwithstanding certain that the prayers and a service for the dead existed long before that time. We find them in the 5th, 4th, and even in the 3rd and 2nd century. Pseudo-Dionysius, Sts. Gregory of Nyssa, Jerome, and Augustine, Tertullian, and the inscriptions in the catacombs afford a proof of this (see Burial, III, 76; PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD; Cabrol, "La prière pour les morts" in "Rev. d'apologétique", 15 September 1909, pp. 881–93).<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Practice_and_obligation">Practice and obligation</span></h3>
The Office of the Dead was composed originally to satisfy private devotion to the dead, and at first had no official character. Even in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, it was recited chiefly by the religious orders (the Cluniacs, Cistercians, Carthusians), like the Office of Our Lady (see Guyet, loc. cit., 465). Later it was prescribed for all clerics and became obligatory whenever a ferial office was celebrated. It has even been said that it was to remove the obligation of reciting it that the feasts of double and semi-double rite were multiplied, for it could be omitted on such days (Bäumer-Biron, op. cit., II, 198). The reformed Breviary of St. Pius V assigned the recitation of the Office of the Dead to the first free day in the month, the Mondays of Advent and Lent, to some vigils, and ember days. Even then it was not obligatory, for the Bull "<i>Quod a nobis</i>" of the same pope merely recommends it earnestly, like the Office of Our Lady and the Penitential Psalms, without imposing it as a duty (Van der Stappen, "Sacra Liturgia", I, Malines, 1898, p. 115). At the present time, it is obligatory on the clergy only on the feast of All Souls and in certain mortuary services. Some religious orders (Carthusians, Cistercians etc.) have preserved the custom of reciting it in choir on the days assigned by the Bull "Quod a nobis".<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
<div id="approbation">
<b>Ecclesiastical approbation.</b> <span id="nihil"><i>Nihil Obstat.</i> February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><i>Imprimatur.</i> +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></div>
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<li><i><span id="mlaauthor">Cabrol, Fernand.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Office of the Dead."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 11.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1911.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Nov. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11220a.htm>.</span></i></li>
<li><i><span id="mlaurl"> </span>Apostolic Constitutions</i>, VI, xxx; VIII, xl; PS.-DIONYS., <i>De hierarch. eccl.</i>, vii, n. 2; AMALARIUS in <i>P.L.</i>, CV, 1239 (<i>De eccles. officiis</i>, III, xlix; IV, xlii); DURANDUS, <i>Rationale</i>, VII, xxxv; BELETH, <i>Rationale</i> in <i>P.L.</i>, CII, 156, 161; RAOUL DE TONGRES, <i>De observantia canonum</i>, prop. xx; PITTONUS, <i>Tractatus de octavis festorum</i> (1739), I (towards end), <i>Brevis tract. de commem. omnium fidel. defunct.</i>; HORATIUS A TURRE, <i>De mortuorum officio dissertatio postuma</i> in <i>Collectio Calogiera, Raccolta d'opuscoli</i>, XXVII (Venice, 1742), 409-429; GAVANTI, <i>Thesaur. rituum</i>, II, 175 sqq.; MARTÈNE, <i>De antiq. ecclesioeritibus</i>, II (1788), 366-411; THOMASSIN, <i>De disciplina eccles.</i>, I-II, lxxxvi, 9; ZACCARIA, <i>Bibl. ritualis</i>, II, 417-8; IDEM, <i>Onomasticon</i>, I, 110, s.v. <i>Defuncti</i>; BONA, <i>Rerum liturg.</i>, I, xvii, §§ 6-7; HITTORP, <i>De div. cathol. eccles. officiis</i>, 1329; GUYET, <i>Heortologia</i>, 462-73 (on the rubrics to be observed in the office of the dead); CATALANUS, <i>Rituale Romanum</i>, I (1757), 408, 416 etc.; CERIANAI, <i>Circa obligationem officii defunctorum</i>; BÄUMER-BIRON, <i>Hist. du Brév.</i>, II, 30, 37, 131 etc.; BATIFFOL, <i>Hist. du Brév.</i>, 181-92; PLAINE, <i>La piété envers les morts</i> in <i>Rev. du clergé français</i>, IV (1895), 365 sqq.; <i>La fête des morts</i>, <i>ibid.</i>, VIII (1896), 432 sqq.; <i>La messe des morts</i>, <i>ibid.</i>, XVI (1898), 196; EBNER, <i>Quellen u. Forschungen zur Gesch. des Missale Romanum</i>, 44, 53 etc.; THALHOFER, <i>Handbuch der kathol. Liturgik</i>, II (Freiburg, 1893), 502-08; KEFERLOHER, <i>Das Todtenofficium der röm. Kirche</i> (Munich, 1873); HOEYNEK, <i>Officium defunctorum</i> (Kempten, 1892); IDEM, <i>Zur Gesch. des Officium defunctorum in Katholik.</i>, II (1893), 329. See also the literature of the article BURIAL and other articles cited above, CEMETERY, CREMATION etc.</li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet I:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Beatitudes</span></h2>
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<b>I. THE BEATITUDES</b></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="I"> </a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="I"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1716"></a><b>1716</b> The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven:</div>
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<span class="text1">Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <br />
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. <br />
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. <br />
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. <br />
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. <br />
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. <br />
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. <br />
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <br />
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. <br />
Rejoice and be glad, <br />
for your reward is great in heaven.<sup>12</sup></span></div>
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<span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span> </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1717"></a><b>1717</b> The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.</div>
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<b>II. THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS</b> </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1718"></a><b>1718</b> The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it: </div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><span class="text1">We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated.<sup>13</sup> How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you.<sup>14</sup> God alone satisfies.<sup>15</sup> <sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1719"></a><b>1719</b> The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human acts: God calls us to his own beatitude. This vocation is addressed to each individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole, the new people made up of those who have accepted the promise and live from it in faith.</div>
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<b>III. CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE</b> </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1720"></a><b>1720</b> The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to which God calls man: </div>
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- the coming of the Kingdom of God;<sup>16</sup> - the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"<sup>17</sup> </div>
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- entering into the joy of the Lord;<sup>18</sup> </div>
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- entering into God's rest:<sup>19</sup> </div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><span class="text1">There we shall rest and see, we shall see and love, we shall love and praise. Behold what will be at the end without end. For what other end do we have, if not to reach the kingdom which has no end?<sup>20</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1721"></a><b>1721</b> God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise. Beatitude makes us "partakers of the divine nature" and of eternal life.<sup>21</sup> With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ<sup>22</sup> and into the joy of the Trinitarian life.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1722"></a><b>1722</b> Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy. </div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><span class="text1">"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that "man shall not see me and live," for the Father cannot be grasped. But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing him. . . . For "what is impossible for men is possible for God."<sup>23</sup></span></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1723"></a><b>1723</b> The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love: </div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd><span class="text1">All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called "newspaper fame" - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.<sup>24</sup></span></dd><dd></dd><dd><span class="text1"><sup> </sup> </span></dd></dl>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1724"></a><b>1724</b> The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis describe for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven. Sustained by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by everyday acts. By the working of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of God.<sup>25</sup></div>
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<b>IN BRIEF</b> </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1725"></a><b>1725</b> The Beatitudes take up and fulfill God's promises from Abraham on by ordering them to the Kingdom of heaven. They respond to the desire for happiness that God has placed in the human heart.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1726"></a><b>1726</b> The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: the Kingdom, the vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal life, filiation, rest in God.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1727"></a><b>1727</b> The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace that leads us there.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1728"></a><b>1728</b> The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1729"></a><b>1729</b> The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.</div>
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<span class="text1"> 12 <i>Mt</i> 5:3-12.<br />
13 St. Augustine, <i>De moribus eccl.</i> 1,3,4:PL 32,1312.<br />
14 St. Augustine, <i>Conf</i>. 10,20:PL 32,791.<br />
15 St. Thomas Aquinas, <i>Expos. in symb. apost.</i> I.<br />
16 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 4:17.<br />
17 <i>Mt</i> 5:8; cf. <i>1 Jn</i> 2; <i>1 Cor</i> 13:12.<br />
18 <i>Mt</i> 25:21-23.<br />
19 Cf. <i>Heb</i> 4:7-11.<br />
20 St. Augustine, <i>De civ. Dei</i> 22,30,5:PL 41,804.<br />
21 <i>2 Pet</i> 1:4; cf. <i>Jn</i> 17:3.<br />
22 Cf. <i>Rom</i> 8:18.<br />
23 St. Irenaeus, <i>Adv. haeres.</i> 4,20,5:PG 7/1,1034-1035.<br />
24 John Henry Cardinal Newman, "Saintliness the Standard of Christian Principle," in <i>Discourses to Mixed Congregations</i> (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906) V, 89-90.<br />
25 Cf. the parable of the sower: <i>Mt</i> 13:3-23.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet II:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b>Purgatory<b>, Sins, Indulgences</b></b></h2>
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Purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions. </div>
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Catholic doctrine</h2>
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The faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV) defined: </div>
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"Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful" (Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983). </blockquote>
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Further than this the definitions of the Church do not go, but the tradition of the Fathers and the Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the teachings of the councils, and to make clear the belief and the practices of the faithful. </div>
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Temporal punishment</h3>
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That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13-14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 17:3; 3:3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God. </div>
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Venial sins</h3>
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All sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is meted out to serious violation of God's law. On the other hand whosoever comes into God's presence must be perfectly pure for in the strictest sense His "eyes are too pure, to behold evil" (Habakkuk 1:13). For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal punishment due to sin at time of death, the Church has always taught the doctrine of purgatory.</div>
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So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity. ("Aeneid," VI, 735 sq.; Sophocles, "Antigone," 450 sq.). </div>
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Errors</h3>
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Epiphanius (Haer., lxxv, P.G., XLII, col. 513) complains that Aërius (fourth century) taught that prayers for the dead were of no avail. In the Middle Ages, the doctrine of purgatory was rejected by the Albigenses, Waldenses, and Hussites. St. Bernard (Serm. lxvi in Cantic., P.L. CLXXXIII, col. 1098) states that the so-called "Apostolici" denied purgatory and the utility of prayers for the departed. Much discussion has arisen over the position of the Greeks on the question of purgatory. It would seem that the great difference of opinion was not concerning the existence of purgatory but concerning the nature of purgatorial fire; still St. Thomas proves the existence of purgatory in his dissertation against the errors of the Greeks, and the Council of Florence also thought necessary to affirm the belief of the Church on the subject (Bellarmine, "De Purgatorio," lib. I, cap. i). The modern Orthodox Church denies purgatory, but is rather inconsistent in its way of putting forth its belief. </div>
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At the beginning of the Reformation there was some hesitation especially on Luther's part (Leipzig Disputation) as to whether the doctrine should be retained, but as the breach widened, the denial of purgatory by the Reformers became universal, and Calvin termed the Catholic position "exitiale commentum quod crucem Christi evacuat . . . quod fidem nostram labefacit et evertit" (Institutiones, lib. III, cap. v, 6). Modern Protestants, while they avoid the name <i>purgatory</i>, frequently teach the doctrine of "the middle state," and Martensen ("Christian Dogmatics," Edinburgh, 1890, p. 457) writes: "As no soul leaves this present existence in a fully complete and prepared state, we must suppose that there is an intermediate state, a realm of progressive development, (?) in which souls are prepared for the final judgment" (Farrar, "Mercy and Judgment," London, 1881, cap. iii). </div>
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Proofs</h2>
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The Catholic doctrine of purgatory supposes the fact that some die with smaller faults for which there was no true repentance, and also the fact that the temporal penalty due to sin is it times not wholly paid in this life. The proofs for the Catholic position, both in Scripture and in Tradition, are bound up also with the practice of praying for the dead. For why pray for the dead, if there be no belief in the power of prayer to afford solace to those who as yet are excluded from the sight of God? So true is this position that prayers for the dead and the existence of a place of purgation are mentioned in conjunction in the oldest passages of the Fathers, who allege reasons for succouring departed souls. Those who have opposed the doctrine of purgatory have confessed that prayers for the dead would be an unanswerable argument if the modern doctrine of a "particular judgment" had been received in the early ages. But one has only to read the testimonies hereinafter alleged to feel sure that the Fathers speak, in the same breath, of oblations for the dead and a place of purgation; and one has only to consult the evidence found in the catacombs to feel equally sure that the Christian faith there expressed embraced clearly a belief in judgment immediately after death. Wilpert ("Roma Sotteranea," I, 441) thus concludes chapter 21, "Che tale esaudimento", etc.:</div>
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Intercession has been made for the soul of the dear one departed and God has heard the prayer, and the soul has passed into a place of light and refreshment." "Surely," Wilpert adds, "such intercession would have no place were there question not of the particular, but of the final judgment. </blockquote>
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Some stress too has been laid upon the objection that the ancient Christians had no clear conception of purgatory, and that they thought that the souls departed remained in uncertainty of salvation to the last day; and consequently they prayed that those who had gone before might in the final judgment escape even the everlasting torments of hell. The earliest Christian traditions are clear as to the particular judgment, and clearer still concerning a sharp distinction between purgatory and hell. The passages alledged as referring to relief from hell cannot offset the evidence given below (Bellarmine, "De Purgatorio," lib. II, cap. v). Concerning the famous case of Trajan, which vexed the Doctors of the Middle Ages, see Bellarmine, loc. cit., cap. Viii. </div>
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Old Testament</h3>
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The tradition of the Jews is put forth with precision and clearness in 2 Maccabees. Judas, the commander of the forces of Israel, </div>
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making a gathering . . . sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead). And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. (2 Maccabees 12:43-46)</blockquote>
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At the time of the Maccabees the leaders of the people of God had no hesitation in asserting the efficacy of prayers offered for the dead, in order that those who had departed this life might find pardon for their sins and the hope of eternal resurrection. </div>
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New Testament</h3>
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There are several passages in the New Testament that point to a process of purification after death. Thus, Jesus Christ declares (Matthew 12:32): "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." According to St. Isidore of Seville (Deord. creatur., c. xiv, n. 6) these words prove that in the next life "some sins will be forgiven and purged away by a certain purifying fire." St. Augustine also argues "that some sinners are not forgiven either in this world or in the next would not be truly said unless there were other [sinners] who, though not forgiven in this world, are forgiven in the world to come" (<i>City of God</i> XXI.24). The same interpretation is given by Gregory the Great (Dial., IV, xxxix); St. Bede (commentary on this text); St. Bernard (Sermo lxvi in Cantic., n. 11) and other eminent theological writers. </div>
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A further argument is supplied by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15: </div>
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"For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." </blockquote>
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While this passage presents considerable difficulty, it is regarded by many of the Fathers and theologians as evidence for the existence of an intermediate state in which the dross of lighter transgressions will be burnt away, and the soul thus purified will be saved. This, according to Bellarmine (De Purg., I, 5), is the interpretation commonly given by the Fathers and theologians; and he cites to this effect: </div>
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<li>St. Ambrose (commentary on the text, and Sermo xx in Ps. cxvii), </li>
<li>St. Jerome, (Comm. in Amos, c. iv), </li>
<li>St. Augustine (<i>Enarration on Psalm 37</i>), </li>
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<li>Origen (Hom. vi in Exod.).</li>
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See also St. Thomas, "Contra Gentes,", IV, 91. For a discussion of the exegetical problem, see Atzberger, "Die christliche Eschatologie", p. 275. </div>
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Tradition</h3>
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This doctrine that many who have died are still in a place of purification and that prayers avail to help the dead is part of the very earliest Christian tradition. Tertullian "De corona militis" mentions prayers for the dead as an Apostolic ordinance, and in "De Monogamia" (chapter 10) he advises a widow "to pray for the soul of her husband, begging repose for him and participation in the first resurrection"; he commands her also "to make oblations for him on the anniversary of his demise," and charges her with infidelity if she neglect to succour his soul. This settled custom of the Church is clear from St. Cyprian, who (P.L. IV, col. 399) forbade the customary prayers for one who had violated the ecclesiastical law. "Our predecessors prudently advised that no brother, departing this life, should nominate any churchman as his executor; and should he do it, that no oblation should be made for him, nor sacrifice offered for his repose." Long before Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria had puzzled over the question of the state or condition of the man who, reconciled to God on his death-bed, had no time for the fulfilment of penance due his transgression. His answer is: "the believer through discipline divests himself of his passions and passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, passes to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance for the faults he may have committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more, not yet attaining what he sees others have acquired. The greatest torments are assigned to the believer, for God's righteousness is good, and His goodness righteous, and though these punishments cease in the course of the expiation and purification of each one, "yet" etc. (P.G. IX, col. 332). </div>
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In Origen the doctrine of purgatory is very clear. If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. "For if on the foundation of Christ you have built not only gold and silver and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3); but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the soul shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into heaven with your wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the kingdom of God; or on account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn the light materials; for our God to those who can comprehend heavenly things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood and hay and stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works." (P.G., XIII, col. 445, 448). </div>
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The Apostolic practice of praying for the dead which passed into the liturgy of the Church, is as clear in the fourth century as it is in the twentieth. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (<i>Mystagogical Catechesis</i> V.9) describing the liturgy, writes: "Then we pray for the Holy Fathers and Bishops that are dead; and in short for all those who have departed this life in our communion; believing that the souls of those for whom prayers are offered receive very great relief, while this holy and tremendous victim lies upon the altar." St. Gregory of Nyssa (P.G., XLVI, col. 524, 525) states that man's weaknesses are purged in this life by prayer and wisdom, or are expiated in the next by a cleansing fire. "When he has quitted his body and the difference between virtue and vice is known he cannot approach God till the purging fire shall have cleansed the stains with which his soul was infested. That same fire in others will cancel the corruption of matter, and the propensity to evil." About the same time the Apostolic Constitution gives us the formularies used in succouring the dead. "Let us pray for our brethren who sleep in Christ, that God who in his love for men has received the soul of the departed one, may forgive him every fault, and in mercy and clemency receive him into the bosom of Abraham, with those who in this life have pleased God" (P.G. I, col. 1144). Nor can we pass over the use of the diptychs where the names of the dead were inscribed; and this remembrance by name in the Sacred Mysteries--(a practice that was from the Apostles) was considered by Chrysostom as the best way of relieving the dead (<i>Homily 41 on First Corinthians</i>, no. 8). </div>
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The teaching of the Fathers, and the formularies used in the Liturgy of the Church, found expression in the early Christian monuments, particularly those contained in the catacombs. On the tombs of the faithful were inscribed words of hope, words of petition for peace and for rest; and as the anniversaries came round the faithful gathered at the graves of the departed to make intercession for those who had gone before. At the bottom this is nothing else than the faith expressed by the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio"), and to this faith the inscriptions in the catacombs are surely witnesses.</div>
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In the fourth century in the West, Ambrose insists in his commentary on St. Paul (1 Corinthians 3) on the existence of purgatory, and in his masterly funeral oration (De obitu Theodosii), thus prays for the soul of the departed emperor: "Give, O Lord, rest to Thy servant Theodosius, that rest Thou hast prepared for Thy saints. . . . I loved him, therefore will I follow him to the land of the living; I will not leave him till by my prayers and lamentations he shall be admitted unto the holy mount of the Lord, to which his deserts call him" (P.L., XVI, col. 1397). St. Augustine is clearer even than his master. He describes two conditions of men; "some there are who have departed this life, not so bad as to be deemed unworthy of mercy, nor so good as to be entitled to immediate happiness" etc., and in the resurrection he says there will be some who "have gone through these pains, to which the spirits of the dead are liable" (<i>City of God</i> XXI.24). Thus at the close of the fourth century: </div>
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<li>not only were prayers for the dead found in all the Liturgies, but the Fathers asserted that such practice was from the Apostles themselves; </li>
<li>those who were helped by the prayers of the faithful and by the celebration of the Holy Mysteries were in a place of purgation; </li>
<li>from which when purified they "were admitted unto the Holy Mount of the Lord". </li>
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So clear is this patristic Tradition that those who do not believe in purgatory have been unable to bring any serious difficulties from the writings of the Fathers. The passages cited to the contrary either do not touch the question at all, or are so lacking in clearness that they cannot offset the perfectly open expression of the doctrine as found in the very Fathers who are quoted as holding contrary opinions (Bellarmine "De Purg.", lib. I, cap. xiii). </div>
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Duration and nature</h2>
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Duration</h3>
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The very reasons assigned for the existence of purgatory make for its passing character. We pray, we offer sacrifice for souls therein detained that "God in mercy may forgive every fault and receive them into the bosom of Abraham" (<i>Apostolic Constitutions</i>); and Augustine (<i>City of God</i> XXI.13, 16) declares that the punishment of purgatory is temporary and will cease, at least with the Last Judgment. "But temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment." </div>
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Nature of punishment</h3>
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It is clear from the Liturgies and the Fathers above cited that the souls for whose peace sacrifice was offered were shut out for the time being from the sight of God. They were "not so good as to be entitled to eternal happiness". Still, for them "death is the termination not of nature but of sin" (Ambrose, "De obitu Theodos."); and this inability to sin makes them secure of final happiness. This is the Catholic position proclaimed by Leo X in the Bull "Exurge Domine" which condemned the errors of Luther. </div>
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Are the souls detained in purgatory conscious that their happiness is but deferred for a time, or may they still be in doubt concerning their ultimate salvation? The ancient Liturgies and the inscriptions of the catacombs speak of a "sleep of peace", which would be impossible if there was any doubt of ultimate salvation. Some of the Doctors of the Middle Ages thought uncertainty of salvation one of the severe punishments of purgatory. (Bellarmine, "De Purgat." lib. II, cap. iv); but this opinion finds no general credit among the theologians of the medieval period, nor is it possible in the light of the belief in the particular judgment. St. Bonaventure gives as the reason for this elimination of fear and of uncertainty the intimate conviction that they can no longer sin (lib. IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1 q. iv): "Est evacuatio timoris propter confirniationem liberi arbitrii, qua deinceps scit se peccare non posse" (Fear is cast out because of the strengthening of the will by which the soul knows it can no longer sin), and St. Thomas (dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) says: "nisi scirent se esse liberandas suffragia non peterent" (unless they knew that they are to be delivered, they would not ask for prayers). </div>
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Merit</h3>
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In the Bull "Exurge Domine" Leo X condemns the proposition (n. 38) "Nec probatum est ullis aut rationibus aut scripturis ipsas esse extra statum merendi aut augendae caritatis" (There is no proof from reason or Scripture that they [the souls in purgatory] cannot merit or increase in charity). For them "the night has come in which no man can labour", and Christian tradition has always considered that only in this life can man work unto the profit of his own soul. The Doctors of the Middle Ages while agreeing that this life is the time for merit and increase of grace, still some with St. Thomas seemed to question whether or not there might be some non-essential reward which the souls in purgatory might merit (IV, dist. xxi, q. i, a. 3). Bellarmine believes that in this matter St. Thomas changed his opinion and refers to a statement of St. Thomas ("De Malo", q. vii, a. 11). Whatever may be the mind of the Angelic Doctor, theologians agree that no merit is possible in purgatory, and if objection be urged that the souls there merit by their prayers, Bellarmine says that such prayers avail with God because of merit already acquired "Solum impetrant ex meritis praeteritis quomodo nunc sancti orando) pro nobis impetrant licet non merendo" (They avail only in virtue of past merits as those who are now saints intercede for us not by merit but by prayer). (loc. cit. II, cap. iii). </div>
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Purgatorial fire</h3>
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At the Council of Florence, Bessarion argued against the existence of real purgatorial fire, and the Greeks were assured that the Roman Church had never issued any dogmatic decree on this subject. In the West the belief in the existence of real fire is common. Augustine (<i>Enarration on Psalm 37</i>, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life, "gravior erit ignis quam quidquid potest homo pati in hac vita" (P.L., col. 397). Gregory the Great speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and he adds "that the pain be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life" (Ps. 3 poenit., n. 1). Following in the footsteps of Gregory, St. Thomas teaches (IV, dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) that besides the separation of the soul from the sight of God, there is the other punishment from fire. "Una poena damni, in quantum scilicet retardantur a divina visione; alia sensus secundum quod ab igne punientur", and St. Bonaventure not only agrees with St. Thomas but adds (IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1, q. ii) that this punishment by fire is more severe than any punishment which comes to men in this life; "Gravior est omni temporali poena. quam modo sustinet anima carni conjuncta". How this fire affects the souls of the departed the Doctors do not know, and in such matters it is well to heed the warning of the Council of Trent when it commands the bishops "to exclude from their preaching difficult and subtle questions which tend not to edification', and from the discussion of which there is no increase either in piety or devotion" (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio"). </div>
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Succouring the dead</h2>
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Scripture and the Fathers command prayers and oblations for the departed, and the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio") in virtue of this tradition not only asserts the existence of purgatory, but adds "that the souls therein detained are aided by the suffrages of the faithful and principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar." That those on earth are still in communion with the souls in purgatory is the earliest Christian teaching, and that the living aid the dead by their prayers and works of satisfaction is clear from the tradition above alleged. That the Holy Sacrifice was offered for the departed was received Catholic Tradition even in the days of Tertullian and Cyprian, and that the souls of the dead, were aided particularly "while the sacred victim lay upon the altar" is the expression of Cyril of Jerusalem quoted above. Augustine (Serm. clxii, n. 2) says that the "prayers and alms of the faithful, the Holy Sacrifice of the altar aid the faithful departed and move the Lord to deal with them in mercy and kindness, and," he adds, "this is the practice of the universal Church handed down by the Fathers." Whether our works of satisfaction performed on behalf of the dead avail purely out of God's benevolence and mercy, or whether God obliges himself in justice to accept our vicarious atonement, is not a settled question. Francisco Suárez thinks that the acceptance is one of justice, and alleges the common practice of the Church which joins together the living and the dead without any discrimination (De poenit., disp. xlviii, 6, n. 4). </div>
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Indulgences</h2>
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The Council of Trent (Sess. XXV) defined that indulgences are "most salutary for Christian people" and that their "use is to be retained in the Church". It is the common teaching of Catholic theologians that </div>
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<li>indulgences may be applied to the souls detained in purgatory; and </li>
<li>that indulgences are available for them "by way of suffrage" (per modum suffragii). </li>
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(1) Augustine (<i>City of God</i> XX.9) declares that the souls of the faithful departed are not separated from the Church, which is the kingdom of Christ, and for this reason the prayers and works of the living are helpful to the dead. "If therefore", argues Bellarmine (De indulgentiis, xiv) "we can offer our prayers and our satisfactions in behalf of those detained in purgatory, because we are members of the great body of Christ, why may not the Vicar of Christ apply to the same souls the superabundant satisfaction of Christ and his saints--of which he is the dispenser?" This is the doctrine of St. Thomas (IV, Sent., dist. xlv, q. ii, a. 3, q. 2) who asserts that indulgences avail principally for the person who performs the work for which the indulgence is given, if they but secondarily may avail even for the dead, if the form in which the indulgence is granted be so worded as to be capable of such interpretation, and he adds "nor is there any reason why the Church may not dispose of its treasure of merits in favour of the dead, as it surely dispenses it in favour of the living". </div>
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(2) St. Bonaventure (IV, Sent., dist. xx, p. 2, q. v) agrees with St. Thomas, but adds that such "relaxation cannot be after the manner of absolution as in the case of the living but only as suffrage (Haec non tenet modum judicii, sed potius suffragii). This opinion of St. Bonaventure, that the Church through its Supreme Pastor does not absolve juridically the souls in purgatory from the punishment due their sins, is the teaching of the Doctors. They point out (Gratian, 24 q. ii, 2, can.1) that in case of those who have departed this life, judgment is reserved to God; they allege the authority of Gelasius (Ep. ad Fausturn; Ep. ad. Episcopos Dardaniae) in support of their contention (Gratian ibid.), and they also insist that the Roman Pontiffs, when they grant indulgences that are applicable to the dead, add the restriction "per modum suffragii et deprecationis". This phrase is found in the Bull of Sixtus IV "Romani Pontificis provida diligentia", 27 Nov. 1447. </div>
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The phrase "per modum suffragi et deprecationis" has been variously interpreted by theologians (Bellarmine, "De indulgentiis", p.137). Bellarmine himself says: "The true opinion is that indulgences avail as suffrage, because they avail not after the fashion of a juridical absolution 'quia non prosunt per modum juridicae absolutionis'." But according to the same author the suffrages of the faithful avail at times "per modum meriti congrui" (by way of merit), at times "per modum impetrationis" (by way of supplication) at times "per modum satisfactionis" (by way of satisfaction); but when there is question of applying an indulgence to one in purgatory it is only "per modum suffragii satisfactorii" and for this reason "the pope does not absolve the soul in purgatory from the punishment due his sin, but offers to God from the treasure of the Church whatever may be necessary for the cancelling of this punishment". </div>
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If the question be further asked whether such satisfaction is accepted by God out of mercy and benevolence, or "ex justitia", theologians are not in accord — some holding one opinion, others the other. Bellarmine after canvassing both sides (pp. 137, 138) does not dare to set aside "either opinion, but is inclined to think that the former is more reasonable while he pronounces the latter in harmony with piety ("admodum pia"). </div>
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Condition</h3>
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That an indulgence may avail for those in purgatory several conditions are required: </div>
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<li>The indulgence must be granted by the pope. </li>
<li>There must be a sufficient reason for granting the indulgence, and this reason must be something pertaining to the glory of God and the utility of the Church, not merely the utility accruing to the souls in purgatory. </li>
<li>The pious work enjoined must be as in the case of indulgences for the living.</li>
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If the state of grace be not among the required works, in all probability the person performing the work may gain the indulgence for the dead, even though he himself be not in friendship with God (Bellarmine, loc. cit., p. 139). Francisco Suárez (De Poenit., disp. Iiii, s. 4, n. 5 and 6) puts this categorically when he says: "Status gratiae solum requiritur ad tollendum obicem indulgentiae" (the state of grace is required only to remove some hindrance to the indulgence), and in the case of the holy souls there can be no hindrance. This teaching is bound up with the doctrine of the Communion of Saints, and the monuments of the catacombs represent the saints and martyrs as interceding with God for the dead. The prayers too of the early liturgies speak of Mary and of the saints interceding for those who have passed from this life. Augustine believes that burial in a basilica dedicated to a holy martyr is of value to the dead, for those who recall the memory of him who has suffered will recommend to the martyr's prayers the soul of him who has departed this life (Bellarmine, lib. II, xv). In the same place Bellarmine accuses Dominicus A Soto of rashness, because he denied this doctrine. </div>
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Invocation of souls</h2>
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Do the souls in purgatory pray for us? May we call upon them in our needs? There is no decision of the Church on this subject, nor have the theologians pronounced with definiteness concerning the invocation of the souls in purgatory and their intercession for the living. In the ancient liturgies there are no prayers of the Church directed to those who are still in purgatory. On the tombs of the early Christians nothing is more common than a prayer or a supplication asking the departed to intercede with God for surviving friends, but these inscriptions seem always to suppose that the departed one is already with God. St. Thomas (II-II.83.11) denies that the souls in purgatory pray for the living, and states they are not in a position to pray for us, rather we must make intercession for them. Despite the authority of St. Thomas, many renowned theologians hold that the souls in purgatory really pray for us, and that we may invoke their aid. Bellarmine (De Purgatorio, lib. II, xv,) says the reason alleged by St. Thomas is not at all convincing, and holds that in virtue of their greater love of God and their union with Him their prayers may have great intercessory power, for they are really superior to us in love of God, and in intimacy of union with Him. Francisco Suárez (De poenit., disp. xlvii, s. 2, n. 9) goes farther and asserts "that the souls in purgatory are holy, are dear to God, love us with a true love and are mindful of our wants; that they know in a general way our necessities and our dangers, and how great is our need of divine help and divine grace". </div>
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When there is question of invoking the prayers of those in purgatory, Bellarmine (loc. cit.) says it is superfluous, ordinarily speaking, for they are ignorant of our circumstances and condition. This is at variance with the opinion of Francisco Suárez, who admits knowledge at least in a general way, also with the opinions of many modern theologians who point to the practice now common with almost all the faithful of addressing their prayers and petitions for help to those who are still in a place of purgation. Scavini (Theol. Moral., XI, n. 174) sees no reason why the souls detained in purgatory may not pray for us, even as we pray for one another. He asserts that this practice has become common at Rome, and that it has the great name of St. Alphonsus in its favour. St. Alphonsus in his work the "Great Means of Salvation", chap. I, III, 2, after quoting Sylvius, Gotti, Lessius, and Medina as favourable to his opinion, concludes: "so the souls in purgatory, being beloved by God and confirmed in grace, have absolutely no impediment to prevent them from praying for us. Still the Church does not invoke them or implore their intercession, because ordinarily they have no cognizance of our prayers. But we may piously believe that God makes our prayers known to them". He alleges also the authority of St. Catharine of Bologna who "whenever she desired any favour had recourse to the souls in purgatory, and was immediately heard". </div>
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<h2 id="viii" style="text-align: justify;">
Utility of prayer for the departed</h2>
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It is the traditional faith of Catholics that the souls in purgatory are not separated from the Church, and that the love which is the bond of union between the Church's members should embrace those who have departed this life in God's grace. Hence, since our prayers and our sacrifices can help those who are still waiting in purgatory, the saints have not hesitated to warn us that we have a real duty toward those who are still in purgatorial expiation. Holy Church through the Congregation of Indulgences, 18 December 1885, has bestowed a special blessing on the so-called "heroic act" in virtue of which "a member of the Church militant offers to God for the souls in purgatory all the satisfactory works which he will perform during his lifetime, and also all the suffrages which may accrue to him after his death" (Heroic Act, vol. VII, 292). The practice of devotion to the dead is also consoling to humanity and eminently worthy of a religion which seconds all the purest feelings of the human heart. "Sweet", says Cardinal Wiseman (lecture XI), "is the consolation of the dying man, who, conscious of imperfection, believes that there are others to make intercession for him, when his own time for merit has expired; soothing to the afflicted survivors the thought that they possess powerful means of relieving their friend. In the first moments of grief, this sentiment will often overpower religious prejudice, cast down the unbeliever on his knees beside the remains of his friend and snatch from him an unconscious prayer for rest; it is an impulse of nature which for the moment, aided by the analogies of revealed truth, seizes at once upon this consoling belief. But it is only a flitting and melancholy light, while the Catholic feeling, cheering though with solemn dimness, resembles the unfailing lamp, which the piety of the ancients is said to have hung before the sepulchres of their dead." </div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>
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<b>Ecclesiastical approbation.</b> <span id="nihil"><i>Nihil Obstat.</i> June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><i>Imprimatur.</i> +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="References"> </span></h2>
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<li><span id="mlaauthor">Hanna, Edward.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Purgatory."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 12.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1911.</span> <span id="mladate">2 Nov. 2012</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm>.</span></li>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus </span></b></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular</td></tr>
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The <b>Sacred Heart</b> (also known as <b>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</b>) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.</div>
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This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.</div>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i>, Pope Pius XI stated: "<i>the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>". The <i>Golden Arrow Prayer</i> directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.</div>
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The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.</div>
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The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_Devotion">History of Devotion</span></h2>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Early_devotion">Early devotion</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ESUzr4xCM/UDD7ti28USI/AAAAAAAABoE/8fRhoURfqdQ/s1600/Sacred-heart-of-jesus-ibarraran.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 </td></tr>
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From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the <i>Vitis mystica</i> (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).</div>
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From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.</div>
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In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.</div>
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The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.</div>
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Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Visions_of_Saint_Margaret_Mary_Alacoque">Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s1600/alacoque.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiu2ekfRGUU/UDD5ZLsyOII/AAAAAAAABn8/GOLFa_ppcFY/s320/alacoque.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765</td></tr>
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The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:</div>
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<li>On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work. </li>
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<li>In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour. </li>
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<li>During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.</li>
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A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called <i>The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i>, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Papal_Approvals">Papal Approvals</span></h3>
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The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.</div>
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After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.</div>
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Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "<i>manifested Himself</i>" to Saint Margaret and had "<i>promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces</i>." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vatican.va_1-1">[2]</sup> and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter <i>Haurietis aquas</i> (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical <i>Haurietis Aquas</i>, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Worship_and_Devotion">Worship and Devotion</span></h3>
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The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull <i>Auctorem Fidei</i>, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical <i>Annum Sacrum</i> (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since <i>c.</i> 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.</div>
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Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.</div>
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The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Immaculate_Heart">Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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The Miraculous Medal</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miraculous Medal</td></tr>
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The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.</div>
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On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer <i>"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"</i> is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her <i>Immaculate Heart</i>, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.</div>
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The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="In_Eastern_Catholicism">In Eastern Catholicism</span></h3>
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</span></h2>
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Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:</div>
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<li>I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li>I will give peace in their families.</li>
<li>I will console them in all their troubles.</li>
<li>I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.</li>
<li>I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.</li>
<li>Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li>Tepid souls shall become fervent.</li>
<li>Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.</li>
<li>I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.</li>
<li>I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li>Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.</li>
<li>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.</li>
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The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.</div>
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Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.</div>
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"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.' </blockquote>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Scapular_of_the_Sacred_Heart">Scapular of the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed <i>badges</i> similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.</div>
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<span dir="auto">Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary</span></h2>
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The <b>Immaculate Heart of Mary</b> (also known as <b>The Sacred Heart of Mary</b>) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the <i>Mass of the Most Pure Heart</i> formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.</div>
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Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter <i>Rosarium Virginis Mariae</i> which builds on the <i>total Marian devotion</i> pioneered by Louis de Montfort.</div>
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Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Veneration_and_devotion">Veneration and devotion</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors</td></tr>
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Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.</div>
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A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.</div>
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The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.</div>
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Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:</div>
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<li>Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)</li>
<li>Receive Holy Communion</li>
<li>Recite five decades of the Rosary</li>
<li>Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary</li>
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She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.</div>
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<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;"><i><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2010"><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="History_of_devotion">History of devotion</span></h2>
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The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".</div>
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Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.</div>
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Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.</div>
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It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (<i>De duodecim stellis</i>), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the <i>Offices of the Compassion</i> and of the <i>Seven Dolours</i>. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the <i>Ave Maria</i> and the <i>Salve Regina</i>, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."</div>
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During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the <i>Coeur Admirable</i> (<i>Admirable Heart</i>), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Alliance_with_the_Sacred_Heart">Alliance with the Sacred Heart</span></h2>
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The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.</div>
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In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.</div>
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Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term <i>The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i>, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Feast_days">Feast days</span></h2>
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Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: <i>Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...</i></div>
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In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the <i>Most Pure Heart of Mary</i> for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.</div>
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During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, <i>Sacro Vergente</i> consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.</div>
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On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Roman_Catholic_feast_days">Roman Catholic feast days</span></h2>
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Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.</div>
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At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.</div>
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Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.</div>
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References: </h2>
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<li>This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: <span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913">Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i>. Robert Appleton Company.</span><span class="citation book" id="CITEREFHerbermann1913"> </span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Today's Snippet VI:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><b> </b><b>Acts of Reparation</b></h2>
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<b>(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions) </b></h2>
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, an <b>Act of Reparation</b> is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup> These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.</div>
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In his encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI defined <i>reparation</i> as follows:</div>
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The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_basis_and_history">Theological basis and history</span></h2>
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The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> 2157 states:</div>
<dl style="text-align: justify;"><dd>The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.</dd></dl>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus, Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's professional work which takes a large part of each day.</div>
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The morning offering is an essential part of the theology of sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity, majesty and the goodness of the Father God.</div>
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"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney</div>
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This theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."</div>
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Saint Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]</div>
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The morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has been translated into many languages.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Duty_of_reparation">Duty of Reparation and Devotion</span></h2>
In the encyclical <i>Miserentissimus Redemptor</i> Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a <i>duty</i> for Roman Catholics:<br />
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We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated</blockquote>
The pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayers_of_reparation">Prayers of Reparation</span></h3>
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A number of prayers as an <i>Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<li>The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<li>A well known <i>Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup></li>
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<li>A frequently offered <i>Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">Morning Offering Devotion</span></h2>
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John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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In Roman Catholicism, the <b>Morning Offering</b> is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he or she does during the day. There are several different forms of Offering.</div>
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Pope John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."</div>
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The Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning, upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything – joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they can never have apart from Him.</div>
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The Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."</div>
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A specific <i>Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</i> was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the <i>Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary</i> and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:</div>
<dl style="text-align: left;"><dd>O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,</dd><dd>I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,</dd><dd>in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.</dd><dd>I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;</dd><dd>the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;</dd><dd>I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,</dd><dd>and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.</dd><dd>Amen.</dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="auto">First Friday Devotions</span></h2>
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The <b>First Friday Devotions</b> are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup></div>
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According to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary, there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday Devotions:</div>
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"<i>In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour</i>."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frist_Friday_Promise_2-0">[2]</sup></blockquote>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup> If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4">[4]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="First_Friday_communion_of_reparation">First Friday - Communion of Reparation</span></h3>
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Receiving Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[9]</sup></div>
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The devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to attend Holy Mass and receive communion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[10]</sup> In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[11]</sup></div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Promises">First Friday Promises</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will establish peace in their houses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will comfort them in all their afflictions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will be their strength during life and above all during death.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tepid souls shall grow fervent.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5">[5]</sup></li>
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<span dir="auto">First Saturday Devotions</span></h2>
The <b>First Saturdays Devotion</b> (or <b>Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary</b>) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.<br />
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The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="The_Act_of_Reparation">The Act of First Saturday Reparation</span></h3>
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for <b>Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month</b> (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Sacramental confession</b></li>
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The confession can take place days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.<br />
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<li><b>To receive Holy Communion</b></li>
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The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between). If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.<br />
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<li><b>A 5 Decades Rosary is recited</b></li>
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The Rosary must also be recited with the intention of making reparation.<b> A 15 Minute Meditation is made on the Mysteries of the Rosary</b> This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scripture.<br />
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The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.<br />
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Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.</i></dd></dl>
The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparition.<br />
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against the <b>Holy Trinity</b> and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> also exist<br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Fatima_prayer_to_the_Holy_Trinity">Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity</span></h3>
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries.<sup> </sup>It is sometimes called the <i>Angel Prayer</i>. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.<br />
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In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.<br />
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Words of the prayer:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.</i></dd></dl>
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<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as <i><b>Acts of Reparation</b></i> for insults and blasphemies against <b>Jesus Christ</b> and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.<br />
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These prayers are recited with the intent to <i>repair the sins of others</i>, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "<i>unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified</i>".<br />
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Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.<br />
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<h2>
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b></span></span> </sup></h2>
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Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity</div>
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<b>The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion</b> is a prayer associated with a Roman Catholic devotion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-0">[1]</sup> The prayer and the devotion are based on reports of visions of by Jesus to Sr. Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite nun of Tours, in 1843.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-0">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-1">[1]</sup> The prayer is an Act of Praise and Reparation for Blasphemy. It is also a reparation for the profanation of Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation.<br />
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On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:<br />
<i>"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."</i><br />
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Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-1">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-2">[1]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3">[3]</sup><br />
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<h3 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)</span></h3>
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-3">[1]</sup><sup> </sup>Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cruz194_2-2">[2]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ball209_1-4">[1]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,</i></dd><dd><i>most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God</i></dd><dd><i>be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored</i></dd><dd><i>and glorified in Heaven, on earth,</i></dd><dd><i>and under the earth,</i></dd><dd><i>by all the creatures of God,</i></dd><dd><i>and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,</i></dd><dd><i>in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.</i></dd><dd><i>Amen.</i></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Rosary_of_the_Holy_Wounds">Rosary of the Holy Wounds</span></h2>
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Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.</div>
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The <i>Rosary of the Holy Wounds</i> is a Rosary based prayer but it does not include the usual mysteries of the rosary. It is primarily directed at the sufferings of Jesus Christ and was first presented by the Venerable Sister Marie Martha Chambon who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907.<br />
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She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6">[6]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7">[7]</sup><br />
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Prayer_of_reparation_for_insults_and_blasphemies">Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies</span></h3>
Words of the prayer:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8">[8]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><i>O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen</i></dd></dl>
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<h2 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en">
<span dir="auto">Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary</span></h2>
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as <i>Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ</i> and <i>Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity</i> also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.<br />
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The <i><b>Raccolta</b></i> is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes.<sup> </sup>The <i>Raccolta</i> (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: <i>Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze</i> ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull <i>Indulgentiarum Doctrina</i> of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions. <br />
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The <b><i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i></b>, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language <i>Raccolta</i> in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only <i>examples</i> of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the <i>Enchiridion Indulgentiarum</i>, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the <i>Raccolta</i>.</div>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_insults_to_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.</i></dd><dd></dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Reparation_for_blasphemy_against_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary">Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary</span></h3>
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Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:<br />
<dl><dd><i>Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.</i></dd></dl>
<dl><dd>Recite Hail Mary three times. </dd></dl>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Apparitions">Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions</span></h2>
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The need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
<dl><dd>"<i>Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.</i>"</dd></dl>
Our Lady of Fatima messages have also emphasized the need for reparations. According to the child seers, Mary asked them to make sacrifices to save sinners. By this the children understood her to mean moderate acts of mortification of the flesh.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[12]</sup><br />
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<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Organizations_for_reparation">Organizations for Reparation</span></h2>
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[13]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[14]</sup><br />
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday</i> was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>The <i>Archconfraternity of the Holy Face</i> was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
<dl><dd><ul>
<li>In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the <i>Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation</i> in Rome.</li>
</ul>
</dd></dl>
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<li>In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the <i>Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face</i>.</li>
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<span class="mw-headline" id="Theological_issues">Theological issues</span></h2>
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.<br />
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Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.<br />
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The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.<br />
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References </h2>
<div class="reflist" style="list-style-type: decimal; text-align: justify;">
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 <i>The Raccolta</i>, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael Freze, 1993, <i>Voices, Visions, and Apparitions</i>, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Peter Stravinskas, 1998, <i>OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today</i> by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Meditations on the Sacred Heart</i> by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in <i>Fatima in Lucia's Own Words</i>, entire text online.</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Catholic Encyclopedia</span></li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b>^</b></span> <span class="reference-text">Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization</span></li>
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<span style="color: #660000;">FEATURED BOOK</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0f243e;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD</b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="widows: 132;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Venerable Mary of Agreda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Translated from the Spanish by<span style="font-size: small;"> Reverend George J. Blatter</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.</span></div>
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<h2 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<span lang="en-US">Book 2, Chapter 4</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="en-US">OF THE VIRTUE OF HOPE, AND HOW THE VIRGIN OUR LADY EXERCISED IT</span></h2>
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The virtue of hope naturally follows upon that of faith, since it is ordained as its complement. For if the Most High instills in us the divine light of faith, and if He wishes us, without regard to differences of position and of age, to come into the infallible knowledge of the Godhead and of his mysteries and promises, it is for no other reason than that each one of us, knowing Him as our last end and object, and learning of the means of arriving at it, may engender within himself the vehement desire to reach that goal. This desire, which naturally carries with it the inclination to attain this highest Good, is called hope and is infused into our will or natural appetite in Baptism. For it belongs to the proper activity of the will to strive after eternal felicity as its greatest good and blessing, to make use of divine grace for obtaining it and for overcoming the difficulties which will occur in its pursuit.</div>
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How excellent the virtue of hope is, may be learned from the fact that its ultimate object is God himself, our highest Good. Although it perceives and seeks Him as something that is absent, yet at the same time it seeks Him also as something that is attainable through the merits of Christ and through the proper activity of the one that hopes for it. The acts and operations of this virtue are regulated by the light of divine faith and by the prudent reliance on the infallible promise of the Lord. Thus hope, by means of the reasoning powers, maintains the middle road between despair and presumption, not permitting man to presume on his own powers for the attainment of eternal glory or to set aside meritorious activity on his own part, nor allowing fear or despondency to hinder Him from exerting himself toward it on account of the Lord’s promises and assurances of final success. In this security, guaranteed by divine faith in all that pertains to these things and applied in prudent and sound reasoning, man hopes without fear of being deceived and yet also without presumption.</div>
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From this it can be seen that despair may arise both from a want of believing what faith promises and also from a failure to apply to one’s own self the security of the divine promises, in which one believes, but which one falsely supposes unattainable in one’s own regard. Between these two dangerous extremes hope directs us in the safe way, maintaining us in the confident belief on the one hand that God will not deny to our–selves what He has promised to all, and on the other, that the promise was not made unconditionally and absolutely, but requires our exertion and effort to merit its fulfillment as far as it is possible with the help of divine grace. For if God has made man capable of the vision of eternal glory, it was not just that any one should attain to such felicity by sinful abuse of the very faculties with which he is to enjoy it; but that he use them in such a way as to befit the end for which he received them. This proper use of the faculties consists in the exercise of the virtues, which prepare man for the enjoyment of his highest good, and in seeking it already in this life by the knowledge and love of God.</div>
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Now, in most holy Mary this virtue of hope reached the highest degree possible both in regard to itself and in regard to all its effects, circumstances and qualities; for the desire and the striving after the last end, which is the vision and the fruition of God, was in Her more active than in all other creatures; moreover this most faithful and prudent Lady did nothing to impede these aspirations, but followed them up with all the perfection possible in a creature. Not only did She possess the infused virtue of faith in the promises of our Lord and its concomitant intensity of hope; but over and above all this She enjoyed beatific vision, in which She learnt to know by experience the infinite truth and fidelity of the Most High. And although She did not have occasion to make use of hope, while enjoying the vision and possession of the Divinity; nevertheless, after again resuming Her ordinary state, She was impelled by the memory of what She had enjoyed, to hope and strive after it with so much the greater force and avidity. Thus the longings of the Queen of all virtues constituted a certain kind of new and particular kind of hope.</div>
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There was another reason why the hope of the most holy Mary excelled the hope of all the other faithful joined together: namely the greatness of the prospective reward and glory due to this sovereign Queen, for reward is after all the real object of hope and in Her it was to be far above all the glory of the angels and saints; that is, proportionate to the knowledge of this glory assured to Her in God was also her expectation and desire to acquire it. Moreover in order that She might attain the highest summit of this virtue, and that She might worthily hope for all that the powerful arm of God would work in Her, She was befittingly furnished with the light of a supreme faith and all the helps and gifts pertaining thereto, and with an especial assistance of the Holy Ghost. What we have said of the virtue of hope in the blessed Virgin in regard to its principal object must also be affirmed in regard to its secondary objects, for the gifts and mysterious blessings enjoyed by this Queen of Heaven were so great that they could not be amplified even by the arm of the Almighty God in a mere creature. Now as the great Lady was to receive these favors through the medium of faith and hope, these virtues were proportionately great, and therefore the greatest that could possibly fall to the lot of a handiwork of God.</div>
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Moreover if, as has already been said of the virtue of faith, the Queen of heaven was endowed with an explicit knowledge and faith of all the revealed truths and of all the mysteries and operations of the Most High, and if the acts of hope corresponded to these acts of faith, who, except the Lord himself could ever comprehend how many and how excellent were the acts of hope, which the Mistress of virtues elicited, since She was aware of her own eternal glory and felicity and of that, which was to be wrought in the rest of the evangelical Church by the merits of her most holy Son? For the sole sake of Mary, as we have before said of her faith, God would have created this virtue, and for her sake He would have conferred it, as He really did, on the whole human race.</div>
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On this account the holy Spirit calls Her the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 25, 24); for just as She became the Mother of Christ because She furnished Him with the flesh of his body, so the holy Spirit made Her the Mother of hope, because by her especial concurrence and cooperation She conceived and brought forth this virtue for the faithful of the Church. Her prerogative of being the Mother of holy hope was connected with and consequent upon Her being the Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord, for She knew that in her Son She would lay the foundation of all the security of our hope. On account of these conceptions and births of the most holy Queen, She obtained a certain dominion and sovereignty over those graces and the promises of the Most High, which depended upon the death of Christ, her Son, for their fulfillment. When She of her own free will gave conception and birth to the incarnate Word She turned them all over to us and thereby gave birth to our hope. Thus was accomplished in its legitimate sense that which the Holy Ghost said to Her: “Thy plants are a paradise” (Cant. 4, 13); for all that came forth from Mary, the Mother of grace, was to constitute our happiness, our paradise, and our certain hope of being able to attain them.</div>
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<span lang="en-US">The Church has a celestial and true father in Jesus Christ, for He engendered and founded it by his merits and labors, and enriched it with his graces, his example and his doctrines, as was to be expected from the Father and Author of such an admirable work Therefore it was befitting that the Church should have also a loving and kind Mother, who with sweet regalement and caresses, and with maternal solicitude and assistance, should nurse the little children at her breast (I. Cor. 3, 12), nourish them with tender and delicious food as long as they cannot in their infancy bear the food of the robust and strong. This sweet Mother was most holy Mary, who since the beginning of the Church, when the law of grace was born in her yet tender children, began to give forth the sweet milk of her enlightened teaching as a merciful Mother; and who will</span> <span lang="en-US">continue to the end of the world thus to assist and intercede for the new children, which Christ our Lord engenders every day by his merits and at the petitions of this Mother of mercy. She it is for whom they are born, who raises and nourishes them. She is our sweet Mother, our life and our hope, the original of the blessings, which are ours, She is the example which we are to imitate, She is our assurance in the pursuit of the eternal happiness, merited by her most holy Son, She furnishes the assistance necessary for its final attainment.</span></div>
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<h3 class="western" lang="en-GB" style="page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading___Toc338962782"></a> <span lang="en-US">WORDS OF THE QUEEN</span><br />
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The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain</h3>
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<span lang="en-US">Thou, my dearest, having received such great enlightenment concerning the excellence of this virtue and the works which I practiced by its help, shouldst work without ceasing to imitate me according to the assistance of divine grace. Renew continually and confer within thyself the promises of the Most High and, with unshaken confidence in their divine truthfulness, raise thy heart to ardent desires and longings for their attainment. In this firm hope thou canst assure thyself of arriving through the merits of my most holy Son, at the blessed cohabitation in the celestial fatherland and at the companionship of all those who there see in immortal glory the face of the Most High. With its help thou canst raise thy heart above earthly things and fix</span> <span lang="en-US">thy mind upon the immutable Good, to which thou aspirest; all visible things will appear to thee burdensome and disagreeable, and thou wilt esteem them as vile and contemptible; nothing wilt thou strive after except that most lovable and delightful object of thy desires. In my soul there was an ardor of hope, such as is possible only to those who have apprehended its object in faith and tasted it by experience; no tongue and no words can describe or express its intensity.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Besides, in order to spur thee on still more, consider and deplore with heartfelt sorrow the unhappiness of so many souls who are images of God and capable of his glory, and who through their own fault are deprived of the true hope of enjoying it. If the children of the holy Church would pause in their vain occupations and would take time to consider and weigh the blessings of unerring faith and hope, which separates them from darkness and which, without their merit, distinguishes them from the followers of blind unbelief, they would without doubt be ashamed of their torpid forgetfulness and repudiate their vile ingratitude. But let them be undeceived, for most terrible punishments await them; they are most detestable in the sight of God and the saints, because they despise the blood shed by Christ for the very purpose of gaining them these blessings. As if all were only a fiction they treat with contempt the blessings of truth, hastening about during their whole life without spending even one day, and many of them not even an hour, in the consideration of their duties and of their danger. Weep, O</span> <span lang="en-US">soul, over this lamentable evil, and according to thy power work and pray for its extirpation through my most holy Son. Believe me that whatever exertion and attempt thou makest toward this purpose shall be rewarded by his Majesty.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Catholic Catechism</span></b></span> </b><b> </b></h2>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>PART FOUR - CHRIST</b></span></b></span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span class="text4"><b>IAN PRAYER </b> </span> </b></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3"><b>SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE</b></span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE - </span><span class="text3">THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></span></h4>
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<span class="text"> <b><span class="text3">CHAPTER THREE<br />
THE LIFE OF PRAYER</span></b><br />
<span class="text3"> </span> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2697"></a><b>2697</b> Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart "We must remember God more often than we draw breath."<sup>1</sup> But we cannot pray "at all times" if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2698"></a><b>2698</b> The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian's life of prayer. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2699"></a><b>2699</b> The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.<br />
</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>ARTICLE 1<br />
EXPRESSIONS OF PRAYER</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<b>I. VOCAL PRAYER</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2700"></a><b>2700</b> Through his Word, God speaks to man. By words, mental or vocal, our prayer takes flesh. Yet it is most important that the heart should be present to him to whom we are speaking in prayer: "Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls."<sup>2</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2701"></a><b>2701</b> Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life. To his disciples, drawn by their Master's silent prayer, Jesus teaches a vocal prayer, the Our Father. He not only prayed aloud the liturgical prayers of the synagogue but, as the Gospels show, he raised his voice to express his personal prayer, from exultant blessing of the Father to the agony of Gesthemani.<sup>3</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2702"></a><b>2702</b> The need to involve the senses in interior prayer corresponds to a requirement of our human nature. We are body and spirit, and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally. We must pray with our whole being to give all power possible to our supplication. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2703"></a><b>2703</b> This need also corresponds to a divine requirement. God seeks worshippers in Spirit and in Truth, and consequently living prayer that rises from the depths of the soul. He also wants the external expression that associates the body with interior prayer, for it renders him that perfect homage which is his due. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2704"></a><b>2704</b> Because it is external and so thoroughly human, vocal prayer is the form of prayer most readily accessible to groups. Even interior prayer, however, cannot neglect vocal prayer. Prayer is internalized to the extent that we become aware of him "to whom we speak;"<sup>4</sup> Thus vocal prayer becomes an initial form of contemplative prayer.<br />
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<br />
<b>II. MEDITATION</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2705"></a><b>2705</b> Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history the page on which the "today" of God is written. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2706"></a><b>2706</b> To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: "Lord, what do you want me to do?" <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2707"></a><b>2707</b> There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.<sup>5</sup> But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2708"></a><b>2708</b> Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in <i>lectio divina</i> or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>III. CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2709"></a><b>2709</b> What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [<i>oracion mental</i>] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."<sup>6</sup> Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves."<sup>7</sup> It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2710"></a><b>2710</b> The choice of the <i>time and duration of the prayer</i> arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty ant in faith. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2711"></a><b>2711</b> <i>Entering into contemplative prayer </i>is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up:" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2712"></a><b>2712</b> Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more.<sup>8</sup> But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2713"></a><b>2713</b> Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts.<sup>9</sup> Contemplative prayer is a <i>communion </i>in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, "to his likeness." <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2714"></a><b>2714</b> Contemplative prayer is also the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit "that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith" and we may be "grounded in love."<sup>10</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2715"></a><b>2715</b> Contemplation is a <i>gaze </i>of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the "interior knowledge of our Lord," the more to love him and follow him.<sup>11</sup> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2716"></a><b>2716</b> Contemplative prayer is <i>hearing </i>the Word of God. Far from being passive, such attentiveness is the obedience of faith, the unconditional acceptance of a servant, and the loving commitment of a child. It participates in the "Yes" of the Son become servant and the Fiat of God's lowly handmaid. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2717"></a><b>2717</b> Contemplative prayer is <i>silence</i>, the "symbol of the world to come"<sup>12</sup> or "silent love."<sup>13</sup> Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the "outer" man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2718"></a><b>2718</b> Contemplative prayer is a union with the prayer of Christ insofar as it makes us participate in his mystery. The mystery of Christ is celebrated by the Church in the Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit makes it come alive in contemplative prayer so that our charity will manifest it in our acts. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2719"></a><b>2719</b> Contemplative prayer is a communion of love bearing Life for the multitude, to the extent that it consents to abide in the night of faith. The Paschal night of the Resurrection passes through the night of the agony and the tomb - the three intense moments of the Hour of Jesus which his Spirit (and not "the flesh [which] is weak") brings to life in prayer. We must be willing to "keep watch with [him] one hour."<sup>14</sup><br />
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<sup> </sup> <br />
<b>IN BRIEF</b> <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2720"></a><b>2720</b> The Church invites the faithful to regular prayer: daily prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the feasts of the liturgical year. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2721"></a><b>2721</b> The Christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. They have in common the recollection of the heart. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2722"></a><b>2722</b> Vocal prayer, founded on the union of body and soul in human nature, associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart, following Christ's example of praying to his Father and teaching the Our Father to his disciples. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2723"></a><b>2723</b> Meditation is a prayerful quest engaging thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life. <br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2724"></a><b>2724</b> Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.<br />
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<span class="text1"></span><span class="text"><span class="text1">1 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, <i>Orat. theo.</i>, 27,1,4:PG 36,16. </span></span><br />
<span class="text1">2 St. John Chrysostom, <i>Ecloga de oratione</i> 2:PG 63,585.<br />
3 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 11:25-26; <i>Mk</i> 14:36.<br />
4 St. Teresa of Jesus, <i>The Way of Perfection</i> 26,9 in <i>The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila</i>, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1980),II,136.<br />
5 Cf. <i>Mk</i> 4:4-7, 15-19.<br />
6 St. Teresa of Jesus, <i>The Book of Her Life</i>, 8,5 in <i>The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila</i>, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1976),I,67.<br />
7 <i>Song</i> 1:7; cf. 3:14.<br />
8 Cf. <i>Lk</i> 7:36-50; 19:1-10.<br />
9 Cf. <i>Jer</i> 31:33.<br />
10 <i>Eph</i> 3:16-17.<br />
11 Cf. St. Ignatius of Loyola, <i>Spiritual Exercises</i>, 104.<br />
12 Cf. St. Isaac of Nineveh, <i>Tract. myst.</i> 66.<br />
13 St. John of the Cross, <i>Maxims and Counsels</i>, 53 in <i>The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross</i>, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 678.<br />
14 Cf. <i>Mt</i> 26:40. </span> <br />
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